Tips for interviewing when hiring

Interviewing when hiring new employees can be intimidating at least. There is a lot riding on the decision that you are going to have to make regarding who you hire. This person could greatly help your team or he could be the cause of problems down the road. Somehow in your interview you have to make a decision regarding whether or not this individual is going to be a good fit for your company not only now but for years to come. Below are some tips for interviewing when hiring that will hopefully give you some direction as you make this very difficult decision.

Know your boundaries

The first thing that you need to keep in mind when interviewing is that some questions are inappropriate and even illegal to ask during a job interview. Such things as age, marital status, religion, weight, etc. are all inappropriate questions that should be avoided. Instead, find a more tactful way of asking what you need to know. For example, if your job is physically demanding and you are interviewing an elderly obese person, obviously you are going to have concerns. It is perfectly acceptable to ask the individual that you are interviewing for a demonstration of their skills. This way you can see for yourself whether the assumed physical limitations of the employee really are a concern. This is just one example, and an unlikely one at that. Most of your potential employees are going to have done their research regarding the job that they are applying for and therefore will generally have faith in their abilities to complete the tasks outlined in the job description.

Ask for examples to yes/no questions

One of the biggest mistakes that those conducting interviews make is that they ask questions to which there is only one obvious answer. For example, in an interview the question is commonly asked, "Are you good with people?" Of course your applicant is going to say "yes" it is the only logical response. Instead you should ask the person you are interviewing to give an example or two about previous experiences in work that they really proved that they were good with people. Applicants want the job and know that they will have to please the one doing the interview if they are going to be hired. Make sure that your questioning is thorough and that you are not just left with textbook answers.

Know their resume

Before you interview a potential employee you should do your research and know who it is that you are going to be talking to. You should familiarize yourself with the applicant's employment history and education. These two factors alone will carry a lot of weight in the decision making process. You can tell a lot about another person by what jobs they have had previously and how long they worked at those jobs. A person's education is huge. In many cases a high school graduate just isn't enough and you will need to look for those with college degrees.

Does this person get along with potential co-workers?

You may want to consider having a group interview conducted by key members of your staff. This is a good idea for two reasons. First, when there are multiple people doing the interview, one person might discover something about the applicant that the others have missed. Second, when potential co-workers have a say in who is hired, they generally like and can get along with the person that they have helped to hire. After all, if you hire someone that no one else likes, you are bound to run into trouble in the future.

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