101: Conducting Interviews
We’ve all heard the adage that employee retention depends on making good hires in the first place. That all begins with the job interview. Here are some tips to help you weed out workers who could become problematic and ensure that the cream of the crop rises to the top:
Pace yourself. Think about how you structure the timing of your questions. The idea is to keep the interviewee focused and engaged by involving them in the dialogue as soon as possible and asking fact-based questions before asking about things like feelings and conclusions.
“With this approach, respondents can more easily engage in the interview before warming up to more personal matters,” advises an article at ManagementHelp.org.
Some questions are off limits. Legally, employers can’t ask about things like race or age, unless they specifically pertain to the job. For instance, you can ask if someone is legally allowed to work in the United States, or if they are over the age of 18.
“Make valid inquiries about prohibited subjects,” suggests a SmallBusiness.FindLaw.com article. Questions about sexual orientation or if someone has disabilities are forbidden, “but you may outline job duties and ask if the candidate can fully perform them,” for example.
Ask behavioral questions. Experts say these are most important and can paint a picture of how an employee would act in a certain situation and fit into your company culture.
An article at WSJ.com suggests this question, for example: “Describe a situation when you made a major mistake — how did you react?” Or, "What do you consider to be a crisis?” can be another telling question about a job candidate.
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