It's important to establish interview guidelines to ensure every candidate is comfortable and
feels properly represented. Knowing which interview questions to avoid and how to develop an
effective interview procedure can improve your prospects of hiring the right candidate for each
position.
Here are some of the guidelines for conducting interviews:
1. Establish position requirement priorities
Before you conduct interviews, determine the requirements you have for the position you're hiring for.
Once you've established the position requirements, prioritize the requirements that are absolutely
necessary and indicate which are preferred. It's important to stay flexible during the hiring process, as
the best candidate may not meet all the pre-determined requirements and still be the right choice for
the position.
2. Communicate with human resources
Human resources professionals are a great asset when screening and interviewing candidates. Once
you've developed your interview materials, consider meeting with a human resources representative so
they can review the information and provide feedback. For example, a human resources team member
may be able to inform you if any of your questions may violate lawful interview conduct before you
begin interviewing.
3. Put together a diverse hiring team
When interviewing potential employees, having a diverse hiring team can ensure fair assessment and
make the candidates more comfortable with the process. You want to ensure that all involved parties
feel that the hiring process is fair and that everyone feels welcome and represented. Consider
assembling a hiring team using capable, diverse members of your staff to conduct interviews and make
decisions during the hiring process.
4. Develop a welcoming environment
Your interview is more likely to be successful if you develop a welcoming, distraction-free environment
in which to conduct it. The candidate should feel that you and your team are giving them full attention.
Consider a room with few inward-facing windows and a door that you can shut during the interview.
Avoid managing other business tasks while interviewing and ask questions to ensure the candidate is
comfortable before beginning the interview.
5. Avoid asking personal or unfit questions
You want to get to know the potential employee through the interview process, but there are some
questions that may be inappropriate to ask. Besides potentially making the candidate uncomfortable,
certain interview questions may also be unlawful. These are some topics you should avoid asking about
during your interviews:
Affiliation: Focus only on asking about applicable professional associations rather than about their
membership or affiliations in groups or unions.
Age-related: Instead of asking your interviewee about their age or maturity, simply express to them that
if you decide to hire them, they must provide documentation of being a legal adult.
Appearance: Rather than making comments about the candidate's appearance, focus on their abilities
and experiences related to the position instead.
Citizenship: Though you may ask if the candidate can provide proof that they can legally work in the
United States, you may not inquire into their nationality or citizenship information.
Disability: Though you may ask a candidate about their ability to perform work with or without
reasonable accommodations, you may not ask them about any disabilities.
Drug use: You may ask candidates if they are currently using illegal drugs, but you cannot ask them
about previous drug use or drug-related offenses.
Family status: You may want to avoid asking candidates questions about their children, but if they are
interested in family-oriented conversation, you can listen and answer their questions.
Financial: Instead of asking the candidate about their financial status, you can ask the candidate about
their skills and approaches to financial situations.
Gender: Though you may ask if the candidate has worked using other names, do not make assumptions
about their gender. Always ask candidates for their preferred pronouns.
Race-related: You want to avoid questions about a candidate's race or color. Focus instead on their
relevant skills and background.
Relationships: Although you may want to avoid questions about a candidate's current relationships or
marital status, you can engage in a genuine conversation about their family if they offer the information.
Religion: You may ask about workdays the candidate may need off due for religious reasons, but you
may not ask them about their religious beliefs.
6. Document the interview process
Documentation is important to protect yourself, your hiring team and the company you work for.
Consider recording each interview using a tape or video recorder to ensure you have thorough
documentation of each meeting. If you choose to record the interview, be sure to inform that candidate
that you are doing so.
Consider taking notes during the meeting as well. Though a video or audio recording of the meeting can
be useful, taking notes allows you to record your thoughts during the interview. You can then refer to
them when reviewing the candidate's information during the hiring process.
7. Maintain neutral body language
During an interview, it's possible that a candidate's responses may impress or surprise you. It's
important to maintain neutral body language in these moments, controlling your facial expressions and
avoiding sudden movements. For example, if something a candidate says makes you think they're an
excellent choice and you want to make a note of it, avoid hurriedly writing it down. This can help you
maintain neutral body language and ensure the candidate feels comfortable.
8. Ensure all questions are job-relevant
One of the most important interview guidelines to follow when developing your interview materials is to
ensure that the interview questions are job-relevant. Be sure to avoid asking personal or unfit questions,
but also create your questions to be job-related. Not only does this protect you and your hiring team
from unlawful actions, but it can increase interview efficiency and make everybody involved more
comfortable. To present yourself professionally, stay focused on the relevant aspects of the position.
Remarks: If you’ve never conducted a job interview, think about the interviews you’ve experienced from
the applicant’s side of the table. What worked and what didn’t? Did anything make you feel
uncomfortable? Putting yourself into the applicant’s seat can help you become a more empathetic
interviewer.
Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-guidelines
