7 common interview mistakes (and how to avoid them)

It’s no secret, the interview process is one of the most important stages during the hiring process and also the stage most prone to simple errors and costly mistakes.

It’s important to prepare for both how you conduct the interview and how you interact with the interviewee.

Avoiding common interview pitfalls makes the hiring process run smoothly and helps you avoid losing out on great candidates. Here are 7 mistakes to steer clear of.

“Being late doesn’t paint the greatest first impression when you’re looking to attract the best people in a talent short market. If the shoe was on the other foot, I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate it either,” says Greg Kouwiloyan, Director and Co-Founder of Method Recruitment Group, as it adds undue pressure to the situation and can negatively impact a person’s performance during interview.

People often step out from their current day job for an interview, so it’s vital that you set an interview time and stick to it. If you’re interviewing multiple candidates in a row, factor in the possibility of going over time and build this into your scheduling just to be safe.

It’s worth noting, being prompt creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and sets the tone for a positive candidate experience, it will certainly leave a lasting impression on your brand and business regardless of the outcome.

Not reading a jobseeker’s resume before an interview shows you haven’t valued the time they’ve dedicated to the process or worse, that you’re disinterested before even meeting them.

Reading a resume thoroughly not only helps you to identify any gaps or concerns but also helps you develop targeted questions to better understand a candidate’s experience and suitability for the role.

A prepared interviewer also gives candidates a positive insight into the culture of your business, alignment to core values and vision, talking about their growth pathways, learning and development opportunities and showcasing examples where people have been successful across your business will leave a lasting impression.

Kouwiloyan says“Using example-based questions that will enable people to draw upon their experience, showcasing how it can be applied to that role or environment will always be useful.”

“For example: “Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a significant change at work. How did you handle it?” or maybe “Describe a project you worked on that required you to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. How did you ensure everything was completed on time?” or one of my personal favourites, “Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a significant change at work. How did you handle it?”

“What some job seekers lack in skills and experience they make up for in commitment and cultural contribution, so this approach allows you to explore a person’s fit with your business and whether they can grow into the role over time.”

While some people argue that curveball questions “help you separate the wheat from the chaff”, Kouwiloyan believes that “no one is actually interested in the answers to these types of questions.”

While asking a candidate, “what kitchen utensil would you be and why?” might showcase their pragmatic thinking or problem-solving skills, curveballs generally confuse candidates and steer them off track. Steer clear of questions without purpose - when you have 45 minutes to an hour to really get to know this person, use this time productively!

Instead, ask questions based on the selection criteria and allow job seekers to show what they can offer.

An interview is a two-way street, so be sure to give candidates the opportunity to ask their own questions.

Kouwiloyan says “truthfully, there is nothing worse than dominating a conversation, not allowing for the person being interviewed speak."

A conversation is two or more people it’s not enjoyable if one person doesn’t have a chance to chime in and learn about their possible future employer and leader”

Transparency around timelines is key, especially for strong candidates who may receive other offers. Be sure to communicate how many stages there are before making a potential offer, whether any testing is required and what the reference checking processes are.

This way a candidate can “map out how long the process will take and weigh this alongside other prospective offers,” Kouwiloyan says.

An interview is an opportune time to position your organisation and team, so it’s important you highlight key attractions of the role and not focus too much on evaluation. This is particularly important for competitive roles and in instances where candidates have multiple offers.

As Kouwiloyan says “recruitment is a craft, not a pre-defined one-size-fits-all process” so try and tailor your approach to each person and build a relationship with them so they can see the value of being a part of your organisation.

Prepare for your next interview with SEEK’s Interview Builder. This easy-to-use resource provides access to 40 best-practice interview questions in an easy drag-and-drop format.