After advance preparations, the next critical stage comes in the first few minutes after the interview actually begins. For the following reasons, these few minutes contain an element of risk:

1. During this period, it is necessary that interviewer does not judge the applicant. Because in doing so his mind and senses may “freeze” and thus distort the information still to come. In such a situation that applicant’s appearance, bearing hand shake, facial expression, and voice may combine to form an early impression that will seriously reduce the value of the reminder of the interview. The interviewer should make a conscious effort, during the first few minutes, to forge that he is am interviewer and act as is he were greeting a friend or a work associate.
2. The interviewee, on the other hand, had no reason for delaying his own evaluations during the first few minutes. The voice, manner, speech, and appearance of the interviewer during this period, can produce a feeling in the candidate that the interviewer is someone he likes and respects- someone who is interested in him and his welfare. Under these conditions, the interviewee will talk more freely and frankly. Getting a candidate to talk is one of the basic skills of an interviewer, and a good initial impression is needed to make it happen.

It may be worthwhile for an interviewer to tell the candidate something briefly about the organisation early in the interview, to give the applicant a chance to relax and to establish his confidence in the interviewer. However, temptation to talk about the job requirements at this stage, may be avoided, because, the candidate may tailor his answers to fit the job requirements

One of the most important indicators in evaluating an interviewee is the proportion of the talk that he is responsible for. An outside limit for good interviewer talking during the interview as a whole, would be about 35 per cent- recognizing, of course, that more effort is needed to get some candidates to talk than others.

Methods to make Applicant Talk

There are several methods that an interviewer can use to make an interviewee talk at ease and yet give him (interviewer) the information wanted.

1. DO not ask questions that can be answered by “yes” or “no”. Questions should be worded in such was that candidate must expand his answers. Viz. How did you get interested in that? How did you feel about that?
2. Give a pause for at least a few seconds after the applicant appears to have finished an answer. This gives applicant chance for further talk or add or supplement to his answer appeared to have been just finished.
3. Try several different subjects at the beginning, to determine which is most provocative in encouraging the applicant to talk. Interviewer cab return to those topics on which the candidate froze nevertheless, in order to determine if the lack of response is significant.
4. Repeat (when necessary) parts of the key sentences of the applicant, in a questioning one, to indicate that he (interviewer) wants elaboration.
5. Ask one question at a time.
6. Make questions clear, without indicating what correct answer is.
7. Your answers should be indicative that you are interested; your attention should be uninterrupted. Neither manners nor words spoken should imply impatience or critical attitude towards what is being said by the candidate.
8. Should avoid asking very personal questions until rapport has been established and such questions are absolutely necessary.
9. Use language appropriate to the applicant.
10. For obtaining valuable information, it is required that interviewer use language which is clear to the applicant.

However, interviewer must not assume that he knows what the applicant means. It is risky for the interviewer to place must trust in his own inferences from likes and dislikes expressed by the applicant, until he has inquired into the reasons for such likes and dislikes. It is therefore suggested that interviewer use the follow-up questions of the newspaper reporter. ‘what’, ‘when’. ‘where’, ‘how’ and ‘why’

The interviewer must bear in mind that applicant is often as intelligent as he is and applicant may deliberately give ambiguous answers which, without follow up by the interviewer, will lead to undeservedly high ratings. Alternatively, applicant may speak as little as possible in order to allow a talkative interviewer to be deluded by his own participation (There are interviewers, it must be admitted, who use the interview to express their personalities and show off their knowledge and their wit). In any case, failure to clear up ambiguities and failure to get information are two of the greatest pitfalls of the inexperienced interviewer.

At the end of the perfect interview, the interviewer should have a comprehensive knowledge of the life and attitudes of the applicant.