How to interview someone in 30 minutes and actually learn something
Most interviews are an hour of small talk and hypotheticals. Here's how to run a short interview that tells you what you need to know.
Long interviews don't mean better hires
Most companies run 60-minute interviews where 20 minutes is small talk, 20 minutes is the candidate reciting their CV, and 20 minutes is generic questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" You learn almost nothing.
Then you do 4 more rounds of the same thing with different people. Three weeks later, you make a gut decision based on who you liked most, not who's best for the job.
A focused 30-minute interview tells you more than an unfocused hour. Here's how.
The structure
Minutes 1-2: Set the stage
Skip the small talk. Be direct: "I want to make the most of our 30 minutes, so I'm going to jump right into questions. I'll leave time at the end for your questions."
Good candidates appreciate this. It shows you respect their time. Bad candidates get thrown off because they prepared a 10-minute monologue about their career journey.
Minutes 3-12: One specific past experience
Ask about one real thing they did. Not a hypothetical. Not a general overview. One project, one problem, one result.
"Tell me about the last campaign you ran that didn't work. What happened and what did you do?" Then dig in. Ask follow-up questions. Why did they make that choice? What would they do differently? Who else was involved?
You're listening for: specificity, honesty about failures, clear thinking, and whether they actually did the work or just managed people who did.
Minutes 13-22: A real problem from your business
Give them an actual problem you're facing. Not a brainteaser. A real situation. "Our conversion rate dropped 15% last month. Here's what we know. Walk me through how you'd approach this."
You're not looking for the right answer - you're watching them think. Do they ask clarifying questions? Do they structure their approach? Do they acknowledge what they don't know? The best candidates think out loud and aren't afraid to say "I'd need to check X before deciding."
Minutes 23-28: Their questions
What someone asks tells you more than what they answer. Good candidates ask about the team, the challenges, what success looks like. Mediocre candidates ask about perks and remote policy. Great candidates ask questions that show they've already been thinking about how to do the job.
Minutes 29-30: Clear next steps
Tell them exactly what happens next and when. "We'll have a decision by Thursday" is better than "we'll be in touch." Vagueness signals disorganization. Specificity signals respect.
Questions that actually work
Forget "what's your greatest weakness?" Here are questions that produce useful answers:
"What's the hardest feedback you've received and what did you do with it?" Shows self-awareness and ability to grow. People who can't answer this haven't been challenged enough.
"Walk me through a decision you made that your team disagreed with." Shows how they handle conflict and whether they can hold a position or fold under pressure.
"What would you do in your first two weeks in this role?" Shows whether they understand the job and how they prioritize. Beware of people who want to "observe and learn" for a month - you need someone who can start contributing fast.
"What's something you believe about [your field] that most people disagree with?" Shows original thinking. If they can't name anything, they haven't thought deeply about their work.
What to cut from your process
The CV walkthrough. You already read their CV. Don't make them narrate it. If something on the CV interests you, ask about that specific thing.
Panel interviews. Five interviewers, one candidate. The candidate performs instead of having a conversation. Nobody learns anything real. Do 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 max.
More than 3 rounds. First round: screening (30 min). Second round: skills assessment or work sample. Third round: final conversation with hiring manager. That's it. If you can't decide after three rounds, adding a fourth won't help.
The "meet the team" round. Unless the team has veto power, this is a waste of everyone's time. It feels nice. It adds a week to your timeline. And it rarely changes the outcome.
The real advantage
A fast, focused interview process doesn't just save you time. It gets you better candidates. The best people have multiple offers. If your process takes 5 weeks and 6 rounds, they'll accept another offer before you're done deliberating.
Speed is a hiring advantage. Use it.