How do you start off an interview as an interviewer?

Introduce yourself and your fellow interviewers, briefly describe your role and why you're hiring. This helps to humanize the process of hiring candidates. Then, ask candidates to introduce themselves or to explain their portfolio or work samples to you, if appropriate. Give the candidate a roadmap for the interview when it begins.

Start with a brief description of the company and the job functions. Next, tell the applicant that you are going to ask questions related to the job, and then you will have an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions. Providing this structure from the start sets the parameters of the interview, keeps both of you focused, and gives the candidate an idea of what to expect. Afterwards, you'll have a detailed record and a partner with whom to calibrate your impressions, and you'll be able to communicate the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates to the next interviewer, as appropriate.

After winning a Fulbright scholarship in Argentina, he joined Inflection, a data trading startup in Redwood City. Being well prepared and then conducting a methodical interview will help you get the most out of this important hiring tool. The hiring process isn't a walk in the park, and the job interview may very well be the trickiest part. You'll have plenty of opportunities to assess your candidates' tolerance to stressful situations during the interview process.

If you don't have a human resources department to guide you, here are some tips for interviewing someone and conducting a job interview from the other side of the desk. If you're not sure of your interviewing skills, you can always learn more by contacting your local chamber of commerce, taking courses at the community college level, or seeking help from companies like Talent Edge Solutions. It's best to interrupt the interview by having others ask questions or by giving the candidate more details about the position. This is one more way of offering professional courtesy and closes the interview process for both parties.

This may seem obvious, but by preparing the interview questions and reviewing the resume, you're showing the candidate that you've taken the time needed to ensure a productive interview. Study a candidate's resume and portfolio carefully before the interview and consider what catches your eye the most. Selling the company really starts with the first impression you make on the candidate, the follow-up after the interview and their first day. No matter how long you interview someone or how exhaustive the background check is or how many references you call, it's still silly to know if that person will fit in with your company or not.

When interviewing job candidates, you should determine what type of people they are, how good their interpersonal skills are, how they might react to stress, if they have the skills for the job, and if they have been honest in their resumes. Starting out is stressful not being a good host and shows the candidate that your company doesn't value making a good first impression. Over the course of a couple of hours, you must decide if the interviewee is the right person for the job.