5 Top Tips to Avoid Common Interviewing Mistakes

I recently got to be a fly on the wall, when I overheard a recruiter telephone interviewing a candidate, while I was sitting in my hotel reception. Yikes! 🪰😳

After hearing the interviewer fall into many of the pitfalls which rendered their questions ineffective, I wanted to share my insights and top tips to help you avoid similar mistakes!  💫

Here’s where they went wrong:

Asking multiple questions at once

The interviewer appeared to be making their questions up 'on the hop' and so there was clear indecision about what they actually wanted to know or ask.  This resulted in them firing three or four muddled questions all at once to the candidate.

The impact:

💥 A very confused candidate who would have struggled to work out what the interviewer wanted to know and  what information would be best to share. 

💥 Both the candidate and the interviewer would have been unable to remember all the questions asked.

💥 The interviewer may not have gathered all the information they needed.

Asking leading questions

The interviewer had a habit of framing questions in such a way that lead the candidate to a specific response.  E.g. Did you enjoy leading the team?  Were you happy with them?

The impact:

💥 Most candidates are likely to agree with leading questions because of how they are slanted in a specific direction and seem to signify importance by the interviewer.

💥 The information being received will most likely be unreliable

💥 Responses will provide little in-depth value or insight into the candidate skills and experience.

Asking 'loaded' questions

The interviewer delivered the question while offering the candidate limited options to choose their response from.  E.g. Was it Covid that made you take the job, or did you just want out of your last place?

The impact:

💥 The interviewer is imposing their own presuppositions on to the candidate, which may not be accurate.

💥 The candidate is not being given an opportunity to provide an open and honest answer from their own perspective.

💥 The interviewer will only be gathering limited and unreliable data from the candidate, which backs up what they already thought.

Thankfully these common mistakes can be avoided with a bit of awareness and practice!  Follow my top tips to ensure your interview questioning is effective.

🌟 1. Prepare your questions in advance 

Take the time to get clarity on what you need to know from the candidate and write a clear list of questions to work through.  This will avoid muddled thinking and delivering the questions with confusion.

🌟 2. Keep your questions neutral

Avoid giving the candidate any indication of what you expect, or would like their answer to be.  This will help ensure the candidate doesn't simply tell you what you want to hear.

🌟 3. Ask open-ended questions

Questions that start with a what, where, when, why and how are all open questions, as they avoid asking for a specific 'yes' or 'no' answer.  They give the candidate an opportunity to share their own experience or perspective, giving greater insight and value to the interviewer.

🌟 4. Get comfortable with a moment's silence

Give the candidate a moment to digest and think about how they want to respond.  It is ok to be quiet for a moment, so fight the urge to offer suggestions.

🌟 5. Come to the interview with an objective mindset 

Avoid making any assumptions about what you expect a candidate's experiences and thought processes are.  This will allow for a more insightful and valuable exchange of information.

Use these tips to improve your interviewing skills and make sure you get the right person for your job! 🤩
 

Good luck!

Cara

If you want support ensuring you and your teams are fully skilled and ready to recruit the best talent for your organisation,  check out my training and coaching offerings for more info:  https://www.stellarimpact.co.uk/business-services

Alternatively, if you’d like to discuss or have any questions you can get in touch here:  https://www.stellarimpact.co.uk/contact

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