Interviews are a critical aspect of the hiring process—the main engagement point between candidates, hiring managers, and other key stakeholders before a hiring decision. A strong interview process ensures that candidates and hiring managers have all the information they need before deciding to make or accept—or decline—an offer. But unfortunately, interview processes rarely go as deep and as specific as they should and instead are often treated as a pro forma part of the hiring process. Here are four key principles for ensuring productive interviews for candidates and hiring managers.

1. Actively prepare.

Hiring managers: This is probably the single most important—and basic—tip that most hiring managers neglect. Active preparation means prioritizing focused time to review candidate materials and any available notes from others, refreshing their understanding of the priority skills and experiences required for the role, selecting questions, making time and space for a completely undistracted interview, and spending thoughtful reflection and debrief time after the interview. This may sound obvious, but as an executive recruiter, I can attest to how often overwhelmed and over-busy hiring managers don’t make the time to prepare.

Candidates: Candidates should also take some basic steps, including doing their research and, for video interviews, ensuring that all tech (and lighting and background noise) is running smoothly. I also strongly recommend that candidates ask a friend or family member to do a “dry run” interview with them over a video platform to role play some expected interview questions (e.g., Why are you interested in this role? What are your strengths? Tell me about your career progression), so answers flow smoothly and any oddities around lighting, sound, or body language can be addressed before the actual interview. Be prepared for behavioral interview-style questions that ask you to share specific examples that speak to your strengths and areas of growth. These often start with, “Tell me about a time…” and will likely touch on key competencies such as change management, team leadership, and problem solving.

2. Remember that it’s a two-way street.

Hiring managers: Many on the hiring side tend to forget that they are being evaluated and assessed during the interview process, too. Everything you do and say can have an impact the candidate’s perception of you as their potential manager and of the organization. Being late, rescheduling interviews, or coming unprepared sends a message. The way you talk about your approach to management, culture, and values can be the deciding factor for a candidate. It’s critical to keep this in mind as you prepare for and engage in interviews.

Candidates: You can learn a lot about a manager and an organization from an interview process. Be aware of and on the lookout for anything that provides a clue about culture and management style. Come with a set of questions that demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and have a strong analytical mindset. It’s also OK to ask questions about career growth, benefits, and other factors that would impact you personally, but make sure these are balanced with more strategic questions.

3. Be aware of bias.

Hiring managers: Bias is inherent in every interaction we have with other people. Our brain naturally filters what we’re doing, hearing, and noticing through the lens of our own individual experiences, which leads to bias. It’s vital that hiring managers in particular understand the role that bias plays in their evaluation of candidates.

Some of the biases that crop up most frequently in job interviews include:

• Affinity bias, which is when we are drawn to those who are most like us. This could be people who went to the same university, grew up in the same region, share a cultural identity, or some other similarity.
• Availability bias, which tends to cause us to make decisions based on information that most readily comes to mind. For example, if you once hired a candidate who previously worked at company X and was extremely successful, you may have a bias toward other candidates who worked at that company.

• Confirmation bias, or paying more attention to and overemphasizing information that supports previously held beliefs and ignoring evidence to the contrary. For example, a hiring manager who believes that people who played college-level athletics are naturally better leaders may favor such individuals over others without closely evaluating relevant skill sets at the individual level.

  These are just three types of bias. It’s worth the time to find out more about how bias affects hiring decisions. You can start here. 

4. Follow-up matters.

Candidates and hiring managers: It’s always a good idea for a candidate to send a thank-you note as a follow-up. As an executive recruiter, I can attest to the fact that many candidates don’t—and that hiring managers notice. But it’s also a very classy touch for a hiring manager to send a note to a candidate thanking them for their time and interest. If you interviewed a candidate you’re excited about, taking a moment to send them a note after an interview can go a long way toward getting them to ultimately accept your offer and kicking off your new work relationship with a good start.

As we head into a new year, keeping these principles in mind can help you refresh your interview game—no matter which side of the proverbial desk you’re sitting on.

Molly Brennan is founding partner at executive search firm Koya Partners, which is part of the Diversified Search Group, where she is also the nonprofit and social impact practice lead. A frequent contributor to Philanthropy News Digest and other publications, Brennan also authored The Governance Gap: Examining Diversity and Equity on Nonprofit Boards of Directors.