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A few weeks ago, I was invited to sit in at a couple of interviews for a start-up.
As an observer, my role was mainly to take notes and give feedback at the end of the sessions, mainly regarding anything the main panel might have missed.
The more I watched these interviews, the more I realised that the panel-interviewee dynamic is evolving, with the most insights gained when there is a lower obsession with the questions on the ‘interview sheet’.
The key to receiving good answers is undoubtedly ingrained in the quality of questions.
The best way to get a feel of the candidate sitting across you is therefore by honing your interview technique.
Good interview techniques do not only work in the traditional interview room, they can help you become a better leader or get better results from your team.
Conversation, not questions
Have you ever been the subject of an interview only for someone on the panel to ask a question that you already answered, all because it’s a box that needs to be checked? It is not only annoying but wastes your time and shows the panel member has not been listening.
The style of interviews where there is a set number of questions needing to be answered in a certain order is antiquated and doesn’t allow the opportunity for meaningful conversation.
A good way to approach this is by having three main questions you need answered, for example main accomplishments, lessons learnt and working style. You can weave these into the conversation without having a definite start and stop to each question, the latter feels wooden and less interactive.
Listen, slowly
A trick that works magic is pausing for about five seconds after someone answers a question. This allows the person asking the question to reflect on the answer as well as giving some time to the interviewee to open up further should they want to.
Even interviewees who had prepared perfect answers (that often sound canned) may open up in a different way. This technique works in many different scenarios, even in normal conversation.
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