How should I kick off my interview with a candidate?

The best way to kick off your interview is to follow our tips for Setting the Stage:

1. Offer thanks, acknowledgement and respect: Think about what the candidate has sacrificed to meet with you today. Maybe they've had to tell some little fibs in order to be here (their 3rd dentist appointment this month!) so they could spend what may be hours talking to you and the team. Be sure to recognize that, and thank them for their time. 
2. Be friendly and comfortable: Remember to follow our "3 Beings" - be curious, be consistent, and be approachable. In short, be the person you would want to tell your own story to. 
3. Provide the Interview Roadmap: Do your best to minimize any anxiety they may have regarding the process. Let them know what you'll be discussing (your interview assignments) and give them an idea of how long it will take. Let them know that you'll be asking them about their past boss' impressions of them, and that reference checks are a regular part of the process. And share what is happening next, if known. 
4. Grant and Request Permissions: Explain that the interview process at your company is a bit different; let them know that you want to spend about half the time talking about their strengths, and the other half talking about their past mis-steps or shortcomings. Give them the permission to both brag about their accomplishments and tell on themselves for their failures. Finally, request permission to interrupt them if needed, so you can feel comfortable managing the limited time you have together. 

Below is a script you may want to familiarize yourself with. The more frequently you do this, the easier it becomes to get your interview started in the right way. 

Thank you for coming in today! I'm excited to get to know each other, and I really appreciate you making the time to get here. I know it wasn't easy. 

Our interview is a little bit different. We're going to spend about half our time on the things you did really well, and half our time on the things that you didn't do as well at, so we can really understand how to make you successful here. 

To do that, you have full permission to brag about yourself and full permission to tell on yourself. Your stumbles aren’t a sign of weakness! I'm expecting to hear some missteps. In fact, not hearing missteps would be even worse, because I want to hear what you’ve learned from those. 

We'll also be talking about what your prior bosses are going to say about you during the reference checking part of the process. Same as above, both their glowing reviews and what you could do even better! 

Lastly, I’d like to ask your permission to steer you in the interview. Sometimes I might need to interrupt to make sure we stay on time. Is that okay with you? 

Do you have any questions, or should we just get going?