The interview should have the atmosphere of a conversation between professional peers. The way in which questions are asked will have a key impact on the sucess of the effectiveness of the interview.
The questioning style of the interviewers will greatly influence the way in which the whole interviewing process is seen by the candidate. It is natural that people will feel nervous so it is important that questions are asked in such a way as to encourage candidates both to speak freely and also to give of their best.
The following list explains the use of different questioning techniques in order to achieve optimum effectiveness of the interview.
- It is important to remember that the discussion is not like a job interview and instead is a discussion during which the candidate will do most of the talking
- Questions should be open and designed to nudge the candidate in the right direction to allow you to harvest evidence as the discussion progresses
- The five 'W's' are a useful tool to establish the candidate's experience and responsibilities:
Who did it?
What happened?
When did it occur?
Where did it take place?
Why did it happen?
- Closed questions can be effective if a precise answer is all you need before moving on
- Summarise and confirm at regular intervals to ensure you have gathered the right evidence
- Most importantly you should be looking for reasons to elect the candidate