Job interviews from employer perspective

There are many instructions on how to conduct structured interviews. There are thousands of good questions you can ask a candidate and – depending on the role and level – they may vary.

What is the goal of a job interview? You want to find out whether the candidate is suitable for the vacancy and if he or she is a personal and cultural fit with your company.

Structured interviews with a fixed set of questions help you to learn some details about the person and especially to compare between candidates.

Today, I want to shift our focus to a core element which is – according to my personal experience after hundreds of interviews – so important:

Getting to know the human being in front of you.

Getting to know is even an overstatement. You cannot really get to know someone within an hour or two. But at the same time: yes, you can.

What do you need to do?

1 Be present. Without your notebook in front of you where messages pop up in parallel – just be present in the moment.

2 Don’t rush. If you want to fill the position as quickly as possible, you might rush through the meeting or decide for whoever crosses your way first.

3 Appreciate the opportunity of getting to meet a person.

4 Feel and show real interest. Bring deep curiosity about the human being and his or her view of the world. It will always be different from yours.

5 Prepare and use all material available to get a first insight on who you will meet.

6 Ask personal questions. Respect the other’s privacy, but adapt your (standard) questions or some parts of the questions based on what you already know about the other and what you want to find out additionally.

7 Observe as much as possible without judging. Soak in and experience the candidate, take some notes on your observations (not your own interpretations!) and do your assessment after the meeting.

8 Learn something from the person. No matter your expertise, hierarchy, or past experiences, you can learn something new about life from every single person you meet. If you bring an open mind and want to broaden your horizon, you will see that each conversation is an interesting experience for yourself.

9 Make it a real conversation, not an interrogation. Create an authentic and friendly atmosphere in which everyone present is willing to share information and thoughts.

These are some examples which are not conclusive. Take them and experiment yourself. Find your own way. As always, there is not a single right way. If you adapt to the person and the situation, you will see variances with each conversation and they will all work and help you draw your own conclusions.