Interviewing is an art. A good interview can help you recruit the best talent but a terrible one will drive away excellent candidates and make an average person become a star. There are four common interviewing styles through which you can stimulate candidates to reveal their true strengths, weaknesses and personalities.
1. Relaxed interviewing
This technique is usually used in the first round of an interviewing process. It’s a good way to encourage candidates to demonstrate their strengths and qualifications. The interviewer should be a good ice-breaker. Thus you should get some drinks and activate a friendly conversation. A round table works very well in this style; or you should sit on the same side with the candidate. Don’t pose harsh questions if you want to create a really relaxed atmosphere. An open attitude will make candidates feel more comfortable to engage in a conversation with you.
2. Stressful interviewing
This style is effective to evaluate the candidate’s ability to solve stressful situations, deal with hostile communication and work under high pressure. You shoud prepare difficult and uncomfortable questions and see how the candidate responses to your questions. Remember to maintain eye contact and show little facial expressions when the candidate answers your questions.
3. Friendly interviewing
Some candidates look perfect when interviewed by a manager or a supervisor. However, an interview with potential colleagues may unveil their true personalities. You should arrange for your company’s employees approach the candidate. It’s important to engage in a friendly discussion, not an actual interview to stimulate the candidate to feel relaxed enough to reveal their thoughts and characteristics.
4. Panel interviewing
This technique requires a team of several members with different interviewing styles. Each member will ask questions from a pre-planned list. The candidates would be asked to react to a variety of questions and personalities.
In case that the candidate is obviously unfit, the leader of the interviewing panel will cut the interview short to save time. It’s usually difficult to reach consensus among the panel members. Thus, interviewers need to engage in an open debate about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate to identify the most suitable candidate. Then the leader will conduct one-on-one interviews with the top candidates to make the final decision.
