You’d think that being on the other side of the interviewing
table would be a piece of cake. As the one asking the questions,
you have all the power and, in theory, should have none of the
nervousness typically associated with job interviews.
But for a new manager without much interviewing experience,
interviewing job candidates can actually be pretty nerve-racking.
It’s all on you to ask the right questions, identify the best
candidates, and make the company look good in the process. Your own
job may not be on the line but your nervous rambling and sweaty
palms could easily lose the company a great candidate.
So how do you get rid of interviewing jitters? It all comes
down to preparation. Here are a few things you need to know to help
you interview with ease.
1. Know How to Keep Your Conversation on Track
Nervousness often turns into chattiness. One minute, you’re
introducing yourself, and the next, you’ve dominated the entire
30-minute conversation with a detailed background of the company,
what the job entails, why the person currently in the position is
leaving, and how you came to work for the company.
And you know nothing about the candidate.
To make sure your conversation doesn’t get derailed, map out a
plan beforehand. Know exactly how you want the conversation to
progress. If you’re going to give a spiel about the company and the
open position, that’s fine just know what you want to say and how
to keep it short enough to allow for all the questions you want to
ask (leaving room at the end, of course, for the candidate’s
questions).
Also, come up with a few strategies for turning the
conversation back to the candidate. Candidates will often interject
questions and small talk, and when that happens, it’s easy to get
sidetracked. You have to know how to answer the question adequately
(and concisely), then turn the conversation back to the
applicant.
With these strategies nailed down ahead of time, you’ll feel
more in control of the conversation which will boost your
confidence big time.
2. Know Who You’re Talking To
Another reason for nervousness? Failure to prepare. I often
felt like I was the most nervous when I realized, about five
minutes before my interviewee was supposed to arrive, that I knew
absolutely nothing about the candidate’s background, education, or
experience. Which makes it pretty hard to ask knowledgeable
questions.
Well before the interview, set aside some time to review the
applicant’s resume, cover letter, and any other included materials,
including writing samples, a portfolio, or personal website.
Getting familiar with the candidate’s background will empower
you with a sense of confidence you’ll know exactly who this person
is, have a better idea of what questions you need to ask, and be
able to form them in a way that makes you sound smart (think: “Tell
me about the pieces that you wrote when you were in charge of
content marketing,” rather than “So, what’s your
background?”).
3. Know What You’re Looking For (and How to Find It)
Your feelings of nervousness aren’t unreasonable. There truly
is pressure on you to identify the right candidate who’s going to
be able to come in and do the job well. If you fail, your
department and entire company, really fails as well.
So, you have to know exactly what you’re looking for and what
questions you can ask to help you identify those things.
Before the interview, take some time to define what you truly
need in the person who will fill this role. Do you need someone who
can demonstrate specific technical skills? Someone who’s a natural
leader? Someone who can work well in a team? Once you define those
traits, you can then develop questions that will allow you to
measure those qualities in your candidates (here are some
suggestions).
If you know exactly what to ask and what kind of answers will
reveal a winning candidate you’ll have a much easier time asking
the questions confidently.
4. Know That it Gets Easier
As a manager, interviewing is going to be an integral part of
your job and that means you’re going to be doing it a lot. Like
anything else, it’s going to get easier with repetition.
Until then, remember that truthfully, you have the advantage:
interviewees want to impress you. Your responsibility is to go into
the interview prepared and get an accurate picture of the
candidate. Take the time to come up with a plan, and you’ll be just
fine and if you play your cards right, may just end up hiring your
company’s next superstar.