Coordinating Interviewers

You’re reading an excerpt of The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring, a book by Osman (Ozzie) Osman and over 45 other contributors. It is the most authoritative resource on growing software engineering teams effectively, written by and for hiring managers, recruiters, interviewers, and candidates. Purchase the book to support the author and the ad-free Holloway reading experience. You get instant digital access, over 800 links and references, commentary and future updates, and a high-quality PDF download.

It’s best if every interviewer knows their exact role in the process. Are they asking a coding question? If so, is there a specific question or a category of questions from which they can draw? If they are asking another type of question, what is their focus?

Coordination among interviewers helps avoid asking the same technical questions multiple times, because repetition reduces the breadth of signal you’re able to collect. (Having multiple people ask the same behavioral questions can be helpful and is rarely problematic.) Some applicant tracking systems, like ​login​Lever, allow interviewers to attach public notes to a candidate’s profile; or people can write down questions they asked and share them on whatever system the team uses.

​caution​Some companies have interviewers huddle between interviews to share directions to probe into, but this can be logistically challenging and can lead to bias. It’s better not to use this method unless there is something very specific one interviewer believes another interviewer should probe.

The recruiter or hiring manager can also send an email out to the interviewers the day before the onsite interviews to outline the candidate’s background, the role, and what each interviewer should assess. Such messages usually include notes on what the candidate seeks in their next role, what they like about your company or team, and anything that has resonated with them so far.

​important​ A big part of coordination is scheduling. Whether all interviews take place on the same day or over a few days may be candidate preference; you can check with them. Most candidates will not want to stay home from existing jobs over multiple days just to be available for three different half-hour calls, and they shouldn’t be expected to. Moreover, it’s wise to confirm interviewer schedules in advance and not to reschedule on applicants. Rescheduling gives the applicant a bad impression and has an outsized effect on them if they are currently employed, have family obligations, or are interviewing at multiple companies. Candidates are more likely to drop out if scheduling is messy.

Basic coordination information, such as questions to be asked, can also be included in the calendar invites for the interviews; although to reduce bias and preserve candidate privacy, the reviewing team should limit what background information and personal details it shares in advance with interviewers.