When it comes to interviewing job candidates, there is no "best" approach. A lot depends on your individual preferences, your personality, and the results you’ve gotten in the past.

"As long as you’re getting the results you want, the best method for interviewing is your method," said Tom Esposito, Director of Temporary Services for Dunhill Staffing Systems, Inc., who over the years has conducted thousands of interviews in the process of finding high-quality job candidates.

Some interview styles are widely used and easy to identify; however, most experienced interviewers will blend a variety of approaches, both subjective and objective. Whatever the approach, interviewers are seeking to define a candidate’s "attributes and attitudes" in the following three areas: employment history and skills; personality and work style; and motivation for seeking and accepting a new position.

Interviewers generally assume one or more of the following roles:

The Fact Finder: Many interviewers follow a specific set of questions and walk job candidates through a well-rehearsed process. They use standard questions about past accomplishments, motivation, problem-solving and teamwork. One of the chief advantages to this approach is that it is the most objective, which makes it easy to assess qualifications and compare one candidate against the next.

The Personality Profiler: Other interviewers find they will learn more by asking less predictable questions that elicit spontaneous answers rather than canned responses. For example, they might want try to measure a candidate’s intellect by asking about his or her favorite book. Questions about hobbies, outside activities, and the "people" challenges they have faced both on and off the job are other ways in which this more subjective approach can help the interviewer understand the "whole" candidate.

The Motivation Seeker: It’s important to understand that a candidate often seeks a new position for the same reasons they are leaving their old position. Statistically, a majority of job movers will give one or more of the following reasons for making a job change: Challenge, Location, Advancement, Money and Security, or "CLAMS." Asking the candidate to rank these five items and prioritize them with the first being the most important and the fifth being the least important, is an excellent way to elicit his or her motivation.

Often, an interview situation can rapidly become a recruiting situation when you find a candidate that has the attributes and attitudes you’re seeking. The advantage of the CLAMS method is that it is an effective way for you to match the plusses of your organization to the motivations of the candidate, said Esposito.