Interviews are a two-way process. As the employer, you want to know more about the applicant than what is on his or her resume. In turn, the applicant wants to hear more about the university and the job beyond what was in the employment advertisement. Here are tips to help you conduct a successful interview.

1. Be prepared — To prepare, decide how many people to interview, if there will a panel of interviewers, and the length of the interviews. Before the interview, review selection criteria and formulate questions addressing skill, knowledge, abilities, physical requirements, and behaviors necessary to do the job. Also, study the applicant’s resume/application before the interview and note areas to explore.
    
2. Put the applicant at ease — During the opening of your interview, you want to make the applicant comfortable. Shaking hands, offering coffee, or taking a coat can help.
    
3. Give the applicant time to review the questions you will ask during the interview — This allows the applicant to provide more detailed examples about his or her experiences.
    
4. Set the context for the interview — Give the applicant an idea of how you will conduct the interview. Also give an overview of the university, your department, and the position. Provide as much information as possible, so the candidate can assess if the job matches his or her expectations.
    
5. Ask open-ended questions — Open-ended questions usually begin with who, what, when, where, or tell me about a situation. Open-ended and behavioral questions are used to encourage discussion and clarify answers that were not clear.
    
6. Avoid questions not related to the job — While you do want to be personable, questions directed at the candidates should not be of a primarily personal nature. Questions such as “What nationality are you?” or "Do you plan to have children?" are inappropriate. These kinds of questions suggest that what is important for the job is not the person's skills and experience but rather his or her culture, finances, or marital status. They also may be illegal to ask.
    
7. Let the candidate do the talking — Ideally, the candidate should do most of the talking. Once you have asked your questions, give the applicant time to answer. Listen to the answers closely and keep an open mind. If the applicant gives an unexpected answer, take time to probe and clarify the answer.
    
8. Be aware of your body language — Body language is just as powerful as the words you and the applicant use in the interview. A smile will encourage the applicant to talk more freely. Frowning will cause the opposite effect. If you do not agree with an applicant’s response to a question, keep your reaction to yourself. Take notes to help you stay focused and refer to them after the interview is over.
    
9. Close the interview — As you bring the interview to a close, make sure that you ask the applicant if he or she has any final questions. In your closing remarks, also explain the next steps in the process and thank the applicant for coming.