Become a Better Interviewer: 16 Common Mistakes to Avoid

March 29, 2018 Employee Performance and Coaching, Interviews, Hiring, and Layoffs

16 Mistakes We Make When Interviewing a Job Candidate

Ever feel like you are just asking random questions to a job candidate during an interview? Do you watch the clock just trying to fill the minutes with conversation? Interviewing job applicants to fill an open position on your team is no easy task, and conducting a meaningful interview is a skill that takes time to master. Developing the skills to become a great interviewer is typically the result of good training as well as gaining first-hand experience learning how to structure and manage the interview discussion. Eventually, everyone develops his or her own unique interview style. While experience is a great teacher, there are some easily avoidable errors that interviewers can make. To help you become a better interviewer, here are 16 common interview mistakes that you will want to avoid the next time you speak with a job applicant.

1. Asking Questions Unrelated to the Job

For starters, questions asked during the interview must focus on the job. In some locations, asking questions unrelated to the position – such as asking a candidate for his or her political affiliation, smoking or drinking habits or lifestyle preferences – may even be illegal. Focus every interview conversation on the role and the candidate’s ability to perform the job duties.

2. Being Unprepared

Job candidates can tell if you are not ready to talk to them, and the best talent always does their homework. So should you. When you are not prepared to interview a candidate, it may send some discouraging messages:

They are not worth your time
You are not interested in them as a candidate
Your company is disorganized

Before the interview, read the posted job description to refresh your memory and to serve as a reminder for the type of candidate you are looking for. Also review the candidate’s resume to ensure you are not going in completely cold. Even a few minutes of preparation can go a long way, so make it a point to get yourself prepared and organized.

3. Not Explaining the Hiring Process as Part of the Interview

Every organization is different. Whether you are conducting a phone screen or an in-person interview, be sure to let candidates know what they can expect and when to expect it. Are multiple rounds of interviews required? Are there certain types of questions you will ask? Do they need to take a test to demonstrate their skills? A brief overview of the interviewing steps and process helps align expectations and makes the most efficient use of everyone’s time. A brief overview of the process can also help put a nervous candidate at ease.

“Past behavior is often a good predictor of future performance.”

4. Choosing a Like-Minded Interview Panel

As hiring managers, we tend to seek out talent that is a reflection of ourselves. To get away from our bias, always select a hiring panel that represents a cross-functional team of stakeholders. If you are hiring a software engineer, for example, do not setup an interview panel consisting of only software engineers. Perhaps include a Project Manager, someone from Finance, and someone from Sales to represent the individuals this person would work with on a daily basis. If you are trying to fill a manufacturing-focused role, for instance, include someone from Quality, an interviewer from Supply Chain and someone from Product Development to ensure you get a balanced perspective.

5. Asking Inconsistent Questions

In order to effectively compare multiple candidates for a given position, have a prescribed or planned set of questions you ask them. You can always ask more and should make every effort to have an engaging conversation with every applicant, but be consistent enough to give yourself a basis by which you can compare candidates. Additionally, make sure all interviewers are given the list of questions so you can collectively discuss the candidate’s responses after the interview.

6. Candidate Talks Too Little or the Interviewer Talks Too Much

Overall, the goal of an interview is to get a detailed evaluation of the candidate’s experience, capabilities and natural tendencies. Interviews are for the candidates; let them do most of the talking so you can observe their behavior and record their answers. If quiet or nervous, simple chit-chat or a tour of your facility can help them relax before the harder questions start.

7. Not Distinguishing Between Learned Skills and Personal Tendencies

When evaluating a candidate’s ability to perform a job, focus on his or her natural behaviors. Why? Past behavior is often a good predictor of future performance. Therefore, understanding how they approached a given problem in the past is going to give you insight into how they will tackle a similar one in the future. Skills can be taught, but natural tendencies cannot.

8. Missing Out On the Details

Ask as many follow-up questions as needed to avoid general responses. When candidates give broad or non-specific answers, as the interviewer you should always seek to dig into the details. Doing so not only helps you get a complete understanding of the applicant’s answer, but also ensures you dial into exactly what the candidate did. What was their first step in solving that problem? Exactly how many people did they manage? What was his or her specific role in that project? Checking on details also helps you sniff out any incorrect or misleading statements on the resume.

9. Constantly Checking Your Cellphone (or Email)

Distractions like cell phones and email send a bad message to candidates and may suggest you are uninterested in their application. Minimize distractions as much as possible, preferably by conducting the interview away from all the day-to-day activity. Make the most of your time with the candidate because at the end of the interview, you will need to make a hiring decision. If there truly is an urgent matter at hand, take a short 5-minute break to resolve it.

10. Using Language the Candidate Does Not Understand

Every company and organization has its own lingo and buzz words. Knowing this, bear in mind that external candidates will not know terms and acronyms internal to your organization. Speak to them in clear language to avoid confusion and wasting time with added explanation.

11. Criticizing a Candidate’s Response

Candidates respond to different types of questions in different ways. Even if you do not like their reply, simply document a candidate’s answer and compare notes with other interviewers later. Dig into the details so you understand the specifics, but do not criticize the example he or she provides, or the story they tell. If he or she is in fact struggling to answer the question you ask, give them a little help to focus their response.

12. Being Impolite, Rude or Confrontational

As an interviewer, you are an ambassador of your organization and your brand. Rude or impolite behavior will often motivate candidates to turn down any job offers you eventually make. Keep interviews professional. If the applicant expresses unacceptable behavior, maintain control and simply state that such behavior is not tolerated in your organization.

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13. Running Out of Time

Always schedule sufficient time to meet with every candidate. Rushing through interviews not only leaves a bad impression with applicants, but it will also limit the information you obtain to make a sound hiring decision. The more important the role, the greater the number of interviewers there should be, and the longer the overall interview should take. Also, consider a second level interview (that is, the hiring manager’s own manager) for very important or strategic positions.

How Long Should Interviews Take? Here Are Some Rules of Thumb:
Hourly Workers – 1 Hour (Total for All Interviewers)
Professional Staff – 4 – 6 Hours (Total for All Interviewers)
Executive Level – Full Day (Total for All Interviewers)

14. Not Considering Organizational Fit

Do not overlook the fact that the candidate will be a member of your organization, if hired. Consider the applicant’s organizational fit to ensure you do not impact your existing team or staff. To illustrate this point, ask yourself the following questions when it comes to hiring someone who does not fit your organizational culture:

What is the impact of disruptive behavior?
What is the cost of poor performance?
How can a bad employee impact morale?
Will this person be satisfied with the work we do here?

Few things can undermine a good team like a bad or disruptive new hire. Carefully consider how an applicant will commingle with your current staff before extending an offer.

15. Making Guarantees To the Applicant

Be careful not to make promises during or immediately following the interview that you do not, or cannot guarantee at the time of the discussion. Examples include things like:

Bonuses or Pay Assurances
Promises for Promotion and Advancement
Expectations Of Work To Be Performed

Until you and your organization have made the final selection, you should not make commitments – even if verbal – to the candidate about employment terms. The only commitment you should make to the candidate during an interview is an estimated timeframe when they may hear back from you as to whether or not they have been selected for the job.

16. Failing to Discuss Findings With Other Interviewers

After the interview, hold a review with all panelists to verify consistency of the candidate’s answers. This discussion also lets interviewers share opinions of the applicant’s qualities and often yields additional details about the candidate. Ultimately, this post-interview meeting puts all facts on the table and ensures the team makes a well-informed hiring decision.

Final Tips on Interviewing Candidates

Every interviewer develops his or her own style and questioning technique. But when it comes to the fundamentals of interviewing job candidates, the list above details some examples of common mistakes that you can easily avoid. Keep interviews professional, be thorough, and remember – you are an ambassador of your brand.