Interviewers play a key role in evaluating candidates—and in how candidates are evaluating your opportunity. But it’s important to remember that most interviewers aren’t experts in recruitment. Offering interviewer training can equip your team members with the skills and tools they need to effectively evaluate candidates and properly represent your company.
Benefits of interviewer training
Interview training equips your team members with the skills and knowledge they need to assess candidates fairly, accurately, and efficiently. This offers several benefits to your team.
1
Consistency across the hiring process
Properly trained interviewers are more likely to use a consistent approach for evaluating candidates. This reduces bias, ensures a fair assessment process, and makes it easier to objectively compare candidates.
2
Improved candidate experience
Well-trained interviewers are better at creating a positive and professional interview experience. Candidates who feel respected and engaged throughout the process are more likely to leave with a favorable impression of your company, whether they’re hired or not.
3
Better hiring decisions
When interviewers know what to look for and how to assess candidates effectively, they’re able to make better hiring decisions. This leads to better team alignment, lower turnover rates, and ultimately, stronger business performance.
4
Reduced legal risks
Interview training helps ensure that interviewers understand which questions and topics they shouldn’t bring up during the interview process. This can minimize the risk of discrimination claims and keep your hiring process compliant with employment laws.
10 things to cover in your interviewer training
To build an effective interview process, it’s crucial to equip your interviewers with the right tools and techniques. Interview training should go beyond which questions to ask by preparing your team members to identify the best candidates—and sell them on your opportunity.
1
Adhering to proper interview etiquette
Proper interview etiquette is essential for creating a professional and respectful environment that reflects well on your company. It’s important to review the key elements of interview etiquette, ensuring that interviewers are mindful of their behavior, communication style, and the candidate experience.
For example, interviewers should:
2
Selling your opportunity
Train your interviewers to effectively sell the company and your opportunity. This includes teaching them how to tell your company’s story—highlighting your mission, values, and culture—to create a compelling narrative that resonates with candidates. Interviewers should also learn to define their pitch, focusing on what makes your company unique, such as growth opportunities, innovation, or work-life balance. They should also focus on what makes your role unique, whether that’s the opportunity to build out a team or work with the latest technology.
3
Conducting structured interviews
A structured interview helps ensure each candidate is asked the same set of questions so they can be evaluated against the same criteria. This is particularly useful if you need to calibrate feedback from multiple interviewers for each stage of your interview process. Structured interviews also provide a better interview experience because candidates aren’t asked the same questions multiple times throughout the recruitment process.
Create interview plans and templates for each role, and train interviewers on how to use them effectively. Include sample questions to ask and anything else your interviewer should discuss with candidates.
4
Avoiding illegal interview questions
Certain questions—such as those related to age, race, religion, marital status, and more—are not only irrelevant but illegal in many jurisdictions. Interview training must include education on these topics to mitigate legal risks.
Legal compliance is critical to maintaining an equitable hiring process and avoiding lawsuits.
5
Practicing active listening skills
It’s important for interviewers to not only ask the right questions but also listen actively to the candidate’s responses. Training interviewers to focus on the content and context of answers without interrupting ensures they fully understand what the candidate is saying.
Active listening helps interviewers pick up on nuances, dive deeper into key responses, and avoid making premature judgments about a candidate.
6
Understanding unconscious bias
Unconscious bias can affect hiring decisions in subtle but impactful ways. Interview training should include an understanding of common biases, how they manifest in the hiring process, and strategies to mitigate them.
Reducing bias in interviews leads to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive hiring process. It also helps interviewers focus on a candidate’s skills and qualifications, rather than irrelevant factors.
7
Managing difficult interview situations
There will inevitably be moments when an interview goes off track—perhaps a candidate becomes defensive or unresponsive. Training interviewers to handle these difficult situations with professionalism ensures that they stay in control and continue to assess the candidate effectively.
Keeping the interview on course, even when challenges arise, prevents lost opportunities to assess the candidate’s fit for the role.
8
Making objective assessments
Interviewers should be trained to score candidates based on objective criteria rather than subjective impressions. Using standardized interview scorecards helps to ensure fairer comparisons and hiring decisions.
Objective assessments reduce bias and improve the likelihood of hiring the best candidate based on merit, not just on gut feelings.
9
Using hiring technology
Hiring technology training can help ensure that interviews run efficiently, candidate data is managed properly, and the entire process is seamless for candidates and interviewers. For example, interviewers should know how to conduct virtual interviews on your platform of choice and how to submit feedback in your ATS.
10
Putting it all together
One of the most effective ways to solidify interview training is through practice. Conducting mock interviews allows interviewers to apply the techniques they’ve learned in a controlled, low-pressure environment. This hands-on approach helps them develop confidence, improve their questioning strategies, and fine-tune their ability to evaluate candidates.
By role-playing various scenarios—such as handling difficult candidates, managing time effectively, or navigating unexpected challenges—interviewers can gain valuable experience before they conduct real interviews.
Final thoughts: Interviewer training sets your team up for success
Interviewer training is a powerful investment for teams that want to streamline the recruitment process, improve the candidate experience, and make more informed hiring decisions. But don’t stop there: Continue to support your interviewers with preparation checklists, detailed calendar invitations for interviews, and ongoing training to address candidate feedback.
Your interviewers can make a significant impact on your recruitment program—for better or for worse—so make sure they have the knowledge and tools they need to be successful.
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