Here are ten quick tips to help keep you in control during an interview:
Maintain objectivity. Recognize when you feel either too relaxed or uncomfortable-keep your buying switch in the "Maybe" position.
Conduct a 20-minute performance-based phone interview BEFORE you sit down. When you talk with someone on the phone first, you automatically minimize the impact of personality and first impressions.
Don't start the actual interview right away; chat or take a walk together instead. This will help minimize emotions and set up the framework for a good dialogue.
Use a pre-planned, structured interview. Write down a few performance-oriented questions to ask right away, whether you like the candidate or not.
Measure your first impressions again after 30 minutes. Compare with your original feelings and evaluate your reactions.
Change your frame of reference: ask tougher questions if you like a candidate, easier ones if you don't.
Listen four times more than you talk. The interview isn't a casual conversation - it's a fact-finding expedition. Get a page of notes for each of the candidate's accomplishments.
Treat the candidate as a consultant, someone you're paying to listen to. We always listen more carefully to those we consider experts.
Talk about real work instead of hypothetical issues. Accuracy will increase if the interview is more like a problem-solving session.
Use a panel interview to minimize emotional response. With less worries about a one-on-one relationship, you can get to the truth faster.
