3 Tips to Improve Interview Efficiency

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Interviewing applicants can be a difficult process. Even seasoned interviewers make a lot of mistakes, and at times those mistakes can cost you a great applicant, or lead to the accidental hire of a less great applicant.
Inefficiency is one of those mistakes. Many interviews lack efficiency, where the candidate is essentially passed around without a lot of information shared in the time allotted. You only have a few hours with the candidate at most. The more efficient you are with your interview, the more information you will get from the candidate, and the more likely you will be able to hire the right person.

Improvements in Efficiency

There are several ways to improve your interview efficiency. Always watch yourself – are you talking too much? Are you late to your meetings? Are you interrupted often? If you monitor your own interview techniques, you’ll likely spot ways that you can improve.
The following are some potential ways to improve your interview efficiency and cut down on overall time:

  • Plan Crucial Questions – First and foremost, make sure you have a list of crucial questions that you want to ask the applicant. Many interviews grow organically, but there are often must-have questions that you want to make sure every candidate has an opportunity to answer. Plan these questions well in advance so that you can compare and contrast more easily between candidates.
  • Coordinate With Others – Rarely does someone interview with only a single person at your company. Chances are an applicant meets with two or three people at your company and each one interviews. Consider coordinating questions with others so that you’re not simply asking the same thing over and over.
  • Share Answers/Responses – Similarly, while it may take an extra moment or two, find a way to share responses with the other interviewers so that they can have the information going into their interview. One way you can consider is having each interviewer fill out an online survey during the interview with interesting information about the applicant, and have the other interviewer monitor those answers right before the interview so that they have the information going in.

Potential improvements also do not stop there. You should make sure that you’re scheduled well, where each interviewer knows exactly when to show up so that no time is wasted for the applicant. You should also thoroughly review each resume before the interview so that you know the applicant intimately.
As an interviewer, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are prepared for the interview and can deliver it efficiently. The better you manage your time and the more information you gather, the easier it will be for you to come to conclusions about the applicant.