Prepare Beforehand

• Read through resumes and CVs of interviewees several days in advance, and then again on the morning of the interview. Familiarize yourself as much as you can with this person's strengths and weaknesses, so you have something to go on in the interview. Follow up with references and speak to them on the telephone if possible. Researching candidates thoroughly prior to the interview process will allow you to eliminate a fair number of them based on unsuitability for the job, thus saving your own time and theirs as well.
  
  

Allow Adequate Time

• An interview may be your only opportunity to spend some time talking to a person with whom you might be working for years. It only makes sense to give the process enough time to get to know them to some extent. The first few minutes of an interview are usually spent with both interviewer and interviewee learning how to communicate with the person in front of them; the interview will be far more productive if it is long enough to get past this phase and into a substantive conversation. Hold the interview at a time and in a place that will minimize distractions.
  
  

Be Yourself

• Maintain an appropriate level of objectivity and formality for an interview, but don't be afraid to act like a real human being. This will put the interviewee more at ease, and will also allow her to see what kind of person you are and decide if she wants to work with you. Humor is an effective way of communicating with someone you don't know well, as long as it isn't too personal or tasteless. Share a bit about your own background as a means of connecting, and as a cue for the interviewee to do the same. Never ask the interviewee about religion, marital status or other potentially sensitive topics, and don't offer this information about yourself.
  
  

Create a Conversation

• Part of the interview will necessarily be taken up by you dispensing somewhat dry information about the duties and expectations of the position. When this is out of the way, make an effort to create a conversation between you and the interviewee. Most people communicate more effectively in the context of a conversation rather than as an audience to a monologue. A bit of back and forth gives you both the opportunity to assess how you might work together, and gives the interviewee a chance to ask questions about the position, the organization and other potential employment issues.