Home Health & Hospice Week

Do you understand what it takes to be an effective interviewer? You may be surprised to learn that to conduct an effective interview, you'll need to throw out many accepted conventions. James Farr of the behavioral-science consulting firm Farr Associates Inc. in Greensboro, N.C., offers the following secrets to great interviewing skills in his article "Principles of Effective Interviewing":

1. Watch the candidate's reaction as she first walks through the door. Although the interview has not officially begun, write down what you observe when the candidate first enters your office or the interview room, Farr says. Consider the differences between a candidate who walks in and says, "I beg your pardon," and one who enters with an enthusiastic "Good morning!"

2. Don't rush to break the ice. Many interviewers make the mistake of trying to put the candidate at ease right away, Farr notes. If you don't break the ice immediately, you'll get a chance to observe how the candidate relates to new people, how she handles herself in introductions and what her own self-concept is.

3. Ask the same questions of every candidate. "If you want to distinguish one person from another, you have to get a range of responses," Farr maintains. "The way to do this is to ask the exact same questions of each candidate, and then compare their answers."

4. Start with stereotypical interview questions, then go deeper. The main reason behind asking stereotypical interview questions is to make the candidate comfortable, because interviewees expect you to ask these types of questions, Farr notes. You really learn about the candidate when you dig deeper.

Example: You ask, "Can you work effectively under tight supervision?" The candidate will most likely answer, "Sure, no problem," and he could be lying through his teeth, Farr says. So to get to the truth, be sure to follow that question with, "Describe for me the type of supervision you prefer to work under."

5. Explore certain life categories to get to know the candidate better. Ask about the candidate's work, education, health, social life, childhood, family and personality to get a whole picture of who she is. Vary your questions from the impersonal to the personal, the familiar to the unfamiliar and the intellect to the emotions, Farr advises.