April 8, 2025
The Interviewer’s Secret Weapon: Less Talking, More Listening
A few years ago, I debriefed a client after he'd met with a candidate I thought was exceptional. "It went OK," he said, "but I didn't learn much about her. She didn't say very much."
Later that day, I spoke with the candidate. Her take? "I'm concerned the interviewer didn't learn much about my background because he talked so much."
Same interview, two completely different experiences. The culprit? The interviewer spent too much time talking and not enough listening.
Many hiring managers find themselves inadvertently dominating interview conversations. They're eager to share information about their companies, address potential concerns before they arise, or simply fill uncomfortable silences. It's natural—but it undermines the ability to assess candidates.
The best interviewers understand a fundamental truth: you can't learn anything while you're talking. Interviews should feel like conversations where you create space for candidates to reveal who they really are.
Here's how to become a better listener in interviews:
First, ask good questions, then listen carefully to the responses. Give candidates time to think and respond fully. The most revealing insights often come after that first pause.
Second, listen not just to what candidates say, but how they say it. Are they clear and structured? Do they focus on results? Are they concise? You’ll learn a lot about how they think and communicate.
Third, pay attention to non-verbal cues. The spaces between the words often reveal more than the words themselves.
Finally, maintain an open mind throughout the interview. Don’t let first impressions bias your impressions of the entire conversation. The most important qualities, like intelligence, strategic orientation, and personal values take time to come out.
Great interviewing isn't complicated—it's about asking good questions and then listening thoughtfully to the answers. Hiring managers who do that hire better people than those who don’t.
