5 Common Interviewing Mistakes You're Making (And How to Fix Them)
May 02, 2023As a sales leader, building a strong sales team is crucial to the success of your startup. But if you're not conducting effective interviews, you may be wasting both your time and the candidate's time. In fact, if you're doing any of these five things, you're not being a good interviewer:
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Asking ridiculous questions: Avoid asking questions that have nothing to do with the competencies of the job. While it may seem like a fun icebreaker, asking a candidate what animal they would be is unlikely to help you make a good hiring decision.
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Allowing the candidate to dominate the interview: While it's important to let the candidate speak, it's also crucial to respectfully direct the interview to get the information you need. Don't let a candidate ramble on without redirecting them.
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Asking personal questions: Avoid crossing any legal or ethical boundaries by asking personal questions that are irrelevant to the job. Even if you feel like a candidate's address tells you something about them, it's best to stick to job-related questions.
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Coming into an interview unprepared: Just like you wouldn't let your sales reps go into a discovery call without prepared questions, you shouldn't wing an interview either. Come prepared with a set of relevant questions that will help you assess the candidate's qualifications.
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Making the candidate uncomfortable: While it's important to see how a candidate acts under pressure, you don't need to purposely make them feel uncomfortable. The goal of the interview is to get the candidate to open up, not shut down.
If you're guilty of any of these interviewing mistakes, don't worry. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you'll be well on your way to becoming a more effective interviewer and sales leader.
To improve your interviewing skills and learn more about sales leadership, check out my free guides here: https://www.insidesalesexpert.com/free-guides-landing-page. With a little bit of practice and education, you'll be able to build a top-performing sales team that will take your startup to the next level.
