There’s no single perfect way to tell if a candidate is the right one for the job. But there are things you can do when interviewing prospective hires to get a good idea of whether the person is the right fit for your company.
Behavioral questions help you gauge a job seeker’s “soft skills.” Questions like these are powerful tools for assessing a candidate’s attitude, communication skills, and time management ability.
Here’s an example: “Tell me about a time when you had to handle a difficult work situation.”
Ask every job seeker the same questions so you can accurately compare each person’s performance.
Set candidates up for success by letting them know in advance how many people they’ll be interviewing with. Then when they arrive, introduce them to the company staff and give them a brief tour of the facility. Steps like these make candidates feel at ease, which will allow them to focus more fully on the hiring manager’s questions.
If your business is hiring for a specialized role – or a role the interviewer doesn’t have any direct experience with – then you must make sure the interviewer is prepared.
Ask candidates about actual problems that directly pertain to the position they’re interviewing for, and how they would resolve these issues. This is a great way to ensure candidates are qualified for the job, regardless of what they might have written on a resume.
Give candidates a time frame for when the hiring manager will make a decision, and when the interviewee can expect to hear back. It’s also helpful to let candidates know how many people the company still plans to interview for the position.