Interviewing New Hires For Your Small Business

Remember you are hiring to fill a position, rather than trying to fit a person into your business. So whoever you do hire must be qualified to meet the demands of that position. The person should also have the personality that fits in with that job. A shy and very introverted personality would not be my first choice for any sales position, but this may work very well for positions such as bookkeeping or technical support. The person should also be able to work in a team environment. Team players are what any business needs.

Getting that perfect person is always difficult when interviewing a prospective employee. If the person seems bored, impatient or generally uncommunicative then these are signs to look out for.

Try to get to know the applicant as best as you can, and attempt to determine whether he or she has the skill sets and experience that you require. Ask for specific details that will help prove that the applicant has a fair idea of what they profess to know. You are looking for evidence that the person will be able to do the job. Ask hypothetical questions on how the applicant would react under certain circumstances or how they would approach solving a particular problem. For example ask questions such as - How would you do "X" in this situation? How would you handle "Y" under the following circumstances?

Maintain control of the interviewing process, by keeping idle chatter to a minimum and focus on determining whether there is a fit on both a skills and personality level. Ask the applicant why they want the job and what they expect to get out of it.

Always contact the references given by the applicants, even though you are aware that no one is about to give you bad ones. Find out what the reference liked about the applicant and what they did not. Find out why did the applicant leave this previous place of employment?

If all the questions are answered to your satisfaction, then the art aspect comes into play. How do you feel about the applicant? Would they fit in your business environment working with yourself and the rest of your team? If your gut feel is good, then perhaps you have a new team member.

Take your time finding the right person. Pick the wrong person and your business may really feel it.

Always include an escape route for your business when making a new hire. Hire with the understanding that there will be a probationary period of so many weeks or months to check out if the new hire has worked out. If things have not turned out as you would have liked, then you have no legal requirements compelling you to keep the person in the employ of your business.

Mark Bergman has 25 years in business experience, covering areas of consulting in strategic planning and software and general business consulting. He also has started up a number of small businesses which he successfully ran and sold off. He has formal qualifications in both business and computer science. To learn more from Mark you can visit www.startupmysmallbusiness.com/blog.