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I think I've been fairly successful as an interviewer by having a few basic rules. Basically, do your homework, which I'm routinely surprised is so lacking in

I think I've been fairly successful as an interviewer by having a few basic rules. Basically, do your homework, which I'm routinely surprised is so lacking in the adult world. For interviews, that means read their resume and probably have it with you in print form or other when you interview them. Print feels more sociable than staring at them over a laptop and clicking a bunch of keys while they talk - though I do type on video interviews. The resume should somewhat align with the job they're interviewing for - that's on HR to get that far. Basically, I want to know if the person is going to be OK to work with and isn't full of shit. Hopefully you can get that much out of an interview because otherwise they aren't really that useful. Basically I just ask a few normal interview questions mostly focusing on projects or accomplishments people have done. Cross reference with their resume and ask them about some points on it and make sure that their answers make sense. Ideally HR can verify that their work history at least matches their resume. I never interviewed that much, but as far as I know, I never had any serious bozos let through, so I think I did OK.

KennyBlanken 4y ago
As an interviewee I've always been flattered when the interviewer shows up with a copy of my resume covered in notes and we have a good conversation about my background. The most offended I've been in an interview was a senior manager who, despite having had the interview rescheduled for his schedule - pushed up by a week - still had apparently never glanced at my resume until he was sitting across from me, and repeatedly misread details, which made things even more awkward. I had spent probably 8 hours reading up about the company, the CEO, and this senior manager. I really wish I hadn't needed the job as badly as I did, because otherwise I would have stood up and asked to be shown out the second it was obvious he was reading my resume for the first time. It was deeply insulting.
jeffrallen 4y ago
+1 for paper, you can even point to things on their c.v. to direct their attention to something you want to discuss... this is a good way to put them at ease, after all, if they don't know their own c.v. what do they know?

KennyBlanken 4y ago

As an interviewee I've always been flattered when the interviewer shows up with a copy of my resume covered in notes and we have a good conversation about my background. The most offended I've been in an interview was a senior manager who, despite having had the interview rescheduled for his schedule - pushed up by a week - still had apparently never glanced at my resume until he was sitting across from me, and repeatedly misread details, which made things even more awkward. I had spent probably 8 hours reading up about the company, the CEO, and this senior manager. I really wish I hadn't needed the job as badly as I did, because otherwise I would have stood up and asked to be shown out the second it was obvious he was reading my resume for the first time. It was deeply insulting.

jeffrallen 4y ago

+1 for paper, you can even point to things on their c.v. to direct their attention to something you want to discuss... this is a good way to put them at ease, after all, if they don't know their own c.v. what do they know?