The Other Side of the Table

How to complete The Other Side of the Table

Interviewing your first candidate flips a familiar situation into something surprisingly stressful: now you are the one being read. Doing it well teaches you how hiring decisions actually get made, which permanently improves how you perform as a candidate yourself.

1. Ask the hiring manager what the interview should assess and what a good answer looks like, so you know your specific mandate.
2. Read the candidate's resume the day before and write down five to seven questions tied to the role, not brainteasers.
3. Open by introducing yourself, outlining the structure, and letting the candidate settle for a minute; nervous candidates interview badly for reasons that have nothing to do with skill.
4. Ask your questions, then stay silent and let them talk; probe with follow-ups like 'what was your specific part in that?'
5. Reserve the last five to ten minutes for their questions.
6. Write your structured feedback within an hour, while details are fresh, with concrete examples rather than gut impressions.

Tips

• Aim to talk about 20% of the time; if you talked more, you learned less.
• Ask every candidate for the role the same core questions, or comparisons become vibes.
• Learn which topics are legally off limits (family plans, age, health) before you walk in.
• Note evidence during the interview, not verdicts; judge afterward.

What counts as done

You conducted a real interview as the interviewer and submitted your evaluation into the hiring decision.