What Are Interviewer Skills? (With Tips And Suggestions)

Updated 7 March 2023

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Interviewing helps the hiring managers evaluate the skill set of candidates and find the most suitable individuals for the job role. From preparation and good listening skills to consistency, there are many things that can help you become a good interviewer. Understanding basic interviewing skills and some additional tips can help you hire the best candidates for the company. In this article, we find how to enhance interviewer skills and discover some steps to become a good interviewer.

What are interviewer skills?

Hiring managers require essential interviewer skills to efficiently conduct an interview process and hire the best candidates for the job role. Developing such skills can make the hiring process easier. Learning certain strategies and techniques can help you select the best candidate for a job vacancy. Interviewing skills can also help in increasing the value of the organisation. With the help of these skills, you can effectively use your hiring resources, including time.

Here are some essential skills for hiring managers and interviewers:

active listening
good communication skills
technical skills
ability to find talent
patience and friendliness
emotional intelligence

Tips to improve interviewer skills

Enhancing your interviewing skills can increase the candidate's confidence level and also influence how well they respond during the interview. As an interviewer, you can put your efforts into making an interview successful right from the beginning. Different skills, such as great communication and active listening, can help you become a good interviewer. Here are some tips and advice that can help you improve your interviewing skills and conduct a successful interview:

Work on attention to detail

Make sure to completely follow up on the information and talk during the interview. Ensure completing the necessary processes with the current interview before interviewing the next candidate. Interviewers have the advantage of guiding the conversation in any relevant direction. As an interviewer, you can also guide the conversation in any direction and gather more information about a candidate's skills and motives relevant to the job. Take your time asking relevant questions and allow candidates to think and answer them.

Be nice and friendly

Many candidates get nervous during the interview. As an interviewer, it is your job to make them comfortable by allowing them to relax and giving them an opportunity to convey their thoughts. Treating candidates with respect during the interview can make them feel good. Greet all the candidates with a smile and end the conversation with a positive note. Making eye contact during the conversation can also create a positive effect and make the candidates feel more connected.

Answer candidate's questions

After finishing the interview, take your time and schedule the next process according to the convenience of the candidate and the company's guidelines. During the interview, candidates may show their interest by asking questions about the company. Answering a candidate's query can increase their interest in the company and particularly the job profile they are applying for.

Work on your decision-making skills

Avoid making quick judgements about the candidates during the interviewing process. Making quick judgements can lead to uncertainty and can hold you from finding the best suitable candidate for the job. Applying personal concerns and beliefs during the interview can affect the selection process. Learn to listen to what candidates are saying and utilise your decision-making skills.

Learn from mistakes

Focus on accepting and learning from your mistakes in the previous interview sessions. It can help you find alternate ways of interviewing. Recording the interview process can help interviewers to find their mistakes and improve them. You can also join interviewing training programmes and talk to experienced interviewers.

How to be a good interviewer

Good interviewers put their maximum efforts into bringing the best out of an interview. Here are some essential steps that can help you become a good interviewer:

1. Prepare questions

Preparing the right questions beforehand can help you organise the interview process in an efficient way. Include the questions that cover all the basic skills and qualifications according to the job role. Do a quick and detailed research about the position you are interviewing for.

Design your questions in a way that helps you to learn about a candidate's natural capabilities and how well they can implement them in the job. You can also add a follow-up question depending on the candidate's answer as it can give you more information to analyse before deciding.

2. Develop an interview structure

Outline the interview structure you want to follow, as it can help you cover all the essential topics. Consider organising the interview depending on the time you want to dedicate to topics according to priority. For example, you can give more time to discussing the professional background, candidate's interest in the role and how they approach workplace conflicts.

Double check and prepare everything before the interview. The extent and clarity of planning before the interview can be instrumental. While developing an interview structure, divide certain time limits into different blocks or parts of the interview and try to finish them on time.

3. Review the resume of candidates

Taking time to read the candidate's resume and other attached documents can help in understanding their educational background and expertise. A resume reflects a candidate's skill sets and work experience in the field. Reading a CV for the interview can give you a set of basic information on which you can start the interview and add questions. You can review their CV before and make notes of the relevant information to use it for further analysis of the candidates.

4. Practice active listening

Listening allows you to gather all the essential information of the candidate which you can use further to find the best candidates for the job. Implementing active listening during your interviews can make you a good and more effective interviewer. It allows you to properly hear and understand what the interviewee is saying. Listen closely to what the candidate says while answering the questions. Make eye contact and ask follow-up questions to show your engagement in the interview.

5. Use a standard rating system

Create an interview rating system to evaluate the answers of the candidates. Having a standard rating system can help you and other hiring professionals objectively judge every candidate using the right criteria. After interviewing all candidates for the position, you can compare their ratings and decide which candidate is fit for the role. It can also help you make the interview process fair. Develop a grading system to divide candidates into different levels according to their interview performance.

6. End the interview professionally

At the end of the interview, describe the next steps of the hiring process to the candidates. Let them know when they can expect to hear back from you. You can also provide them with a brief idea of the company's culture and allow them to get a glimpse of what their work environment can be like after getting hired.

Additional tips for improving the efficiency of the interview

Here are some helpful tips an interviewer can implement for improving the efficiency of the interview:

Start with basic and opening questions like "Introduce yourself.", "What can you contribute to this company?" and "**Why do you think this company is fit for you?". These questions allow candidates to get comfortable with the interview and help to build great communication between the interviewer and the candidate.
Read the candidate's previous work experience and have a discussion about their job roles and responsibilities. Asking a few questions that are relevant to the previous job experiences provides information on how well they performed and contributed to the company's growth.
Gain a deep understanding and knowledge about the company. Having knowledge about the company standards and policies can help you while examining a candidate's ability and willingness to work with the company standards.
Create a bigger and more visionary picture of the company to gain the candidate's attention and interest. You can do this before the interview while writing the job description. Make sure your job description is creative, engaging and up to date.