As a hiring manager, your job is to help your company find the most qualified candidates to fill open roles. But, at times, interviewing can feel overwhelmingly complicated and time-consuming.

That’s why in this essential interview guide, we’re sharing with you a 20-point checklist you can use to make sure your interview process covers everything you need to confidently hire the right applicants. We’ll also share an interview scorecard template you can use to ensure you have consistent evaluation metrics for each interview. 

But before we get those helpful resources, let’s go over a few basics for anyone new to being a hiring manager. 

What is a hiring manager?

A hiring manager is someone responsible for interviewing and hiring employees for a company. While recruiters may help a company find and screen candidates, it’s the hiring manager who ultimately makes the final hiring decision. 

What is a hiring manager interview? 

Hiring manager interviews are typically one-on-one interviews between the hiring manager and applicant. These interviews usually happen after the initial screening of applicants. During the interview, the hiring manager will conduct an in-depth conversation with the applicant about his or her background, work experience, skills, knowledge about the company, and more.

An Essential Interviewing Checklist for Hiring Managers

With those basic questions out of the way, we can now dive into the good stuff! Here’s the 20-point checklist you can use to make sure you’ve covered everything that you need to do before, during, and after the interview. 

Before the interview

1. Assemble the hiring team

Once you have identified that you will need to hire for an open role, you should form a hiring team. For example, your hiring team may include a recruiter and one or more core members of the team that the new hire will eventually join. 

2. Define the hiring objectives

Setting objectives and goals at the beginning of the hiring process will ensure you and your hiring team have a common understanding of the ideal candidate. For example, you might have a hiring objective like, “hire a UX Manager within 3 months to lead development of our new consumer app.” 

3. Review the job description

Before the interview, review the job description that the applicant viewed when applying for the job. This will help remind you of which types of experience and skills are required for the role and which ones are just nice-to-have.

4. Structure the interview

Spend some time structuring your interview by sections, including time for warming up and wrapping up the interview. Remember that the purpose of the interview is not only to ask questions. It is also to get to know the person who may potentially end up working with you. By structuring your interview, you’ll also avoid spending too much or too little time on a particular question.

5. Prep for the interview format

Different interview formats – be it a phone, video, or in-person interview – require different types of preparation. For example, if it is an in-person interview, you might need to book office meeting rooms in advance. For virtual interviews, make sure you have a distraction-free environment and a stable internet connection.

6. Script essential interview questions

Always draft and write down some essential questions before the interview. Make sure each question has an objective so you can derive specific insights from the candidate’s answer. 

For example, if you want to know if the candidate is a team player, asking questions like “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision made by your superior” can help you understand the candidate’s collaboration and communication skills. 

Also, if you have doubts about whether asking a particular question is appropriate, verify the legality of that interview question beforehand.

7. Prepare for the candidate’s questions

Hiring is a two-way street. While you are looking for the perfect candidate, the applicant is also looking for an ideal company to work for. Your professionalism will indicate how serious you and your team are about finding the right person to fill this open position. For that reason, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common questions that candidates ask. 

8. Review the candidate’s profile

One of your primary goals during the interview is to gain a holistic understanding of the applicant’s experience and qualifications. To make sure you’re not asking for information that’s already available to you, review the applicant’s resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. This may also help you identify any interesting points that you’d like to ask for more information about. 

During the interview

9. Communicate the interview format and expectations

Inform the candidate about the interview format, such as the length of the interview and what is the objective of the particular interview. Setting expectations at the beginning of the interview will give applicants a clearer idea of what they should do and say during the interview. 

10. Create a comfortable and conversational environment

Start the interview with a general question, such as “Tell me something about something on your resume that you’re proud of,”  that allows the interviewee to warm up. Remember that most hiring interviews are not a test (unless you are doing a technical interview), and applicants will be more authentic if they feel comfortable.

11. Ask engaging questions

Avoid common questions that are overused and boring, such as “Where do you see yourself in five years?” The key to a hiring interview is to know how well the candidate could fit in your team, not how well they can predict the future. If you are really curious about their career motivation, ask about their short-term and long-term career strategy instead.

12. Ask the same questions of all candidates

One potential pitfall of hiring interviews is not asking questions consistently across applicants. This may not seem like a problem at first. However, it could make it difficult to accurately evaluate and compare applicants later. That’s why it’s important to do your best to stick to the same interview format and questions for each candidate during the entire hiring process. 

13. Take notes

As humans, we suffer from several cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias and decision fatigue. Whether you realize it or not, these biases can have an impact on how you recall your impression of each candidate once the interview process is over. Writing down notes during and after each interview will help you to remember the highlights from each candidate and, ultimately, choose the right one for the job.

Alternatively, your company may offer access to a recording tool that summarizes conversations with generative AI. Be sure to get the candidate’s permission to record and ensure it complies with your local privacy regulations. Also, be aware that the summaries generated may not be accurate.

14. Use an interview scorecard

Following the previous two principles, creating or using an interview scorecard template (like the one we’ve shared below) is an undeniably helpful tool. By using the scorecard, you can help make sure you’re evaluating each candidate fairly and consistently, using the same criteria. 

15. Give the candidate time to talk

The goal of a hiring interview is to learn about the candidate’s qualifications and determine whether they’re a good fit for the role. So, make sure you allocate enough time for them to talk rather than monopolize the conversation. Your key role in the interview is to ask questions and listen actively.

If you’re using a recording tool, it may provide the percentage of time spent talking by each participant. If you notice that you’re doing more than your fair share of the talking, adjust your approach.

16. Allow time for the candidate’s questions

While your goal is to find talent to onboard your team, you are also selling your company and the role to the applicant. At least five minutes before the interview is set to end, ask if they have any questions. They may want to know about logistics, your company’s culture, your management style, or any number of things. You should also be prepared to discuss details regarding the compensation package. 

After the interview

17. Express appreciation and communicate the next steps

At the end of the interview, thank the applicant for their interest in the position and for making time for the interview. Also, let them know the expected timeline of the hiring process and how they will be notified about the next step. This will help to mitigate the uncertainties on the candidate’s end and create a good impression for your company. 

18. Keep track of your scorecards

After conducting all the interviews, consolidate your notes on your interview scorecards. Then, you can decide who should proceed to the next round of interviews, if any. Keeping a digital scorecard will prevent losing the information by accident.  

19. Plan interview debriefs with the team 

Share your notes with your hiring team. In some cases, there will be multiple hiring managers. So, in this stage, you might also want to set up a meeting to discuss the potential candidates with your team and finalize which ones should be made offers or proceed to the next stage of the hiring process.  

20. Decide what could be improved

We all learn from experience! You might face some difficulties as a hiring manager for your first few interviews. So, spend some time going over your experience. What went well? What could be improved? The insights you gain from this reflection will help you avoid mistakes and be even more effective during your next hiring interview. 

Hiring Interview Scorecard Template

Scorecard Template  Rating: 1 = Poor; 3 = Average; 5 = Exceptional

Candidate:
Date:

Score Criteria for (hiring role)
1
2
3
4
5

Criterion Example:
#1 Customer-focused: How well does this candidate demonstrate knowledge about our company’s target consumers? 
 
 
 
 
 

Criterion 2: Define the description of this criterion and provide a good example
 
 
 
 
 

Criterion 3: Define the description of this criterion and provide a good example
 
 
 
 
 

Criterion 4: Define the description of this criterion and provide a good example
 
 
 
 
 

Criterion 5: Define the description of this criterion and provide a good example
 
 
 
 
 

Criterion 6: Define the description of this criterion and provide a good example
 
 
 
 
 

Are you looking for software that facilitates the interview process and keeps everyone on the team informed? SmartRecruiters offers a robust hiring platform that does just that and more. Learn about our collaborative hiring platform and request a demo today. 

The post The Essential Hiring Manager’s Guide to Interviewing [20 Tips] first appeared on SmartRecruiters Blog.