You get a valuable opportunity to learn more about the candidate through a job interview. Knowing more about the candidate will help you to foresee how a candidate will perform in the position that is open, and what skills they have in specific areas. On the other hand, the candidate also gets a chance to know about the job. This article will give you a brief idea on how to conduct a job interview.

Each interviewer may have a slightly different style, and the way an interview is conducted rests solely on this. An interview has to be well prepared for as on the spot questions will not be well formed. There are some pre-preparations to be made before conducting the interview. Each interview should be approached positively. Don’t forget that even though you are a prospective employer, you are still the representative for that company.

It is always better to keep yourself on schedule. It is fine to be thorough in your interview style, but allow for this. Making the candidate wait for long hours is an expression of impoliteness, discourteousness and disrespect. Your behaviour at the time of the interview will indirectly reflect you and your company.

How to conduct a job interview is a crucial task that needs to follow a certain approach. Firstly, introduce yourself and greet the candidate with a welcoming smile and shaking hands. If you find that a candidate is getting nervous, make every effort to make them at ease and calm them down. Offer them with a glass of water before starting the interview to relax them and make sure that they are not uncomfortable.

Asking a candidate to elaborate on their resume is a good place to start as they are likely to know what they have written quite well and have proof to back that up. Ask the candidate to elaborate on his special projects, previous jobs, etc. This will give you an idea about the communication skills of the candidate.  Explain the position to the candidate in terms of the position in the company hierarchy, structure of the organization, the colleagues they will be working with, etc. Describe all your requirements precisely at the time of the interview so that the candidate gets a clear idea regarding the nature of the job and can make quick decisions. This will also allow them to back down if they do not feel they are suitable.

Give opportunity to the candidate for self-assessment by encouraging them to assess the job. It is important that most of the questions asked are open ended so that you get a more elaborate answer. Examples include: “How to do think you can contribute to the company”? Or “What advancements can we make to improve it further”. Such open-ended questions will make the candidate comfortable with you and you get a chance to assess him closely.

Just before the end of the interview, and doubts that the candidate has can be addresses and they can ask you questions. Finish by thanking the candidate and informing him the date you will give your final decisions.