Page 155 - Boost Your Hiring

Step Three
Interview Structure

and Techniques

Opening the Interview: Getting
to Know the Candidate
From the first handshake, the interview has officially begun, and what is
said from this point forward is considered part of the interview. Judg-
ments will be made by both parties.
It is your job as the interviewer to be the host and to treat the candi-
date as your guest. You can do this in a number of ways, but the words
you use will indicate your sincerity to make your guest feel welcome.
Chances are the candidate you are about to interview will be nervous
when you first meet. In order to put the candidate at ease, it would be
beneficial for both of you to make some small talk before the formal
questioning begins. Although this sounds simple enough, for some peo-
ple it is an unfamiliar and painful task.
Surprisingly, in our world of advanced technology, our communica-
tion skills have become less effective. People are losing their ability to
talk to each other, especially making “small talk with someone they
don’t know.”
Here are some examples of how you can use small talk in an interview
to set the candidate at ease. Note that these suggestions make use of open-
ended questions:
• “What was traffic like coming across the bridge?”
• “How is your summer going so far?”
• “This weather is something else, isn’t it? Which do you prefer—hot
or cold weather?”
• “What was your trip like?”

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