So your HR department says get ready; we have a candidate coming to interview with you in an hour. You have never seen this person's resume, don't know anything about them, and have little time to prepare. What do you do?
You need to have some good questions to really make an interview worth anything. Otherwise, you are just going with a gut feeling and that really does no service to you, the company, or the candidate. You want to make sure someone fits your needs and the culture of the organization in a short thrity minute interview. I always recommend having some background questions ready like how did you choose to interview with our company and what are your goals for this position you are seeking. These two questions will tell you if the candidate did their homework on the company and whether they have a desire for this company in particular or just any job that pays.
I also think you want to always be prepared to explain the culture of your company. I never try to hide a culture in an interview. It's an important sub-part of any job. So tell the candidate if the company is bureaucratic and requires following lengthy procedures before final decisions are made. Then, ask the candidate for examples of situations where he has faced similar circumstances and ways he responded successfully or unsuccessfully. Conversely, if the culture is informal and collaborative, ask the candidate to explain situations where he has been able to work in groups or see projects through to completion without much help from boss' or management.
These few questions will really be the key to having an effective interview and giving good information back to HR before offers are made. Also this interview gives a candidate a good idea about the kind of company it really is. You want the business and the candidate to be compatible. The worst is to hire someone who becomes grump because they hate their job. Fit matters for companies and it starts at the interview to make sure it is there!
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