How to Improve Interviewing Skills for Hiring Managers

I had 15 rounds of interviews. Across many months. The process was rigorous, textbook, meticulous. It was for a position at a top global executive search firm. Everyone was involved. And on paper? The process was flawless. I was hired. Then came the realisation: We both got it wrong. It wasn’t a fit. Here’s what no one wants to say out loud: - More interviews ≠ better decisions. - Confidence in a candidate ≠ compatibility with your context. We hire the résumé. Then we work with the real human. And most interview processes don’t even come close to revealing who that person is: - under pressure, - in conflict, or - in real-world ambiguity. I learned the hard way. To get beneath the surface, you need to ask questions that bypass the rehearsed answers. You need to disarm people — not trap them. Here are 10 top interview questions for hiring manager to work with: 1. “When did you last completely fail at something you cared about? What changed after?” Shows resilience, self-awareness, and how they grow from failure. 2. “What’s a story you’ve told yourself about your career that you’ve had to unlearn?” Reveals capacity for growth, humility, and evolving perspectives. 3. “What would your harshest critic say about your leadership style?” Uncovers blind spots and emotional intelligence. 4. “What are you still trying to figure out about yourself?” Tests honesty, vulnerability, and self-reflection. 5. “Tell me about the last time you were in a room where no one agreed with you — and you were still right.” Surfaces conviction, influence, and independent thinking. 6. “What kind of culture would exhaust you — even if you were successful in it?” Cuts to real values and long-term cultural fit. 7. “If you were in this role, what’s one thing we’re currently doing that you’d immediately challenge?” Tests courage, insight, and fresh perspective. 8. “What’s a risk you didn’t take — and still regret?” Shows decision-making patterns and appetite for risk. 9. “What part of your professional identity is just armour?” Gets past the façade to the real person underneath. 10. “If we don’t hire you, what would be the real reason why?” Reveals self-awareness, honesty, and unspoken concerns. These questions reveal patterns. How someone reflects. Responds. Recovers. Grows. And that — more than any CV — is what predicts leadership impact. Hiring is not about certainty. It’s about clarity. It’s about asking the questions most people avoid. And listening for the answers that aren't always neat or polished. ♻️ Repost to help hiring managers hire better. Have a great week ahead dear reader! #culturematters #leadership #aviation

Most new managers make their first hire based on vibes and prayer. After watching thousands of hiring disasters (and creating a few myself in the past), here's a checklist that actually prevents them: Before You Start - Get Aligned Answer these fundamental questions before writing a single job posting: □ Do I want to build a team or stay hands-on? □ Can I clearly explain what success looks like? □ Do I have time to train someone new? □ Am I hiring for today's needs or tomorrow's? □ Would I rather hire attitude or experience? Getting clear on these prevents costly misalignment later. The 1-1-1 Focus Rule Keep it simple when starting: □ 1 Clear Role: Don't combine 3 jobs into one position □ 1 Way to Assess: Pick your best evaluation method and master it □ 1 Decision Process: Know exactly how you'll choose between candidates Complexity kills first-time hiring success. 10 Skills Every Hiring Manager Needs Technical Skills: □ Writing clear job descriptions □ Running structured interviews □ Evaluating work samples □ Checking references properly □ Making fair offers Human Skills: □ Selling your opportunity □ Reading between the lines □ Making candidates comfortable □ Giving helpful feedback □ Onboarding successfully Master these basics before trying advanced techniques. 7 Questions Before Posting the Job □ What problem will this person solve? □ What does a win look like in 90 days? □ Which skills are must-have vs. nice-to-have? □ What's my competitive advantage in attracting talent? □ How will I measure success? □ Who else needs to be involved? □ What could go wrong and how will I prevent it? These questions force clarity and prevent scope creep during the process. TAKEAWAY: Most first-time hiring managers jump straight to interviewing without doing the foundational work. This checklist ensures you're set up for success before you start. Good hiring is about preparation, not just gut instinct.

An hour with a candidate can be priceless…or pointless. Here’s how to make every interview count: What separates an average interviewer from a great hiring leader is the value they create in that short window. For a great hiring manager, that value looks like this: 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 → You know exactly what the role must achieve and what great looks like. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 → Every question is designed to reveal whether the candidate can deliver those outcomes. 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 → You listen for actions, decisions, trade-offs, and measurable results (not just polished stories). 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → You capture and score specifics in real time so the decision stands without you in the room. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → You leave the candidate more excited, informed, and engaged than when they walked in. Run an interview this way, and that single hour becomes worth: • Weeks of guesswork saved • Thousands in avoided bad-hire costs • A measurable lift in your team’s results An interview isn’t a meeting. It’s the highest-leverage leadership moment you have in hiring. Treat it that way. Quote by Jim Rohn

What’s the biggest challenge in recruiting right now? It’s not sourcing. It’s not volume. It’s not even alignment. It’s that the talent bar is higher than ever, and most interviewers haven’t been trained to assess against it. In Q1, I spoke with well over 50 Talent leaders, CEOs, hiring managers, and interviewers. And in nearly every conversation, the same two themes came up: “We have a very high talent bar.” “But our interviewers aren't skilled in interviewing.” The irony. 😵💫 It’s not that interviewers don’t care or aren’t capable. Most haven’t been taught how to assess consistently, or don’t interview often enough to build the skill. And most of the teams I spoke with don’t have ongoing support in place. It’s usually one training, and then interviewers are off to the races. Without structure or coaching, it’s easy to miss real signal. Meanwhile, candidates are expected to deliver crisp, strategic, high-impact answers under pressure, often in fast-paced conversations with unclear prompts and no follow-up. I’ve seen candidates passed on for being “too vague,” only to review the interview (thank you AI notetakers) and realize the question was layered, unclear, and never clarified. The candidate didn’t fail. The process did. So how do we actually fix this? Here’s what’s moved the needle for me: ✅ Get specific about what you’re hiring for Not just the title. What outcomes will this person need to deliver in 90 days? Six months? A year? Hire for the anniversary date, not just the start date. That’s the bar and interviewers need to be aligned on it. ✅ Assign focused areas to interviewers No more “everyone assess for strategic thinking.” Divide ownership. Go deep, not wide. This leads to stronger signal and better debriefs. ✅ Calibrate your scorecards Don’t just hand out a 1–4 scale and call it structured. Define what a 2 looks like. Define what makes someone a 4. Use real rubrics to make it objective. ✅ Coach with context, not just opinion Tools like BrightHire and Metaview can help you spot unclear questions, missed signal, and where interviewers need support. ✅ Use your ATS to scale interviewer readiness ATS's like Ashby makes this easy. You can track interviewer pools, assign shadows, and move people through training stages automatically. No spreadsheets. No guesswork. ✅ Debrief with evidence If the feedback is “not strong,” dig deeper. What did they say? What was missing? What would’ve made them a “strong hire”? Make sure your feedback reflects real signal, not just personal impression. Interviewing isn’t instinct. It’s a skill. One that needs to be continuously developed. And if we’re serious about hiring great talent, we have to enable the people responsible for identifying it. What are you doing this year to level up your interviewers? 👇🏼

Don’t be fooled by the smile. I’m known for giving candidates a hard time in interviews, thanks to BBC One’s The Apprentice. But I wasn’t always this adept. In fact, when I launched my first business 18 years ago, I made rookie errors that now make me cringe. So, what are the key lessons I wish I’d learned earlier in the hiring process? 1.    Focus on skills today and potential tomorrow While experience is important, potential can be even more valuable. Look for candidates who demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt, as these traits can lead to future success. Skills can be developed, but attitude often makes the difference in a candidate’s long-term contribution to your team. 2.    Involve your team in the hiring process Hiring shouldn’t be a solo venture. Engaging your current team members in the interview process can provide diverse perspectives and foster a sense of ownership in the new hire's success. I wish I had recognised earlier how collaborative hiring can strengthen team dynamics and lead to a better overall fit. 3.    Use structured interviews I learned that unstructured interviews can lead to bias and inconsistent evaluations. Develop a structured interview process with standardised questions to assess candidates objectively. This not only helps in comparing applicants fairly but also provides a clearer picture of their capabilities and how they align with your needs. 4.    Prioritise onboarding and integration Hiring the right talent is just the beginning; a well-supported induction period is essential for setting up new hires for success. I underestimated the importance of helping new team members acclimatise to our culture and systems. A solid onboarding experience can significantly reduce turnover and boost productivity from day one. I hope that as time has gone on, I’ve improved as a hiring manager, but I know there is always room for improvement. What lessons have you learned through interviews? Share your insights in the comments!

New to interviewing? You’re not alone. As a corporate interview skills trainer for Talence Group | Executive Search & Consulting, I have found that many companies don't invest in training employees (let alone hiring managers) to ask effective questions and assess talent. Grrrrr. Drives me 🍌 . We don't fall off the turnip truck, knowing how to interview people to assess their skills. Interviewing others is a skill we must learn, just as job seekers need to learn how to be interviewed. But you don’t have to guess your way through it. The latest Forbes Coaches Council article is packed with real-world tips for first-time managers suddenly in the hiring seat. With insights from 19 coaches (myself included), this piece is a crash course in what works for a new hiring manager. Here are a few highlights: ✅ Use real scenarios to uncover how candidates think ✅ Clarify what success in the role looks like before you interview 👈🏻 (top tip) ✅ Focus on values alignment—not just résumé bullet points ✅ Listen for coachability and culture fit ✅ Involve others to sharpen your decision-making This is not another “ask better questions” article. It’s a toolkit for hiring with clarity and confidence, even if this is your first time leading the process. Read the full article: How To Hire With Confidence: Interviewing Tips For First-Time Managers 🔗 https://lnkd.in/grYyKTUB If your company needs an upgrade and wants to ensure all employees who serve on interview teams are prepared to assess for skills and fit, please send me a DM. #interviewprep #jobs #careers

You wouldn’t let an untrained chef run your kitchen. (well, some of you do 🤫) So why let untrained hiring managers make key hiring decisions? Here's why most companies struggle with hiring: • They rely on "gut feeling" instead of a structured process • They don't train hiring managers in effective evaluation • They ask the wrong questions in interviews • They focus too much on resumes and not enough on fit Want a hiring playbook that works? Here it is: 1. Structured Hiring Process • Define clear job success criteria (not just a job description) • Use scorecards to evaluate candidates objectively • Have a standardized interview process 2. Hiring Manager Training • Teach them how to assess talent beyond the resume • Train them to spot potential, not just past experience • Show them how to remove bias from decision-making 3. Conversational Interviews • Ditch the robotic, rehearsed questions • Have real conversations that reveal mindset & problem-solving • Make candidates comfortable, so you see their true selves The secret? Hiring is a skill. Your company will keep making bad hires if your managers aren't trained. This isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a business necessity. If you’re serious about fixing your hiring process, DM me. If not, keep rolling the dice—just don’t be surprised by the results.

#INTERVIEW Questions For #HiringManagers Steal Them! Use Them. They are Yours to Have. Make the Interview Experience More Meaningful Move Beyond the Resume Instead of “Walk me through your experience,” try: 1. “How have you grown professionally in the past three years? If I asked three past colleagues, what would they say about your progress?” This shifts the focus from job history to growth and adaptability. 2. Pressure Test Problem-Solving Instead of “Tell me about a challenge you faced,” try: - “Walk me through a project where you struggled. What did you learn, and how would you approach it differently today?” This provides insight into resilience, learning mindset, and self-awareness. 3. Get a Window into Their Work Relationships Instead of “What did you like about your last manager?” try: - “What’s something your last manager did really well? What’s something you wish they had done differently?” This highlights self-reflection and how they work with leadership. 4. Understand Their Real Motivation Instead of “Why are you leaving your current role?” try: -“If I removed money from the equation, what would make you excited to come to work every day?” This reveals true motivators beyond a job title or paycheck. 5. Look at Their Personal Responsibility & Engagement - “Do you own a pet, a plant, or anything that requires responsibility? What’s the last book you read?” Not about work, but you can tell a lot about a person’s habits, curiosity, and discipline from their answer. 6. Be Transparent About Your Leadership Style If you dislike complainers, set the tone: - “I value people who focus on solutions, not problems. How do you approach difficult workplace situations without falling into negativity?” This ensures alignment on culture and expectations. #WhyThisWorks The goal is to hire people, not resumes. These deeper questions create engaging conversations, helping both parties determine if it’s truly the right fit—not just for today, but for the long run. Hiring Managers- Candidates AND Current Employees are Counting on you

I've coached numerous clients through the interview process. Many have seen remarkable transformations. (I'm sharing this to help you enhance your interview skills) Before I began coaching, I wish I'd emphasized these 7 strategies for continuous improvement. But you? You can start today. 1. Actively seek feedback after interviews ↳ Constructive criticism is invaluable → welcome it ↳ Use feedback to pinpoint strengths and areas for growth 2. Record and review mock interviews ↳ Self-assessment is key to improvement ↳ Pay attention to your body language and tone 3. Reflect on each interview experience ↳ Identify what went well and what needs work ↳ Keep a journal to track your progress over time 4. Stay informed about industry trends ↳ Knowledge is a powerful tool → stay updated ↳ Tailor your responses to reflect current trends 5. Practice with diverse question types ↳ Don't focus solely on technical questions ↳ Behavioral questions highlight your thought process 6. Participate in interview skill workshops ↳ Learn from experts and fellow participants ↳ Networking can also lead to new opportunities 7. Simulate high-pressure situations ↳ Practice under timed conditions ↳ Build resilience and maintain composure I truly hope these strategies help you secure your ideal position What strategies would you add to this list? What's your no. 8? P.S. Share this with others who might find it helpful #interview #jobseekers #jobs

One of the biggest responsibilities managers have is hiring. Yet most managers never receive formal training in how to do it well — they just inherit the process. The result? Missed talent, costly turnover, and teams that don’t gel. If you want to improve your interviews right away, here are three practices I teach managers to adopt: - Ask behavioral questions. Instead of “Would you do this?” ask “Tell me about a time when…” Past behavior in real situations is the best predictor of how someone will act in the future. - Listen for specifics, not generalities. Strong candidates ground their answers in examples: “Here’s what I did, here’s what happened, and here’s what I learned.” Weak candidates rely on hypotheticals and vague statements. - Use a scoring rubric. Don’t rely on gut feel. Create clear criteria tied to the job requirements, and score answers consistently across candidates. This reduces bias and makes the decision-making process transparent. Good interviewing isn’t about trick questions or instinct. It’s about structure, fairness, and clarity. When managers get this right, they set their teams up for long-term success. That’s why I created Effective Hiring: Interview Training for Managers with Starweaver on Coursera — a full framework for hiring with confidence and consistency. Links + newsletter in comments ⬇ #Leadership #FutureOfWork #ProfessionalDevelopment #Management #Starweaver #AI #EffectiveHiring #LeadershipDevelopment #TalentManagement