How to Conduct an In-Person Interview

Conduct an effective interview.

Despite the fact that they rarely rank high on many job hunters' lists of favorite activities, job interviews still remain a popular -- albeit stressful -- way for employers to select future workers. If you plan to engage candidates in job interviews, carefully plan your interview process to ensure that you get the maximum amount of information out of each interview. By doing so, you can improve your chances of knowing with certainty which candidate you want to hire by interview's end.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pen/pencil
• Small recorder

Instructions

1. Prepare questions in advance. Compose a list of questions that you want to pose to job candidates. Keep this list handy during the interview and refer to it often to ensure that you don't forget any of the important questions that you needed answered. Instead of using a generic list of interview questions, compose questions that are germane to the specific job, allowing yourself to gain a better picture of each candidate's skill in relation to your industry.

2. Greet the candidate. Start the interview with a handshake and a smile, introducing yourself by name and title. Doing so will likely help put the candidate at ease and potentially remove some of the stressfulness from the interview process.

3. Pose your questions. Move through your questions, starting with the easiest ones and moving to the harder, allowing the candidate to ease into the questioning process. If you know after a few easier questions that the candidate lacks the skill you seek, you may be able to skip some of the harder ones as you may have already eliminated the candidate from the pool.

4. Take notes. Make your notes short and to the point, writing just enough to help you remember each response. You do not need to write down the interviewee's exact response.

5. Clarify any confusing information on the candidate's resume. Glance over the candidate's resume and ask any questions that may arise from looking at the document, ensuring that you have a clear picture of the candidate's credentials.

6. Allow the interviewee to ask questions. Make this the last portion of your interview, and address any questions that the candidate has in regard to the position so the candidate can better decide if he is interested in the position.

7. Discuss the interview with the rest of the committee immediately after it takes place. If others will help you make the hiring decision, discuss your feelings about the candidate with the rest of the committee immediately post-interview to ensure that you share your thoughts while the interview is still fresh in your mind.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your subject if you can call her later if you have a question. Many times as you're writing the story or article, a follow-up question will occur to you.

• Even if you record your conversation, make sure you also take notes manually. When you need it most, Murphy's Law says that the recorder will play back empty!

References

• New York State Department of Civil Service: How to Conduct a Job Interview
• Dun & Bradstreet: Conducting Effective Employee Interviews