How to Hire The Right Person?
Lately, many business owners have voiced their complaints about finding people willing to work. There has been a debate whether it's due to governmental support in unemployment benefits form or people finally realizing their poor working conditions and low wages prior to the pandemic. We are not going to debate the reasoning.
We will discuss why so many interviews don't yield results. And we will give you advice on how to conduct a proper interview and hire the right person for the job.
There are four reasons interview techniques fail. Here’s what they are and how to conduct better interviews.
Lack of preparation
The first impression lasts a long time. Before the interview make sure you understand the key elements of the job. Develop a simple outline that covers general job duties. Screen the resumes and applications to gain information for the interview. Standardize and prepare the questions you will ask each applicant.
Lack of purpose
Not only are you trying to determine the best applicant, but you also have to convince the applicant that this is the best place for them to work.
Lack of clearly defined job competencies
Each job can have anywhere from 6-14 job competencies. Identify the behaviors, knowledge, motivations, and qualities incumbents need to have to be successful in the job. If the job requires special education or a license, be sure to include it on your list also.
Lack of structure
The best interview follows a structured process. What it means is that each applicant is asked the same questions and is scored with a consistent rating process. A structured approach helps avoid bias and gives all applicants a fair chance. The best way to accomplish this is by using behavioral-based questions, role-plays, and situational questions. Here are some examples:
Behavioral-based questions :
Give me an example when you . . .
Describe an incident where you went above and beyond . . .
Situational-based questions:
Set a scene: "You are a front desk manager. One of your associates was perceived to be rude by an irritated customer. What should you do?
Sample role-plays are effective ways to experience how the person would likely perform his/her duties. For example, if you are interviewing for a tutor position - consider conducting a sample tutoring session with the candidate. You would be able to see the level of preparedness, communication skills and pick up some additional information before making a decision.
The traditional interview is never 100% reliable. You do have a chance to miss the right person or hire the wrong one. However, with some of the mentioned tools, you may be more successful in hiring the best additions to your teams.