Let’s assume that you wind up with five applicants who look good on paper. Prepare for interviews with each candidate by reviewing the resume. Write down the questions that you’ll need to ask to flesh out your understanding of the candidate’s background. Be prepared to greet the applicant at the reception area and even to take the interviewee on a tour of the work space before sitting down in your office. You want to make the individual feel at ease.
For the meetings, you should find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. The location can have a material effect on the proceedings. Rather than hold the interviews in your office, you might want to meet in a conference room with comfortable seats and softer lighting.
Once you sit down, you might open the conversation with a noncontroversial question such as, “Did you have trouble finding our building?” If the candidate was referred by a friend or a business associate, you might want to talk a bit about that person. The resume or application may also suggest a means of breaking the ice. For instance, “I notice you went to New York University? Did you ever meet Professor Austin, in charge of communications?” or, “I see you live in the 50s in New York City. Have you ever eaten at Olympia Kitchen?”
Referring to past successes noted in the resume, either in previous jobs or outside the work field, also helps set the candidate at ease.
The one thing you shouldn’t do is to ask the applicant, “So, why do you think I should give this job to you?” You would put the applicant on the defensive. Thereafter, to find out more about the candidate, you would have to drill like a dentist, a procedure pleasant for neither you nor your prospect.