Effective interviewer training for better candidate experiences

Introduction

Interviewing can serve many purposes: it provides a way to find great candidates and it can also solidify company culture, create camaraderie, and provide exploration for existing employees. At Google, we conduct formal interview training for interviewers, and they’re only eligible to interview once they’ve completed training. Giving your employees power to help inform hiring decisions has the added impact of creating a feeling of ownership among your team. Using employees, who are owners and stewards of company culture, to conduct interviews keeps them engaged.

Make interviewing everyone’s job

At Google, internal research shows that interactions with interviewers are a top-mentioned factor in candidate feedback¹. Google communicates that to interviewers, and emphasizes their critical role in the interview process and company culture.

For this reason, and the practical fact that the recruiting team is interviewing thousands of candidates every year, Google wants interviewing to be part of every Googler's job. The hiring team tries to identify a wide range of interviewers across different perspectives and job levels. Once interviewers are selected, they learn about our structured interview process, as well as desired attributes for candidates. The more interviewers understand what they’re looking for and how it fits into the larger picture, the more effective they can be.

Use the interviewer training checklist

Here’s a list of questions that address basic practices and general information to consider when training your interviewers.

Do your interviewers...

• Understand your company hiring process and their role in that process?
• Know how to prepare for an interview (develop questions, budget time, review resumes, etc.)?
• Have the skills needed to conduct an interview that leaves the candidate feeling great about your company regardless of whether or not they get an offer?
• Know how to conduct a legally compliant interview?
• Know how to provide effective feedback and give a meaningful interview score?
• Understand the post-interview process?

Write clear feedback

Interviewer feedback is critical to making a hiring decision, so Google's hiring team gives interviewers the following guidance to write helpful feedback and avoid common pitfalls:

• Don't write vague statements or summarize the resume. Statements like "seems smart" or "graduated from a great school" won't help hiring committees make a decision.
• Don't reiterate info from the rubrics. If you are using a rubric, it likely contains the bulk of your assessment. For example, in "Underwater Basket Weaving," when you check the "Outstanding" box you're telling the committee that your candidate did things like “clearly incorporate efficient use of material into basket planning.” So in your comments, don't merely say, “Clearly incorporates efficient use of material into basket planning;” explain more and give examples instead of restating information.
• Don't get distracted by personality and "fit" or evaluate attributes unrelated to the job. Stay focused on the key attributes that make someone successful in the role.
• Don't procrastinate. Write interview feedback as soon as possible, while it's still fresh in your mind. Our internal research shows that feedback submitted within 48 hours is significantly higher in quality than later submissions. A 24-48 hour window ensures better feedback and a positive candidate experience.
  

Best practices for interviewers

Interactions with interviewers are a top-mentioned factor in candidate feedback, making the interview stage a critical opportunity to showcase the best of Google's culture and values. Based on candidate feedback, here are essential tips for interviewers to create a positive, respectful, and supportive experience for every candidate:

• Be punctual: Always start the interview on time to show respect for the candidate and build their confidence, ensuring no time is taken away from the assessment or from other interviewers.
• Establish rapport: Dedicate the initial few minutes to breaking the ice and building rapport before jumping into technical questions. This helps reduce the candidate's anxiety and creates a more engaging conversation.
• Be conversational: While it is crucial to take thorough notes, actively listen and make eye contact to ensure a high level of interaction. A conversational interview is far more positive than one where the interviewer is buried in note-taking.
• Act as a partner, not a gatekeeper: Approach the interview humbly and avoid appearing judgmental, even in a high-pressure situation. Ensure that when the candidate answers a challenging, role-related question you work with them to assess their skills rather than showing off your own.
• Offer encouragement and reassurance: Ensure the candidate does not feel discouraged or believe they are failing. While not all candidates will be successful, it is important to have them leave feeling that they had a fair chance at success.
• Remember that interviewing is two-way: While the interviewers ask the majority of the questions, remember that candidates will also come with questions to help them evaluate the role and company. Make sure to build in at least five minutes at the end of the conversation for candidate questions.

¹Source: Google Internal Research (2020–2023). Based on Google Candidate Experience Survey (VoxPop) responses from 114,876 external and 14,832 internal candidates who reached the advanced stages of the hiring process (phone screen or interview).