Recruiting and staffing a company is time-consuming and complex. The pressure to fill an opening has as much pressure for the employer as it has for the candidate. In fact, there is more pressure for the employer as a bad hire is very expensive on may levels. The wrong hire costs the company not just money for the hiring process, but the time to train the new employee. The wrong hire can derail a major project and effect company morale.
There are many approaches to conducting a job interview that may reveal key skills in a candidate that will be critical to job performance. Here are a few interview techniques that can serve as a universal approach.
Ask the candidate why he or she wants to work at your company? The answer may reveal if the candidate is looking for a job or career. How will you know? If the candidate talks more about the company as a whole and not just the tasks required, it is a clear indication the person has done his or her homework which is the sign of a professional.
If the candidate included hobbies or activities on their job resume, a conversation about it may reveal more about their personality than just stiff or canned responses. How a candidates answer non-job related question will tell you a lot about their personality and interests. These answers can go into the "good" or "bad" fit file.
What does the candidate get excited about? This is a question Louis Efron, in his Forbes magazine article, "One Interview Question You Should Ask Every Candidate," is passionate about. Efron is a big believer in purpose in life. He feels candidates should believe in the company and be excited about coming to work. Knowing what excites the candidate will reveal if they will be excited for the job, Efron writes.
What expertise does the candidate bring to the job that is different from the other candidates you are interviewing? The answer will help to weed out one candidate from another. Tom Szaky, in his blog for the New York Times,"How I Interview Candidates," says real world experience is more important than where a candidate went to school.