Choosing Where to Interview

April 13, 2006

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If you have an office, it's probably best to conduct the job interview there so that the applicant can see the working environment.

However, if you work out of your home, you may want to schedule the interview in a neutral location, such as a local coffee shop or restaurant. You don't want disgruntled applicants knowing where you live.

If you do interview in your office, be sure to arrange the furniture in a comfortable, non-intimidating way.

Doing dinner. You may find it convenient to interview job applicants over lunch or dinner, especially if you're working out of your home and don't want to do the interview in your office. However, although meeting over coffee is fine, we recommend that you don't use a full meal as a job interview. It's very difficult to control the conversation or cut off a meal if it becomes apparent that the applicant is not right for the job, and a meal tends to set a tone that's more social than may be appropriate for an employee. Reserve meal interviews for people who may become customers, suppliers, investors, or partners.

Over the phone. If you need to screen a lot of applicants, or if the applicant is from out of town, a phone interview can be a reasonable alternative and can save time. The drawback to phone interviews are obvious — you can't see the person's facial expressions or body language. But, on the bright side, it may help keep your decision focused on the applicant's ability to do the job rather than on other factors.

If you do a phone interview, you should call the applicant (rather than having the applicant call you), especially if it's long distance.