Best Practices in Interviewing

Next to having to terminate an employee, interviewing is the one thing managers dread most. Depending on the circumstances and the strength of the job market, either you are trying to sell your company to a pool of potential employees with many other options, or they are desperately trying to sell themselves to you if the job market is tight. Either way, it can often make for an uncomfortable situation.

To make the interview process go smoothly for everyone, there are a few things you as a manager should always do:

1. Carefully review a person's resume before scheduling an interview. Is it well written? Do they have the qualifications you are looking for? Are they overqualified? You are only wasting your time and theirs by interviewing someone who is either not qualified for the position or overqualified.

2. Have all necessary paperwork ready. You are making as much of a first impression as the applicant; looking disorganized does not send a good message about you or your company. Don't make them wait while you or one of your staff fumble around looking for an application, aptitude test, or some other form that you should already have ready.

3. Have your questions prepared in advance. There will be some standard ones, usually mandated by your Human Resources department. In addition, ask questions that are as specific to the particular interviewee as possible. You should be able to get much of this from their resume and application. Ask open-ended questions that prevent simple "yes" or "no" answers.

4. Give a thumbnail sketch of the company and the job requirements. Try to give the person a feel for the culture of your company. The more you can cover up front, the fewer questions there will be at the end. This is a more efficient use of your time.

5. Give the person your full attention. Let your administrative assistant and the reception desk know that you are not to be disturbed, and by no means should you attempt to multi-task during this time....