Conducting job interviews may not be as easy as you think. Without the appropriate preparation and training, the chances of you getting the wrong guy hired are very high. Check the following ten most common errors in conducting job interviews.

1.Not knowing what competencies are required

Do you have the job description with you? Do you have the job requirements with detailed expectations of the job? Without this kind of information, it is very likely you do not know what to look for when you interview a candidate. You may end up asking the wrong questions.

2.Did not read the resume beforehand

This happens when the interviewer is not prepared. You may waste everyone’s time by asking questions in which the information is already mentioned in the resume. The candidate may interpret this sign as lack of interest in him/her.

3.Talking too much

If you do most of the talking, you failed to get the required information about the candidate. Listening skill is no doubt the most important skill in conducting a job interview.

4.Ask direct questions most of the time

When a direct question is used, you get only either the “yes” or “no” answer. Again, this prevents you from getting meaningful information about the candidate. There are occasions whereby direct questions are to be used but it’s only through open-ended questions that you get candidate to elaborate and share information.

5.Ask irrelevant questions

This happens to inexperienced interviewers when they do not know what constitutes appropriate questions or they may have exhausted all the questions in their list and they are just trying to fill up the airtime by asking irrelevant questions. This is a total waste of time and may not sit well with the candidates that are able to recognize that the interviewer lacks the experience.

6.Too much time spent in taking notes

Some interviewers felt the need to jot down every piece of information. Because of that, they may be looking down at their notepad more than the face of the candidate. Without good eye contact, you are unable to relate to the candidate well. The result is lack of information in regards to the personality of the candidate.

7.Selling the job or company too quickly

Telling the candidate about the job and the company is important but they should be shared only at the end of the interview. Without sufficient information about the candidate, you therefore are unable to tell whether the candidate suits the position or not.

8.Judging too soon

This is an error that happens even to the most seasoned interviewers. It may be due to halo effect. For example, finding a candidate graduating from the same university as the interviewer may have automatically put the candidate in good light. So, even when negative information surfaces, you tend to play down or ignore it.

9.Making promises too soon

Be careful on comments as innocent as “I really think you would do well in this job” or “You are the best that I’ve seen”. If possible, avoid showing the candidate around the office and worst still, introducing to colleagues – such actions may be misconstrued as a hiring commitment. Giving candidates such false hope is highly unwarranted.

10. Act as a Career Counselor

The interviewer’s role is not to comment and evaluate how the candidate has performed. You are not to act as a career counselor to the candidate. The only exception is when candidates seek advice from interviewer that happens to be working as a consultant with a recruitment agency.

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