New  Hire  Interview  Questions  That  Can  Make  or  Break  Your  Business    

   The  questions  you  ask  in  the  interview  with  a  prospective  new  employee  are  anything  but  routine.  They’re  crucial  for  uncovering  a  candidate’s  qualifications,  skills,  personality  and,  of  course,  whether  they’re  the  right  person  for  the  job.  When  you  sit  down  for  your  next  interview,  don’t  waste  time  asking  questions  that  cannot  help  you  pinpoint  the  perfect  hire.  Instead,  stick  to  the  questions  that  reveal  something  valuable.    Don’t  Interview  For  the  Sake  of  Interviewing  Some  small  business  owners  feel  like  they’re  required  to  interview  a  certain  number  of  candidates  because  they  don’t  want  to  risk  being  accused  of  discrimination.  You  can  mitigate  that  fear  by  writing  more  conscientious  job  descriptions  with  clear  job-­‐related  minimum  requirements  and  pre-­‐interview  questionnaires.      How  to  Review  Resumes  Before  you  call  anyone  in  for  an  interview,  there  are  a  few  things  you  must  do:  

• Look  for  resumes  that  offer  enough  insight  into  the  candidate’s  background  

• Look  for  steady  progressions—a  candidate  that  has  moved  up  in  job  positions  since  the  start  of  his  or  her  career  

• Identify  targeted  information—a  resume  should  be  relevant  to  the  position  you’re  hiring  and  the  industry  in  which  you’re  working  

• Avoid  resumes  that  have  fluff,  unprofessional  email  addresses,  or  limited  information  • Look  for  unexplained  gaps  in  employment  history  

 Questions  That  Make  Your  Interview  Worth  It  Your  interview  is  your  sole  opportunity  to  size  up  a  candidate.  To  get  the  most  out  of  it,  there  are  a  few  questions  you  must  ask  in  the  interview  to  reveal  as  much  as  you  can.  Your  interview  questions  should  be  behavior-­‐based  and  open-­‐ended,  requiring  the  candidate  to  respond  with  more  than  “yes”  or  “no”  answers.    Why  are  you  interested  in  this  job?  And  what  skills  or  strengths  can  you  bring  to  my  small  business?  If  a  candidate  is  just  job  hungry  and  needs  the  money,  he/she  is  not  going  to  be  as  valuable  as  a  candidate  that  truly  wants  to  work  for  your  company  and  has  a  passion  for  the  industry.    How  was  your  last  job?  You  need  to  determine  why  the  person  lost  his/her  last  job  (without  outright  asking  them)  and  how  that  job  went.  If  the  individual  was  let  go  or  terminated,  he  or  she  may  exhibit  negativity  toward  the  former  employer.  You  want  to  gain  a  sense  of  the  person’s  honesty  and  accountability.    Where  do  you  see  yourself  3  years  from  now?  5  years  from  now?  You  need  to  learn  about  where  the  candidate  plans  to  go  in  the  future.  Are  they  looking  to  settle  in  with  a  company?  Are  they  still  going  to  school  (which  may  indicate  they  will  change  jobs  after  graduation)?  While  a  candidate  will  not  say  outright  that  they  plan  to  change  jobs,  the  answers  they  do  provide  will  give  you  a  hint  into  their  real  intentions.    What  improvements  can  we  make  with  our  products/services  to  be  more  competitive?  This  tells  you  whether  or  not  the  candidate  knows  much  about  your  company,  whether  or  not  they  are  truly  interested  in  what  you  do,  etc.  While  you  cannot  expect  an  in-­‐depth  answer,  you  want  a  little  proof  that  they  have  researched  your  company  and  have  taken  an  interest.    

Hiring  the  right  candidate  can  reduce  employee  turnover  rates  significantly.  By  taking  your  time  to  schedule  interviews  with  the  right  candidates  and  asking  the  right  questions,  you  can  find  the  right  person  for  the  job.      Learn  more  about  how  you  can  prevent  costly  turnover  and  improve  your  HR  department  by  ordering  your  copy  of  Practical  Tools  to  Manage  Costly  Employee  Turnover  today.