Your company has a critical position to fill, and you’ve set the day aside for interviews.  What an exciting opportunity to bring on a fresh new face!  And who knows—you could have the perfect candidate on your list.  Your goal during the interview process is to make that perfect candidate want to work for your company as much as you want to hire them, so you’ll also be putting your best foot forward.  To do that, you’ll need to be on top of your interview game.  So after you’ve selected your leading candidates and considered your questions, make sure to avoid these common interview pitfalls that turn off top talent:

• Underpreparing.  Who are you again?  And what position are you interviewing for?  You may not be that obvious in your line of questioning, but candidates can tell when you haven’t prepared for an interview.  When you spend the first part of the interview reading the résumé, and it’s clear you know nothing about the candidate’s background or qualifications, you demonstrate that your company doesn’t value potential new hires and probably doesn’t value its existing employees.  At the very least, you demonstrate that you have terrible time-management skills.  If you haven’t prepared for the interview, how are you possibly prepared to choose the right candidate for the job?
• Oversharing.  Take a moment to think before you speak.  Is what you’re saying contributing to the interview?  Your company may have a liberal culture, but you’ll want to steer clear of swearing, gossiping, or just plain saying too much in front of a prospective new hire.  This interview isn’t about you, your personal life, or your history with the company.  After all, if you’re saying these things in front of people  you just met, candidates can only imagine what you’ll say after you’ve known them for a few months.
• Not being present.  You’re sitting in an interview, but are you really there?  To a prospective employee who has put days, possibly weeks into preparing for this interview, it’s more than reasonable to be the center of your attention for one hour.  So don’t play with your cell phone, doodle, or do anything else to show you’re distracted.  Take your time—don’t rush or cut off the candidate’s answers.  And always take notes!  Even if you have an excellent memory, one candidate will blend into the next after a while.  Note-taking also shows candidates that you’re interested in their answers and that you’re noting their unique qualifications.
• Overcomplicating the interview process.  Making potential new hires jump through hoops will not make your company more attractive.  Forcing candidates to endure multiple interviews, personality tests, and take-home assignments will frustrate (and possibly insult) them, and will make you seem overly exacting or oblivious, or maybe a combination of the two.  You should never leave prospective new hires asking if the job will be worth suffering your interview process.  So to attract that experienced talent, keep it simple; skip the personality test and let prospects shine during two or three interviews.

The more professional and attentive you are during an interview, the less likely you are to leave potential new hires feeling underwhelmed or downright disrespected.  So the next time you have a round of interviews coming up, take the time to prepare and pay attention.  You may just have that perfect candidate ready to sign an offer letter!