One of the most essential functions a manager has is hiring the right talent. However, many leaders interview with intuition, antiquated techniques, and/or haphazard processes. To improve their chances of finding people who will stick and to create teams that sing, managers need to level up their interviewing game. That's the answer for intentional, proactive interviewing practices for all hiring managers.
This guide provides best practices that will help ambitious leaders nail their interviewing and level up their teams. Whether you’re hiring your first team or your fiftieth, these tactics are here to help you make the most out of your hiring success.
Be clear about the Exact Position and Type of Candidate Profile
Managers need to know what they are hiring for before beginning any interview. This is more than your run-of-the-mill HR job description. You must have clarity about the core responsibilities for the role, what the few success metrics are,and what excellence looks like for that role. It's also very important to distinguish the non-negotiable skills you need on day one versus skills that can be learned on the job. Creating a behavioral and cultural description of your ideal candidate will help provide clarity in the evaluation process and ensure your hiring decisions reflect the goals of the team.
Make the Interview Process Consistent
Perhaps one of the most beneficial things interview training provides hiring managers is consistency. A structured interview process drives both fairness and the quality of hiring decisions. Instead of winging it, create a set of battle-tested questions that are asked of each candidate in the same way and pair them with a clear set of evaluation rubrics. Assessing all candidates against the same criteria minimizes the risk of bias and makes it easier to compare individuals objectively. Implementing a standardized process helps ensure that all candidates receive a more professional and respectful experience, as well as strengthening your employer brand.
Master the Art of Questioning
Great interviewers ask great questions—but they also know when to be quiet. Formulate open-ended questions that prompt candidates to share actual examples of past performance and behavior. These questions can show how a person thinks, communicates, and solves problems in pressure situations. Rather than asking hypothetical or yes/no questions used to rigorously test candidates, ask candidates to walk you through their decision-making process in past jobs. Interviews are a high-stakes form of communication, and many of the same techniques involved in presentation skills training—including clear articulation, presence, and structured dialogue — can be deployed to step up the conversation.
Create Structured Evaluation Criteria to Remove Bias
Unconscious bias has the power to subconsciously derail the soundest decision-making of even the most logical mind. This is why structured evaluation criteria are critical. Post-interview, evaluate the candidates against these predefined competencies (e.g., leadership, adaptability, technical expertise, communication, etc). Don’t go with gut instinct or a gut feeling — you need to be objective. Proper training should also include bias-awareness components and instruct evaluators on how to disentangle emotion from evidence. This not only protects against legal risk but also enables more equitable and inclusive hiring practices, aligning with the rising demand among both employees and customers for fairness and engagement in recruitment.
Practice Active Listening
It’s not just the right questions that matter in interviewing; it’s the listening. Managers get so caught up in what they want to ask that they often don’t engage with what the candidate is actually saying. Active listening consists of fully being in the moment, holding eye contact, affirming the candidate’s answers, and responding with meaningful follow-up questions. This type of presence not only enhances the quality of the conversation but also reflects well on your leadership. As with presentation skills training, how you listen speaks volumes about the caliber of your professionalism, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.
Prepare Candidates for a Great Experience
The interview is not only your chance to assess a candidate—it’s their chance to assess you. Interviews that seem disorganized or disengaged can send high-potential candidates packing. Set a positive tone: Make it clear what the interview is about and what the candidate can expect. Tell them who they'll be meeting with, how long the session will be, and what you'll be discussing. Follow up shortly after the interview, and personalize it. These little things make a world of difference, and this attention to detail goes a long way to creating a great experience and developing your reputation as a person and leader who respects people and processes.
Avoid Common Legal Pitfalls
Even the most well-intentioned can ask questions during an interview that are legally problematic, crossing the line. This is why compliance needs to be a core component of any interview training for hiring managers program. Don’t ask about a candidate’s age, family planning, religion, nationality, or health status. Instead, concentrate the conversation on the candidate’s job performance and meeting the demands of the role. Remaining on the right side of the law protects your organization, but it also shows that you understand how to lead within established boundaries.
Create a Feedback Loop
The interview process continues after the candidate leaves the building. Great managers will reflect on each interview to improve their process and learn from every hiring encounter. Debrief with your team after each interview to see what you did well and what could be improved. Take note of traits and responses that stuck out, good and bad. Request feedback from candidates where applicable. This feedback, coming in a constant loop, creates momentum, tightens alignment, and allows your team to strengthen with each new hire.
Invest in Formal Interview Training
Interviewing is not a soft skill—it’s a strategic skill. Interview training is as worthy of a place in your professional development plan as investing in leadership development or presentation skills training. Theory is one thing, but formal training is quite another. It presents you with tools, frameworks, and scenarios to hone your instincts and judgment. The best programs will also include role-play, real-time feedback, and guidance tailored to each industry. Organizations like Moxie Institute (not a paid endorsement, by the way) focus specifically on helping professionals communicate with clarity and intention, and their training can transform managers into confident, competent interviewers.
Create an atmosphere of purpose and presence
Each of your interviews is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your leadership. How you act in an interview—your tone, your questions, your level of interest—sends a strong signal about your team, your company culture, and your priorities. Show up on purpose. Strive to embody the level of quality you wish to draw into your life and practice. When you lead with purpose and presence, you establish an atmosphere that magnetizes the best people and makes them want to be part of the vision you provide.