By Steve Adubato, PhD

It is hard to think of any aspect of professional life where communication doesn’t come in to play. Consider how often as a manager, supervisor or business owner you’ve had to hire someone. In the process, you conduct interviews, yet few professionals have been trained to do this well. Being a great interviewer is critically important in finding out the strengths and weaknesses of a potential new hire. With this in mind, consider the following:

Q: Is it best to prepare a list of questions when interviewing someone?

A: Prepared questions are a good start, but not nearly enough to do the job. The key in any effective interview is to customize your approach to the person seeking the job and the requirements you are looking for. For example, every interviewer asks; “What are your greatest strengths?” Yet, a more customized approach would be; “Tell me a situation in your previous job where you really had to be creative to solve a problem.” Further, these prepared or “canned” questions have been asked so many times before of job applicants, that you are not likely to get especially relevant or useful information. Job prospects know they are coming and predictably they prepare canned answers.

Q: If an interview is droning on, what communication tools can I use to make it more engaging?

A: The first thing to consider is why the interview is so dull or boring? Is it you? Is it the job applicant? One of the things to look for is enthusiasm and passion, which is often communicated through high energy. But if you really think the person has possibilities, here are some things you can do. Lean forward. Pick up your volume as well as your pace, and ask a follow up question like; “Tell me more,” or, “Do you have an example?” Often people play off your energy and become more interesting as a result.

Q: You talk about customizing your questions to the particular job applicant. What are some ways I can prepare to do this?

A: Review the applicant’s bio or resume and determine what aspects interest you. See where they went to college, what jobs they had and how they describe those experiences. The key then is to take some of that information and work it into your question. For example; “You went to work right after college but then went back to graduate school to get your masters degree. Why was that?

Q: Since so many applicants are on their best behavior in interviews and often give the “right answers,” what can I do to find out who this person really is and if they are right for my organization?

A: The key is in the follow-ups; “You have communicated many times in this interview that you are a ‘team player.’ Describe a specific instance where you’ve lead a team to deal with a particularly difficult challenge or problem.” Another follow-up might be; “You said that you are a consensus builder. Tell me about a time where you had to bring people together and resolve conflict or actually build consensus.”

Q: What are some interesting curve balls that an interviewee might not expect but could be very useful?

A: Some of my favorites include; “What are you most proud of, professionally or personally, and why?” Or, “What is your biggest disappointment to date in business or work and what have you learned from it?” And one that really helps you get to know someone a lot better is; “With all the pressures and demands of this particular job, how exactly do you balance your work and your personal life?”
Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with favorite questions you’ve either asked or been asked in a job interview and I will share them in a future column.