Interviewing New Employees

As a leader, you will eventually need to hire new employees to work under you. This is an exciting step in any manager or business owner’s life because it symbolizes growth and prosperity. With that in mind, you need to make sure you find the right employee for the job the first time around. A good interview will get you off to a great start.

Here is a guide explaining the right way to interview a new employee so you can build a solid team for your business.

Reconsider Your Wardrobe

If you work in a casual environment or you’re used to working by yourself, you may not always dress professionally on a daily basis. This is something you may want to consider moving forward with the business, but it is especially important when you’re holding an interview.

Why is dress code important? Because it gives the interviewee an idea of the image he or she will have to portray working under you. If you look sloppy, the person will most likely assume that you don’t care about your business or that you do not hold high standards for your employees. This will send mixed signals about your expectations that may ultimately lead to lackluster results from your workers. Even if you hold an interview through video chat, put on a nice shirt so the employee knows what you expect of him or her.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

The biggest factor in any interview is the question and answer process. This is where you really get to know the person who may be working for you. You may banter back and forth for a moment before you get to the questions, but you need to focus on asking the right questions to get the right answers. These answers will help you determine if the employee is a good fit for your company.

Most managers and business owners know to ask questions about the person’s experience and abilities, but there are some other – more creative – ways to find out if a person is a good fit for your company. Consider these questions and then have them give you examples if applicable:

• What strengths will you be able to bring to this organization?
• Are there any tasks in this job will you be unhappy about completing?
• How long was a typical work day at your current or previous job?
• What is the first thing you would do if you were hired for this position and why?
• What is your biggest career mistake, and what did learn from it?
• How long do you plan on working here?
• What events in your personal life have prepared you for a role like this?
• How long do you think it will take to be successful in this position?
• What could your current employer have done to make your job more rewarding?
• Why exactly you are applying for this job?
• Tell me about the biggest failures in your career and what did you learn from them?
• What made you decide to leave your current position?

The list goes on and on, but the idea remains the same – ask though-provoking questions that yield honest answers and listen for consistency. Your interviewee will likely spend time practicing different questions before he or she comes to you. Throw in something unexpected and see what happens as a result. If the person can think clearly under pressure, he or she is already a step above the rest.

Give Your Interviewee A Chance To Ask Questions

After you are finished with your questions, give the potential employee a chance to ask some of his own. This is a good way to tell how committed this person is to getting the job. An interested employee should have questions to ask about what you’re looking for in an employee and what he or she could do to start off successfully with this position. If the person has no questions, it may be a sign of disinterest.

End Ambiguously

When it comes to the end of the interview, maintain your poker face. Remain vague about whether or not you liked the person so you don’t get his or her hopes up if you find a better employee the next day. Even if you don’t have other interviews lined up, you need time to think about what just happened and make sure that this is in fact the right person for the job. Thank the person for their time and offer a follow-up call in 1-2 business days.

If you remain confident, calm, and collected during the interview process, you should be able to find the perfect employee to work under you. Practice interviewing friends and family members if you need to get used to the process. Then you can hold your head high as you search for a new member of your team.