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This is the ultimate guide for anyone interviewing someone else, whether you are a hiring manager or looking to get hired. It includes everything from how to frame your questions and what not to ask in an interview conversation, plus it has a list of all the things you should know before going on an interview.
How to interview someone for a job is an important skill that many people need, but it can be difficult to know what questions to ask. This article will give you a list of the most commonly asked job interview questions and some tips on how to approach the interview. Read more in detail here: how to interview someone for a job questions.
A job interview is a means to see whether a candidate is a good match for the position you’re hiring for. Interviews might take place in person, over the phone, or by video. It’s critical to ensure that your interview questions and hiring methods are fair and don’t break any labor laws to prevent fines and lawsuits.
During the recruiting process, many companies may review 300 or more resumes. With so much traffic, it’s easy to lose sight of good applicants. Freshteam’s applicant tracking system (ATS) enables you to take notes during interviews, interact with your recruiting team, and ultimately make a successful hiring choice. To join up for this free software, go to the following link:
Go to Freshteam.com.
What Happens During the Interviewing Process?
An interview is not a one-shot deal. It’s simply one stage in the hiring process. To offer a job seeker a good understanding of the available position—as well as to provide the employer a good sense of how the job seeker will fit within the business and culture—many organizations hold many interviews and occasionally include activities (e.g., an office tour, a skills assessment, or a test).
After conducting interviews, you’ll most likely reduce your recruiting options to one or two candidates, giving the job to your first choice (best-qualified applicant) while maintaining your second choice candidate as a backup. That’s simply in case your top candidate declines your employment offer.
If you want to establish a successful team, here are six procedures to take when interviewing someone for a position.
How to Interview Someone for a Job: A Checklist
1. Gather Position & Candidate-related Documents
Gather all of the information required to conduct an interview before scheduling a job interview with an applicant. A job description, a copy of the candidate’s Application for a Job, or their résumé may be included. It might also include a copy of the job ad you submitted, as well as an organizational chart to show where the position falls within your company.
Job Description or Position
The Job Description or Position is a one- to two-page document that describes what the job is about and the minimum requirements of the job. It’s best if you share the job description with job seekers in advance of the interview. You’ll also want to go over it with them as a point of reference so that you can compare their work history, skills, education, and interests to the job you have available.
Application for a Job
It’s critical to read what interview candidates write on their resumes. They may, for example, say working for a rival or that they are still in school. Before you start asking them questions in the interview, it’s a good idea to learn about their past.
Working with an online human resources (HR) expert like Bambee may assist you guarantee that your job application forms and job descriptions comply with federal labor and anti-discrimination regulations. Bambee’s HR professionals can help you figure out what to include and exclude from these common recruitment paperwork.
Note: When it comes to business job applications, we highly advise only using them when absolutely necessary. That is to say, many of your finest applicants are job searchers who are not actively looking for work (or, people who are currently employed, but who are seeking other employment). Many passive job searchers will not take the time to fill out a long job application due to their busy schedules. They’ll send a résumé and, in some cases, a Letter of Coverage, and that’ll be all. Don’t rule out these outstanding prospects simply because they haven’t submitted their applications.
Resume of the Applicant
When filling out a job application form, not everyone includes a résumé (for instance, you may not need a resume for a hotel maintenance worker). However, if they’ve attached or emailed a copy of their résumé, you may use it as a starting point for the sorts of questions you’ll ask during the interview. Consider what you’d do if the job applicant had a lengthy gap between jobs—you’d want to know why.
Indeed, for example, keeps resumes online. Indeed will even parse it for you so you can see how well each CV meets the job specifications. A small firm may advertise jobs on In for free.
Indeed, why not keep track of your applications and resumes there as well?
Letter of Coverage
Letter of Coverages are more common with professional jobs or online job applications. You’ll often find tidbits about the candidate that you may not have found on their resume. Letter of Coverages are typically more personal and informal, allowing you to get a glimpse of the person’s character, temperament, or work interests.
Job Posting (as Needed)
It’s possible that the applicant applied because you put a job ad online. “What was it about our job ad that motivated you to apply?” you might question the job seeker if you have that ad ready. Their response will often reveal their job drive or assist you in determining which keywords piqued their interest when looking for employment.
Diagram of the Organization (as Needed)
Before your interview, have the organization chart ready so you can see where the job position falls inside the company. This will assist you in deciding with whom they will collaborate and to whom they will report. Knowing the personalities and work methods of their prospective boss and possible new coworkers can help you evaluate the candidate’s ability to fit into the company and department.
2. Information Sharing with the Candidate
Smart interviewers offer applicants with the information they need to plan the interview and come prepared and on time. It’s best if you can provide a candidate as much information as possible. The goal should never be to surprise or fool the applicant. As the interviewer, do your part to ensure that the applicant has a successful interview. The objective should be for both the interviewer and the candidate to be able to concentrate on the job at hand rather than any unforeseen events.
You may wish to add the following information in your interview invitation:
- Provide the interview’s time, duration, and location; if you wish to be extra helpful, include a Google map link.
- People: Describe who they will meet and who they should inquire about when they arrive. Is this going to be a one-on-one or a panel interview?
- Provide the phone number, text number, or email account they should use if they need to cancel the appointment due to an emergency on the day of the interview.
- Format: Describe the framework of your interview, such as giving a sample presentation or requesting that they prepare for certain questions ahead of time.
- Dress code: Including dress code information is a good touch, particularly if your business is quite informal. This prevents the applicant from wearing inappropriately and feeling out of place.
- Let them know whether you’ll be bringing them to lunch or offering them snacks.
- Specifics about the location: Anything they should know ahead of time, such as whether parking is difficult, the office doorbell is broken, or they need a code to get through security.
3. Arrange for the Interview
Once you’ve decided to interview a candidate for a position, you’ll need to set up an appointment with them. It’s critical to act quickly once a job seeker has applied for an available position if you want to hire the top people. Top applicants are swiftly employed in a tight work market.
Interview Scheduling Tools
While there are tools that can assist you match your schedule with the candidate’s, a face-to-face interaction is preferable. Let the person know you want to interview them by calling or texting them. Then, if necessary, follow up with a calendar appointment request.
App for Scheduling
App for Schedulings and free online calendars like Google Calendar can make your life as an interviewer much easier. You can often email the candidate with a list of open days and times and allow them to choose the interview time slot that works best for them. Keep in mind that those currently working a full-time job may need to schedule their interview over a lunch hour, or before or after work.
Reminders for Appointments
Stay in contact after you’ve agreed on a time that works for both you and the job seeker. There are a few pretty great recruitment tools out there that can help you accomplish exactly that.
Consider sending a snapshot of where the job prospect should park or texting instructions to your business. Indeed, a job posting program, enables you to send and monitor these interactions. To prevent getting ghosted by the job seeker—which may happen if you don’t stay in touch—a it’s good idea to send an interview reminder the day before and another on the day of the interview.
Interview Timing & Length
You’ll need to figure out how long you want the applicant to be in the office and how much time you want each individual to interview them before you issue the invitation. When doing a one-on-one interview, the most frequent interview time period is one hour.
Depending on the function and who the interviewers are, it may be necessary to:
- Pair up: Have two interviewers work together, such as two company co-owners interviewing an applicant for a vital job.
- An interview in a casual environment, such as lunch or dinner, may be more suited for people-facing roles—and may go longer than an hour.
- Maintain the status quo by scheduling one-on-one interviews one after the other.
Let’s take a look at how you may split up an interview for scheduling purposes dependent on the kind of position you’re interviewing the individual for and the number of interviewers.
Time Spent on an Interview
Self-Questions to Consider
You may conduct interviews on your own or with the assistance of a group. In fact, the whole interviewing process will require you to consider how you will evaluate the prospect as a whole.
Ask yourself the following questions when you schedule interviews:
- Who would be the ideal individual or people to interview job candidates? To examine technical abilities, you can try hiring someone who has worked in the position before.
- What additional options do we have for determining whether or not this individual is a suitable fit? You may, for example, make a job offer reliant on a successful background check following the interview.
- How fast do you need someone to be hired? This may influence who and how many individuals interview the applicant, as well as how soon those interviews take place.
- You may wish to examine a candidate’s interpersonal abilities in a social situation, such as a group lunch with your colleagues, in addition to phone, video, or in-office interviews.
- What criteria will you use to choose the best candidate? Is it going to be the manager’s favorite? Or the one who turned in the finest example assignment?
4. Put together an interview guide
An interview guide may be as basic as a piece of paper with a few questions and space to take notes, or it can be as complex as an entire spreadsheet with particular scenarios and a grading system. What matters is that you plan ahead of time whatever kind of interview questions to ask and why. Knowing which interview questions to avoid is also a good idea, since some may be discriminatory.
Questions to Ask During Your Interview
- “How much do you know about our business?” This reveals a lot about whether or not the applicant has prepared for the interview and done their homework.
- “How do you stay engaged in this field?” How do you stay up to date on best practices?” This is an excellent way for both experienced and entry-level recruits to demonstrate their genuine interest in the area, love for the work, and desire to learn.
- “Would you be willing to role-play the following scenario, such as an irate employee, a customer complaint, or an inventory discrepancy)?” This test assesses the candidate’s ability to deal with the kind of circumstances that the work necessitates.
- “Can you tell me what you believe the job entails on a daily basis?” The recruiting process has a lot of expectations. This informs you what they did in their prior work for experienced employees; for fresh graduates, it helps you figure out what they anticipate and why—and if those expectations are reasonable.
- “Now that I’ve told you all there is to know about the job and the organization, why do you think you’d be a good match for it?” This question reveals if the applicant was paying attention and allows them to match their abilities and talents to the job description appropriately.
- “Are there any questions you have for me?” This is a fantastic question since it reveals if the applicant has done any study on the job and whether they have any unresolved questions at the conclusion of the interview.
Keep in mind that the kind of inquiries you may ask are limited by federal labor rules. Furthermore, certain state laws prevent employers from inquiring about or discriminating against candidates based on their former wage history, criminal history, or sexual orientation.
Skills Required for the Job
The questions you need to ask to evaluate the job candidate’s technical and interpersonal abilities are the most crucial part of your interview guide. Are they inherently nice if it’s a customer service job? How do they deal with irate customers? Do they have the necessary licences and qualifications if they’re working as an equipment operator? Are they capable of doing tasks that demand physical strength, such as lifting 50-pound boxes?
Interviewing Techniques
We agree that a Interviewing Techniques is often the best way to assess a job applicant’s experience. It includes questions about each of the Skills Required for the Job needed to be successful and asks the candidate to tell about a time when, for example:
- They were able to overcome a customer objection.
- They were in charge of organizing and completing a major, demanding project.
- They taught a group of people how to use new software.
- They discovered and fixed a safety concern.
- They explained why they said “no” to their boss.
Work Assignment Example
Identifying a real-life, work-related project or activity you may give to the applicant during or after the interview is another consideration for your job interview. A example assignment is an excellent method to assess how your job candidate approaches a task and how successfully they execute it.
Examples of Work Assignment Examples might include:
- Translate a welcome letter to a new client into Spanish.
- Choose three menu items that you would suggest to a gluten-free diner.
- Tell me the names and functions of each of the plumbing equipment on the desk.
- Provide three keywords that your company may consider purchasing to improve the performance of its website.
- To market a new financial product, create a one-page flyer.
- Complete an Excel exam online.
Instruments for Evaluation
Another option is to use Instruments for Evaluation that measure technical skills, personality, trustworthiness, and any number of other skills, such as the ability to use software like Excel. These tools can prevent you from hiring someone who looks good on paper, sounds great in the interview, but ultimately can’t do the job.
5. Set up an interview
When doing a job interview, you have a few possibilities. As previously said, you may do a one-on-one interview with the candidate or have a group interview with the job seeker. Often, a one-on-one interview is preferable since it is less scary for the applicant. It also takes less time from others, which you may conserve for solely interviewing your final prospects.
Regardless, here are some dos and don’ts when doing a job interview:
Do’s and Don’ts in Interviews:
- Greetings: Introduce yourself and any interviewers to the job seeker.
- To begin, set the scene: To put the applicant at ease, provide a pleasant setting.
- Make the procedure more clear: Explain your interview procedure, including the kind of questions you’ll ask, any exams or assignments you’ll need, and whether or not you’ll conduct additional rounds of interviews.
- Take a deep breath, relax, and get to know the applicant as the interview progresses.
- Listen more than you speak: Give the candidate time to react; don’t be scared of quiet.
- Take note of the interviewee’s body language as well as their responses.
- Summarize: Identify the next step, such as another interview, an email, or a practice activity.
- Thanks: Thank the applicants for their time and interest in the job position, and express gratitude for their interest in your organization.
Do’s and Don’ts in Interviews:
- Show prejudice by refraining from asking questions relating to the job. And never scrawl comments with racial connotations, such as wedding bands (married? ), a stick figure family (kids? ), or anything else. These would undoubtedly be considered as evidence of prejudice in a case.
- Interrogate: Do not bombard the candidate with questions to see how they respond under pressure. That might jeopardize your employment process since they’ll think you and your staff are jerks.
- If you request that an assignment be performed for free, be prepared to compensate the applicant for their time. When a job seeker complains that your organization is a fraud to get prospects to perform “free labor,” don’t allow unfavorable internet reviews hurt your employer reputation.
- Don’t just gaze at the applicant while you read out your interview questions; become completely quiet. Instead, engage in a nice two-way conversation with someone you know, like you would with a family member.
- If you’re still interviewing other prospects, don’t keep them in the dark.
- Burn no bridges: Treat the applicant with respect, even if they are a poor match for the position.
Job Interviews: What They Are and What They Aren’t
When it comes to hiring, there are three basic interview tactics. The most common types of interviews are phone interviews, Interview conducted through the internets (with or without video), and Interview on the Jobs.
More information on each sort of job interview and when to utilize it may be found here:
Interview over the phone
Interview over the phones are best for prescreening applicants as part of your recruitment process. In fact, you may want to do a quick phone screening interview with as many as five to seven potential candidates to see which ones appear to be the most interested and competent. Each Interview over the phone may take between five and 30 minutes, helping you cull your list before scheduling more time-consuming, in-depth meetings with your top two to three prospects.
Interview conducted through the internet
An Interview conducted through the internet makes sense when your candidate has another job, lives in another state, or is interviewing for a remote or work-from-home job role. It also works when you’re doing a group interview with managers who are not co-located—you’ll use video conference software instead. Of course, an Interview conducted through the internet can be done at any time to make your interviewing schedule more manageable.
Interview on the Job
An Interview on the Job is done in person and makes sense when the candidate is in the same location as you. It is the most expensive because it requires a conference room or meeting space. And if a candidate is out of town, you’ll need to reimburse them for their travel costs. It’s also not any more likely to produce a top candidate because in-person interviews are notorious for interviewer bias—hiring someone because they’re like us.
When conducting onsite, in-person interviews, it’s best to ask interview questions that measure the applicant’s Skills Required for the Job and try not to get distracted by how “comfortable” or “uncomfortable” you are with the candidate or how much you have in common.
Examine your interviewing abilities.
It’s a good idea to practice asking your chosen questions with a peer ahead of time. This can assist you anticipate the kind of replies you’ll get from candidates. It can also keep you on target throughout the interview and keep your follow-up questions from drifting into unsafe terrain. It boosts your confidence in asking questions and stopping to listen to responses. And, best of all, it provides you an estimate of how long the interview will take.
6. After the interview, write down your notes.
An interview evaluation form is a great tool to record interview comments since it allows you to track how the interviewee replied to various questions during the conversation. This allows you to score and rank prospects objectively, allowing you to choose the best candidate for the position rather than the first, last, or most enthusiastic person you spoke with.
If you prefer digital techniques, consider using an application tracking system (ATS) like Freshteam, which enables you to score interviews, assign responsibilities to other members of your recruiting team, and simply follow up with both high- and low-quality prospects. To sign up for free, go to:
Go to Freshteam.com.
7. Maintain Contact With the Job Candidate
Because every connection you have with a job application has an influence on your company’s brand, it’s critical to follow up with job applicants. The better your reaction is, the more individualized it is. If the rejected applicant was your second option and your first pick had substantially more accounting experience, it’s OK to say that you liked them both but selected the more experienced candidate. Explain why you loved the candidate’s talents and experience the most, and then wish them luck in their job search.
Offer Letter or Job Offer
The message you send to your top-choice applicant is called an offer letter. It will almost certainly contain a start date, pay range, and benefits details, as well as a brief description of your firm and culture (to persuade the job seeker to say “yes”). In fact, it may be a phone call or a text you send to the applicant to offer them the job instead of a letter. In the end, though, it’s preferable to put your employment offer in writing to clinch the deal.
Letter of Rejection
The Letter of Rejection is equally important and may be even more so if you want to maintain a good employment brand. The purpose of the Letter of Rejection is to inform job seekers that you’ve chosen another candidate. It’s also used to thank them for applying and leave the door open for them to reapply to other positions that may come up in the future.
It will never damage your company to spread goodwill. And you never know, the job seekers may be present or future clients, or they might be a good match for another position at your firm in the future.
What Happens After a Job Offer Is Made?
If the individual you interviewed accepts the position, the next step is to keep them engaged until their start date. You’ll also want them to have a positive first impression of onboarding, orientation, and training. You’ll also want to make sure that your payroll system, whether it’s HR or payroll software or a third-party payroll service, is ready to go.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to Conduct a Job Interview
What are the most typical interviewing blunders?
Interviewers who aren’t trained are more likely to ask questions that are prohibited by state and local labor rules. One of the most typical blunders is to inquire about a person’s handicap. This is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s objective (ADA). Ask all applicants whether they can perform the “essential tasks of the job—with or without appropriate accommodation.”
Another typical rookie blunder is to ask questions that are prejudiced or seen to be discriminating. For example, you may inquire about a candidate’s marital or familial situation, their age, or even the origin of their last name (which can be seen as ethnic discrimination).
Do you have an example of a Letter of Rejection?
We have an entire article on how to write a Letter of Rejection. However, here’s a quick format you could use.
Hello, [first name]
We appreciate your interest in [business name] and the time you took to apply for the position of [role title].
We’ve chosen to go ahead with another applicant whose qualifications and expertise are more closely aligned with our current requirements. We’d like to express our gratitude for speaking with our staff and providing us with the chance to learn more about your qualifications and achievements.
In the next months, we will post additional job openings. We hope you will remember us and consider applying again.
We wish you the best of success in your job hunt and future professional aspirations.
Thank you very much,
[Name of the Lead Interviewer]
What should I say to the back-up candidate (my second-best option)?
Many organizations will inform the next-in-line applicant that they’ve made a job offer to someone else so that they don’t have to wait. Others will remain silent until the first applicant to be given the job accepts it (keeping the backup person in the queue just in case).
Is it better to do one-on-one or group interviews?
Both interview designs are valid. One-on-one interviews are less stressful for candidates and simpler to arrange. Group interviews, on the other hand, enable all interviewers to evaluate the candidate’s responses and then agree on post-interview comments. This advantage may let many team leaders provide distinct and diverse viewpoints on the applicant and how he or she could fit into the team, which can help speed up the recruiting process.
Although multiple team interviews are more common in higher-level positions, entry-level positions may only require one or two one-on-one interviews to ensure the job seeker meets the minimum requirements for the position, such as a server or clerk.
Note: When doing team or panel interviews, limit the number of participants on your interviewing panel to a minimum. At any one moment, four or five members on an interviewing panel should enough for most occupations.
How long should I hold off on interviewing an applicant who is late?
A job applicant might be late for a variety of reasons, including traffic, getting lost, or a family issue. A proactive individual, on the other hand, will prepare for this by coming early (even if they have to sit in the parking lot or lobby). It’s better to postpone or cancel an interview if a candidate arrives 15 minutes late or more (without contacting). You’ll probably be pressed for time, so you don’t want to recruit someone who doesn’t know how to manage their time.
What if a job applicant arrives unprepared?
It’s conceivable that a job seeker applied to your position out of duty, such as to meet an unemployment requirement. It’s quite OK to terminate an interview early if it’s evident that the applicant is unqualified, unprepared, or just not a good match. As a result, for first-round interviews, phone interviews may be the ideal option. They may be short, allowing the interviewer to swiftly rule out apparent applicants who will not be considered for the job.
Ending interviews does not have to be unpleasant or painful. “I appreciate you taking the time to come in and visit us,” you may add. However, it looks that you are unprepared for the interview, and I would prefer not to spend your time. I recommend that you keep an eye out for other employment openings that could be a better match for you in the future.”
Should I inform a job applicant who has been rejected why they were not chosen?
It’s good to be able to provide comments to assist someone improve their interviewing skills, but it’s a dangerous path to take. They can disagree with your evaluation and argue with you or accuse you of prejudice. It’s ideal to start by stating what you liked about the applicant, and then recommend that another candidate would be a better fit for the position. Beyond that, don’t be too precise. And, of course, best wishes for their employment search.
Is it legal to ask certain interview questions?
Yes, some interview questions are considered discriminatory, and your company could be sued for discriminatory hiring practices. There are federal laws as well as state and sometimes location-specific laws. Listed below are a few examples:
- Protected classes: It’s advisable to avoid asking about a person’s race, religion, age, or marital status. These will very certainly be seen as discriminatory.
- Pregnancy: Even if a lady seems to be pregnant, you are not permitted to inquire as to when she will give birth or how she intends to care for the child. These are often in violation of pregnancy discrimination regulations.
- Salary: Equal pay laws have been enacted in many states. Job applications and interviews, for example, may not inquire about a person’s salary history.
- You may observe a person’s impairment, but you are not permitted to question about it. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provide protection to workers and job candidates.
- Gender identity: In many places, it is illegal to inquire about a person’s gender or gender identity.
- In New York City, for example, you can’t urge someone to modify their hairdo or discriminate against them because of it. It’s best not to inquire about it.
- In several areas, it is illegal to ask about or investigate a person’s genetic information as a reason for employment.
How can I teach my managers how to do better interviews?
Start by printing out an online guide like this one and arranging time for your management to evaluate it. Emphasize the importance of avoiding discriminatory actions. Share your best-practice interview questions with them and have them practice with a peer once they understand what not to ask.
Conclusion
Conducting an effective interview takes planning and practice. An interview is little more than a structured conversation that helps you evaluate which candidate is the best for your open role. It should be based on the job description and focus on Skills Required for the Job and experience. It can also help you learn about the candidate so that you can see whether their work style and values mesh with what’s needed in your business.
Don’t forget to check out Freshteam if you want to take charge of your hiring process. To keep track of all job candidates for free, click the link below:
Go to Freshteam.com.
The “how to interview someone questions” is a list of questions that you should ask during the interview process.
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