One of the quickest ways for a business to fall apart is when the team that runs it doesn’t function well. If you’re the person in charge of hiring new talent, this can be a lot to take in. The pressure is always on to find the next exciting candidate that will add insight to your team, rather than detract from it. A lot of this comes down to how you interview your prospective employees. We’ll help you understand how to make sure you are hiring the right person to enhance your company.
The first thing you’re going to need is a crystal-clear idea of what you are looking for. If you’re unsure of what you’re even looking for, how are you going to know you’ve found the right candidate? Ask thorough questions of your current team and see what they need to function more efficiently. These guidelines will help you determine the right questions to ask during your interviews.
The fact of the matter is that skills can be taught, but a personality is much harder to change. If your candidate just doesn’t seem to fit in with your company’s values, that is going to become a problem sooner or later. This doesn’t mean to completely forego looking at their skills, just try to keep in mind how their values match up with yours.
Your interview questions should not be one size fits all. These questions will be what determines if the candidate is right for the specific job you’re interviewing for, so make sure you’re tailoring each question to the job. If it’s a managerial position, ask about their leadership experience. If it’s a technical position, ask targeted questions about their tech experience. These will help you to gain a better understanding of whether the candidate is ready for the open position.
A lot of hiring woes can come down to not vetting the person enough before you start interviews. Their resume and references are there for a reason, so make sure that you utilize them appropriately. The more you can weed out through vetting, the more productive your actual interviews will be since you’ll know that those candidates meet the minimum requirements.
If you want to make sure you are hiring the right person for the job, you’re going to need concrete examples of their past accomplishments. Don’t settle for platitudes and fancy words—ask to see case studies or samples of work. During interviews, ask them to describe specific times that they had to perform their work in certain ways. This will give you a much clearer idea of who will be helpful to hire.