A well-planned first interview can make or break your hiring success.
Here’s the structure I recommend:
Phase 1: Introduction & culture
This is your chance to sell the role and show off your differentiators. Instead of reciting generic company values, cover what candidates actually care about:
- Your company’s growth and potential
- The product vision
- Opportunities for career and personal growth
- Autonomy and decision-making power
- Team diversity and different perspectives
- Transparency in leadership
Pro Tip: Don’t sugar-coat the job. Transparency prevents nasty surprises later and reduces early attrition. You don’t want employees leaving during their probation because you weren’t upfront.
Next, shift to your questions. Skip the traditional ones like “What have you been doing for the last 10 years?” (which you can already see on their CV), and instead, ask questions that highlight their ability to balance technical and business aspects.
For example:
- “What’s your biggest achievement so far?”
- “How did you contribute to your previous company?”
- “What initiatives or successes can you share?”
You’re trying to identify what sets this person apart as a top candidate. Look for answers that show how they’ve driven revenue, improved efficiency, or built and led teams.
Red flag: If a candidate only talks about being a “medior” or “senior” without specific achievements, they might not be the impact player you need.
Phase 2: Technical discussion
Let a technical expert take over this part of the interview stage. They should ask detailed questions about how the candidate handled complex projects and code. It’s important to craft a story that ties their experience together.
Best practices: Encourage the technical expert to support the candidate, not put them on the spot. They should offer hints or guidance when needed and avoid long, uncomfortable pauses. The goal is to make the candidate feel positive about the experience, not stressed out.
Phase 3: Summary & next steps
Instead of just asking, “Do you have any questions?”, frame it as: “Do you still see a win-win fit?” Address concerns proactively and reinforce why they should be excited to join.
Phase 4: Post-interview follow-up
Many companies drop the ball here. Stay in touch with quality candidates by:
- Sending a follow-up email or Slack message with additional resources (e.g., relevant tech events, blogs, podcasts, and your Glassdoor reviews, career framework, product rating, and roadmap).
- Personalizing the follow-up. Thank them for their time and reinforce the connection you built.
If you want to scale hiring efficiently, you also need clear documentation, the right job descriptions, and enough recruiters (one person can manage 2–3 hires per month).
Treat hiring as a structured process, not an afterthought.
Hiring a software engineering manager? 10 interview questions to help you make the right bet.