But what about the person(s) at the other side of the table? It might seem, at least to the candidate, that they have by far the easier end of the interview and, in a way, they do. However, hiring the right people is very important to any company and a poorly conducted interview can lead to bad decisions. So there is pressure on the interviewer as well as the candidate, particularly if they have had no training in interview techniques.

Tony Cox, director of recruitment consultancy, Qualitas People Solutions, says some companies don't put enough emphasis on how interviews are conducted.

"It would be absolutely ideal if everyone had proper training in interview techniques, " he says. "A lot of companies do offer training through their human resources (HR) departments.

Especially in Ireland, where there is a huge shortage of skilled personnel, many candidates will be interviewed both by someone in HR and the appropriate line manager. The people from HR tend to do good, structured interviews, because that is part of their job, but the line manager may give a less structured interview and this leads to inconsistency."

He says that companies need to sell their openings more to potential employees.

"Gone are the days when you can just ask someone why you should hire them , , you have to roll out the red carpet to a certain extent."

With this in mind, it's very important not to discount candidates who don't have university qualifications.

Remember that qualifications awarded by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) are equivalent to those obtained at university. Seamus Puirseil, chief executive of HETAC, says that recruiters should ask candidates with HETAC qualifications for their European Diploma Supplement. "It tells you more than the degree or diploma parchment about what they can do, " he says.

In terms of the interview itself, Cox says that beginning with a lengthy presentation or discussion about the company is a bad idea.

"Start the interview with an ice-breaker, " he says.

"Welcome the candidate and thank him or her for coming.

Then say roughly how long the interview will last and what form it will take. It is fine to say something about the company and the job, but don't spend 15 minutes giving a presentation, because it's important to get the candidate talking as early as possible in the interview."

When interviewing, questions should be kept as short and sharp as possible in order to get the candidate talking.

"Good interviewers don't talk much, " says Cox. "They ask open-ended questions , , those beginning with what, why and so on. Don't ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. And don't answer the questions yourself or give the candidate options."

He says that interviewers often make the mistake of asking a question in such a way that tells the candidate what they expect or want to hear. This means the candidate can just agree with what's been said and the interviewer doesn't learn anything about him or her.

"You can end up thinking people are really good at what they do when they may not be, " says Cox.

He emphasises that, just as candidates are expected to be honest on their CVs, interviewers should be honest about what they know.

"If you don't have the answer to a question a candidate asks you, just say you don't know and don't waffle, " he says. "Honesty is the best policy. The candidate might be doing other interviews with the company and get conflicting information."

Most importantly, if you are interviewing someone who is working in a similar job for one of your competitors, as is often the case, make sure you ask them about what they do, how they solve problems and so on.

Asking a candidate if he or she has any questions for you is a useful part of an interview. "Even though it is relatively easy to get a job here at the moment, the best people still do their research and this is how you find out whether they have or not, " says Cox.

One of the mistakes companies make is to prolong the hiring process unnecessarily.

"If you have a five-interview process that goes on for three months, the best people will be gone to someone else by the time you are finished, " says Cox. "So do it properly, but quickly."