Interviewing is the process of meeting with and evaluating job candidates to determine their qualifications, skills, and fit for an open position and your company culture. It allows you to assess whether candidates have the knowledge, abilities, and work style to succeed in the role while giving candidates the opportunity to learn about your organization and decide if they want to work there.
For hourly positions with high turnover costs, effective interviewing is critical to avoiding bad hires. According to Department of Labor hiring research, the cost of a bad hire ranges from 30% to 150% of the position's annual salary when you factor in recruiting time, training investment, lost productivity, and replacement costs.
Why Structured Interviewing Outperforms Casual Conversations
Many managers approach interviews as informal chats, asking whatever questions come to mind and making gut-feel hiring decisions. This unstructured approach produces inconsistent results and exposes you to bias. Research from SHRM on hiring practices shows structured interviews are 81% more effective at predicting job performance than unstructured conversations.
Structured interviewing means you prepare specific questions in advance, ask all candidates the same core questions, use predetermined evaluation criteria to assess responses, and document your assessment for each candidate. This consistency allows fair comparison and reduces the influence of factors unrelated to job performance.
The structure also protects legally. If a rejected candidate claims discrimination, you can demonstrate you asked everyone the same questions and evaluated them against job-related criteria. Unstructured interviews where you asked different candidates different questions make it impossible to prove equitable treatment.
Preparing for Effective Interviews
Start with a thorough review of the job description. You cannot assess whether someone can do a job if you're unclear what the job requires. Identify the five to seven most critical competencies for success, the knowledge or skills that distinguish strong from weak performers, and the working conditions or schedule requirements that candidates must accept.
Develop your question bank based on these requirements. If problem-solving under pressure is critical for your shift supervisor role, prepare questions that reveal how candidates handle stress. If your kitchen environment requires teamwork, create questions about collaborating with colleagues. Match questions to actual job demands.
Prepare an interview guide that includes the questions you'll ask, space to take notes on responses, your evaluation criteria for rating answers, and any additional information you need to cover (schedule, compensation, next steps). This guide keeps you on track and ensures you don't forget important topics.
Review candidate materials before the interview. Read their resume or application, note their relevant experience and qualifications, identify questions or potential concerns to address, and prepare to ask about employment gaps or frequent job changes. This preparation shows respect for the candidate's time and allows focused discussion.
Conducting the Interview
Create a welcoming environment even in brief interviews. Greet candidates warmly, introduce yourself and your role, and offer water if the interview will be lengthy. Small courtesies reduce candidate nervousness and help them present their authentic selves rather than anxious versions.
Explain the interview structure upfront so candidates know what to expect. A simple statement like "I'm going to ask you about seven different situations to understand how you've handled various challenges. After that, I'll answer your questions about the role" provides clarity.
Use a mix of question types to gather complete information. Behavioral questions ask about past experiences and are strong predictors of future behavior. Situational questions present hypothetical scenarios to assess judgment. Knowledge questions verify technical understanding. Combining these types gives you multidimensional data.
Take notes during the interview but maintain eye contact and engagement. Brief keywords and phrases are sufficient. You don't need to transcribe everything verbatim. Note-taking serves two purposes: it helps you remember candidates when comparing several applicants, and it provides documentation if hiring decisions are later questioned.
Interview Question Categories
Opening questions should put candidates at ease while gathering basic information. "Walk me through your work history and what interested you about this position" allows candidates to warm up with familiar content. Avoid overly personal opening questions that might venture into protected territory.
Competency-based questions target specific job requirements. For a server position: "Describe a time when you had to handle multiple demanding customers simultaneously. How did you prioritize?" For a CNA role: "Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with a difficult or combative patient. What approach did you take?"
Motivation and fit questions assess whether the candidate actually wants this specific job or just any job. "What appeals to you about working in fast-casual dining versus fine dining?" reveals whether they understand and genuinely want your environment. "What concerns do you have about this position's schedule or responsibilities?" surfaces potential misalignments early.
Scenario questions present job-realistic situations. "If a customer complained that their order was wrong during a rush period, how would you handle it?" The answer reveals problem-solving ability, customer service orientation, and grace under pressure. Create scenarios based on actual challenges in your operation.
Closing questions should give candidates an opportunity to ask questions, share additional relevant information, and understand next steps. "Is there anything else you'd like me to know about your qualifications?" ensures you haven't missed important information. "Do you have any questions about the position or our organization?" reveals how much research they've done and what matters to them.
Evaluating Candidate Responses
Use a consistent rating system for all candidates. A simple 1-5 scale works: 1 = Poor (doesn't meet requirements), 2 = Below Average (concerns about fit), 3 = Acceptable (meets basic requirements), 4 = Good (exceeds some requirements), 5 = Excellent (clearly outstanding). Rate each competency area separately rather than one overall impression.
Look for specificity in responses to behavioral questions. Strong candidates provide detailed examples with context, actions they personally took, and results achieved. Vague, general responses without specific examples suggest the candidate either lacks the experience or isn't being truthful.
Red flags during interviews include speaking negatively about former employers (suggests they'll do the same about you), providing inconsistent information compared to their application, showing disinterest or lack of preparation through failure to research your business, or demonstrating poor communication skills for a role requiring strong communication.
Cultural fit matters alongside skills and experience. Will this person mesh with your team's working style? Do they share your organization's values? Do they seem genuinely enthusiastic about the work environment you're describing? According to Gallup engagement research, cultural fit correlates strongly with retention and performance.
Common Interviewing Mistakes
Talking too much leaves you with insufficient data to evaluate candidates. The interviewer should speak about 20-30% of the time to explain the role and answer questions. Candidates should speak 70-80% of the time demonstrating their qualifications. If you do most of the talking, you're not learning what you need to know.
Asking illegal questions, even unintentionally, creates legal risk. Avoid questions about age, marital status or family plans, religion or religious holidays, national origin or citizenship status (you can ask about work authorization), disabilities or health conditions, arrest records (you can ask about convictions relevant to the job). Stick to job-related questions.
Making snap judgments in the first few minutes based on appearance or small talk undermines the interview's purpose. First impressions matter, but they shouldn't determine the outcome before you've gathered actual job-relevant information. Use your structured questions to override initial biases.
Failing to sell the opportunity to strong candidates costs you top talent. Yes, you're evaluating them, but they're also evaluating you. Share what's great about working on your team, how you support development, and what growth opportunities exist. Strong candidates have options, so convince them to choose you.
Panel and Multi-Stage Interviews
Panel interviews with multiple interviewers can be efficient for management positions but intimidating for entry-level candidates. If using panels, assign specific question areas to each panelist to avoid repetition, keep the panel small (two to three people maximum for hourly positions), and allow the candidate to address questions to the entire panel or specific people.
Multi-stage interviews allow deeper assessment. A phone screen filters basic qualifications. An in-person interview evaluates skills and fit. A working interview or job shadowing reveals actual performance. This progression works well for critical positions where hiring mistakes are costly, but it's overkill for high-volume hourly hiring.
Involving team members in interviews provides valuable perspectives and increases team buy-in for new hires. Teach team members how to interview effectively, provide them with prepared questions, and give them structured evaluation criteria. Their input should inform but not solely determine hiring decisions.
Technology in Modern Interviewing
Video interviewing became standard during the pandemic and remains useful for initial screening, particularly for remote positions or candidates located far from your business. Ensure you have reliable technology, test equipment before the interview, and account for potential technical difficulties with backup plans like phone numbers.
One-way video interviews where candidates record responses to pre-set questions save time but feel impersonal. Reserve these for high-volume screening of many candidates for similar positions. Follow up with live interviews for finalists.
Interviewing skills assessments test actual job-related abilities. A barista candidate might make drinks. A medical assistant might demonstrate taking vitals. An administrative candidate might complete a typing or software test. Skills assessments predict performance better than interview responses alone.
When you need to coordinate scheduling with multiple interviewers and candidates across different locations, communication tools that centralize scheduling and updates keep everyone aligned. Quick check-ins with interview team members and automated candidate communications maintain momentum in the hiring process.
Reference checks should occur after interviews narrow the field but before making final offers. This verification step catches problems that interviews might miss and validates the strengths you observed.
