How do interviews start

Most candidates will be nervous when they first meet you. Your first task is to make them feel comfortable. Doing this will ensure that you see the true person and not the nerves. Candidates for technical positions are especially susceptible to being nervous since most lack the social skills to really sell themselves in an interview. Ask if they need anything: Being a good interviewer requires that you take care of your guests needs.

Asking if they need anything is the simplest and most direct way to do that. That way, the candidate can at least understand who they are talking to and what your role is. Start out with idle chit, chat: Resist the temptation to jump right in to your detailed questions. Warm the candidate up a bit by giving them some easy questions to answer. Doing this allows the candidate to mentally plan out their interview experience. This is not only the courteous thing to do but also allows you to see how the candidate reacts to normal social interactions.

You will have plenty of opportunities to gage your candidates tolerance for stressful situations during the interview process. Starting out stressful is not being a good host and shows the candidate that your company does not value making a good first impression.

Interviews are just a glimpse into the psyche of a candidate. They are only as useful as the interviewer makes them. Doing this requires that you to ask the tough questions in a fair way. What this means is to ask questions that truly gets to the candidates character and skill. Now, when it comes to evaluating technical skill, that can get tricky.

Technical skills really come in two flavors — mechanics and problem solving. Mechanics: This refers to being able to design, code or do a protocol. Problem Solving: Challenging problems take an in-depth knowledge of a subject and the ability to dissect complex problems into manageable chunks.

A candidate may be great at thinking up the experiment but horrible at actual execution. Obviously, other skills are important as well but these two are usually the hardest to ascertain from a short interview. Consider the following techniques to get a better idea of a candidates mechanical and problem solving skills:. Have them describe a problem they solved: Most people will jump at the chance to explain how they solved something tricky, especially engineers and scientists.

Ask them to design or outline a simple device or procedure: For creative people, this is a good one to show you how they think. There is nothing like charging the whiteboard and hashing out a design for some new idea. Have them present something to the interviewing group: Presentations are a good way to explore how a candidate prepares and presents information.

Doing a presentation also allows the candidate to show you what they are interested in. Walk them through the lab or office space: Giving someone a tour is a great way to put them at ease and see how they interact with staff. Ask them to solve a problem you have: Solving a problem you currently face is a great way to determine how well a candidate approaches problems and can also give you some insights into something you need to fix.

Make sure you have carefully studied each resume ahead of time. Write a good job description. Some things you can handle later with training. Write some specific questions.

This is particularly important if you will be interviewing multiple applicants and want to compare answers later. A skilled interviewer knows when to move off the script. If you have multiple rounds of interviews, be prepared to stand and greet your next interviewer, repeating the steps above.

Here are a few additional considerations for making a great first impression. Appearance plays an important role when meeting someone new. For example, a financial consultant interview will likely require more formal dress than that of a tech startup. Erring on the side of professional is safe.

Here are a few tips:. Be yourself. What you wear is a part of who you are, so use it to communicate your personality where appropriate.

Keep the focus on you. Try and avoid distracting visuals like extravagant jewelry or busy prints to ensure your interviewers pay attention to your conversation. Be comfortable. Read more: How to Dress for a Job Interview.

Confidence is equally important as you begin to verbally introduce yourself, so apply the same principles as you begin talking with the person at hand. To establish a solid foundation, boldly state your name. It seems obvious, but be sure to learn and remember the name of the interviewer—nerves can make it easy for that detail to escape you. Listen and repeat their name in your introduction to help you remember as you carry out the conversation.

For example:. Nonverbal communication is important to keep in mind. For example, if you want to communicate confidence, keep your shoulders back, chin raised and chest high. Pro Tip: Unsure about how you may be presenting yourself during introductions? Try recruiting a friend or family member for a practice introducing yourself, including your dress, body language, even your handshake. The mirror is a great practice tool, too. Your interviewers want to hire a great teammate just as much as you want to be on the team—which means they want you to succeed.

When introducing yourself at your next interview, confidence, preparing ahead of time and a smile will go a long way. Find jobs.