When it comes to job interviews, being the interviewer can be as hard as being the interviewee. Making sure you form an accurate opinion of the candidate is vital – as the interviewer, you potentially have more at stake than the interviewee, as your company could suffer if you choose the wrong candidate.

In this article, I will discuss how to prepare for and carry out a job interview and ensure that you do discover your candidate's true colors.

Interview Preparation

Candidates are not the only people who need to prepare for a job interview. The interviewer has just as great a need as the interviewee to be prepared, and that means spending a little time beforehand studying the candidate's application and resume, and working out what you want to learn from them.

Understand the Candidate's History

The first stage is to study the candidate's application form or resume and identify any areas that don't seem to add up; look for unexplained gaps in their employment or education, look for discrepancies or contradictions in the information provided. Unfortunately, people's resumes are not always truthful.

Plan a set of questions based on the candidate's application that will enable you to learn more about their achievements and verify any details you are unsure about. Make sure some of the questions are open-ended (cannot be answered with just yes or no). Questions such as these make a good starting point:

·        What do you think your strengths are?

·        What were your responsibilities in your last position?

·        Why did you leave your last job?

Organize the Interview

Although it sounds obvious, make sure the practical details of the interview are arranged – a suitable room, comfortable seating, adequate time and perhaps a drink – the candidate may have had a long journey to get to the interview.

If more than one person will be interviewing, ensure that you divide the questions up between you in a logical manner.

The Interview

The day has arrived, and the candidate is waiting in reception. Meet and greet him or her in a friendly and positive way, introducing yourself, and make your way directly to the interview room.

It's usually best to start by providing a quick overview of your company's history and purpose and by outlining what the vacant position is and how it fits into the organization. Following this, start discussing the candidate's resume or application, and how their skills will fit the vacant position and your organization.

Encourage the candidate to talk about themselves – this can be very revealing, and try to discover any negative character traits that could lead to problems if they were hired:

·        Ask about their previous position. If they make excessively negative comments about their role or management, this could be a reflection on their general attitude.

·        Ask about their strengths and weaknesses, and (if appropriate) their experience of working in a team.

While it is acceptable to ask about a candidate's outside interests or hobbies, make sure that you avoid any personal questions about the candidate's life – these will almost certainly be considered discriminatory and thus could be illegal, giving the candidate cause to complain about you.

Keep control of the interview – if it starts to go off-topic, politely but firmly bring it back on course, and ensure that you make an opportunity towards the end of the interview for the interviewee to ask any questions they may have. This can be very revealing – a person's questions often show more about their thinking and attitude than their answers do, so listen carefully.

At the end of the interview, thank the candidate for their time and interest, and inform them of when they will hear from you.

After the Interview

Once the candidate has left, you should immediately write up your notes from the interview while they are still fresh in your mind. Take a moment to reflect on how the interview went, and how well your planned questions worked out.