It’s a learning process.
Everybody does it a little differently.
For me, it depends on who I am interviewing.
In my courses, I’ve been taught to prepare as much as possible, which I do agree with. It’s necessary to know everything there is to know about the person you are interviewing. But sometimes, that can hurt you as well. You may overlook specific facts and not ask questions that can provide more details because you may already think you know the answer.
You might not actually be listening to what the interviewee is saying because you are so focused on your list of questions that you miss something. By that point, it’s too late. You missed it.
For the most part, if I don’t know the person or company, I do a basic google search. I watch their interviews and read articles around that topic. I create a list of questions. But I don’t read off of this list unless I get stuck in an interview.
I keep the piece of paper out in front of me as a safety net. I ask the questions that I know I need to ask, ask any questions due to my own interest and then I ask any remaining ones on the list.
At the end of every interview, I give the interviewee a chance to say anything that they want. Maybe I missed a detail. Maybe there was a question I didn’t ask that the interviewee wished to discuss.
It gives them a moment to talk about whatever they think is essential.
