Chapter 11: Your Business And Employees
Using the Job Interview to Find the Right Employee for Your Business

Dealing With The Job Interview

The Job Interview is a Skill Worth Mastering

Applied But Qualified?

Finding an employee that suits your business is very important.

With statistics that show 3 out of 4 sales people and 1 out of 4 administrative employees don’t work out, understanding the hiring process will help you retain good people.

Long Before The Job Interview

Long before the actual interview, the hiring process starts and it starts with an accurate job description. This job description will include:

Specific duties
Responsibilities

Attributes the employee will need
Specific skills and abilities needed
Optional skills
Part-time/Full-time
Education requirements
Experience required

The point is to list every aspect of the position so that prospective employees know what the job involves.

What To Ask in A Job Interview

Your interview questions will be determined, in large part, based on the job description.

For instance, if the job at hand requires teamwork, questions related to teamwork will be essential.

If, on the other hand, it is a technical job, certain technical abilities should be discussed.

You will want to prepare your list of questions before the prospect arrives. You might ask such questions as:

Tell me about yourself?
What attracted you to this line of work?
Why are you leaving (or did you leave) you last employment?
What were your achievements at your last job?
We use XYZ software, how would you rate your skills using this software?
What supervisory positions have you held in the past?

Keep in mind that your questions will depend entirely upon the position.

Job Interview Day

The actual interview will begin before the first question is asked.

How is the interviewee dressed? Were they on time? Do they have a resume with them?

Each of these things will begin to help you understand how he/she might work out as an employee in your business.

Finally, it is time for the questions. Remember that this is not a police interrogation but an interview.

Get started with some simple generic questions and work your way into questions that are more specific to the job.

Don’t forget the most important question: Why should we hire you?

In addition to listening to the answers of your questions, you will want to pay attention to:

Eye contact
Body language
Language usage

At the end of the interview, you need to allow time for the interviewee to ask questions.

Pay close attention to these questions. Are they more about the employee, such as what are the company benefits, or are they more about the nature of the work?

Although it is perfectly ok to ask questions that will concern themselves, a good employee match will also want to know more about your business as well.

Federal Issues To Be Aware Of

Due to federal laws, there are certain questions you cannot ask of those you interview. If you do, you can get into anti-discrimination trouble. These include: