Top Interview Techniques for Business Owners

Decided it’s time to hire a new team member? Once you’ve crafted the job description and started combing through applications, it’s time to prepare for the next phase: interviewing.

When most people think about job interviews, they focus on how stressful it is for potential employees. But it’s challenging on the other side of the desk too!

Many business owners feel intimidated by the thought of running an interview. What do you ask? How do you present yourself and your company in a good light? And what’s the secret to knowing whether someone is a good fit or not?

I hear you — and I’m here to help. Follow these tips to feel confident and prepared going into your next set of interviews.

Prep Your Questions Ahead of Time

There are two reasons to prepare your interview questions ahead of time: ease and fairness.

Having a set list of questions makes it easier for you to run the interview. You won’t feel like you’re constantly trying to figure out what to ask next — instead of really listening to the candidate. 

And having a set list of questions also makes the interview process fair and equitable for everyone. If you want to give all the candidates an equal shot, then they should all go through a similar interview.

So make a list of questions ahead of time — and stick to it!

Build Rapport

Everyone knows the interview process is “staged” to some extent — it’s not like you’re just having a natural, organic conversation. But that doesn’t mean you have to act like a robot!

Take the first five minutes or so in the interview to build a little bit of rapport with the candidate. Don’t immediately jump into tough questions — instead, pick something you learned from their resume and ask them about that.

And while they’re answering, truly listen and engage with them so you get a feel for how they might interact as a member of your team.

Be Transparent

Let’s be real — the hiring process can be stressful for you and your candidates. But you can relieve some of that stress by being open and transparent about what your interviewees can expect next.

As you’re wrapping up the interview, give each candidate this information:

• When you plan to finish up interviews
• When you plan to make a decision
• What the next step is — another interview, a test project, or the offer itself
• When they can plan to hear from you

Offer each candidate as many details as possible. The more information you can share with your interviewees, the less they’ll have to follow up with you, which saves everyone time and stress. 

Close the Loop

Now it’s time for the final step — follow through with each candidate to let them know the outcome.

Yes, that means you should reach out to candidates that didn’t make the next round of interviews or get an offer letter. It’s a little awkward to write that “we regret to inform you” email, but it’s essential if your goal is to run an ethical business.

Every candidate invested time and energy to apply and attend the interview. Respect them by letting them know that they weren’t selected. And it’s fine if you automate this process — you don’t necessarily need to craft a personal response to every candidate. But you do need to close the loop so everyone is on the same page.

Ready to Hire? We’re Here to Help!

Hiring can be a time-consuming process, but it’s worth it when you find that new team member! And when you go into interviews well-prepared, it’s that much easier to find that ideal candidate. 

So prepare your questions ahead of time and take a second glance at each resume so you can start off with some light conversation about something the interviewee is comfortable with. Then, make sure you tell each interviewee what to expect. And close the loop once you’ve decided who to hire.

If you want some help to hire your next team member, we’re here for you. When you work with our team, we’ll listen to what you want and understand your company culture — and then we’ll find you the best candidates out there. We’ll even help you with interviews and follow-up communications!

Sound good? Get all the details about Done-For-You Hiring here!