Guide to Conducting Successful Interviews

The economic downturn may prove advantageous for the small businesses interested in hiring skilled people for handling different tasks. The question is – how do you ascertain that the hiring process is smooth and effective? It is better to get guidance from the right resource when you are recruiting people.

With the access to information the Internet offers, finding suitable candidates to interview is no difficult task. However, before you conduct an interview, determine certain points. This would help you select the best candidates for the positions.

Determine which skills and abilities are essential for the job. Consider the job description, and note down at least three skills and abilities that are necessary to handle these. Failing to base your selection on these, or focusing on wrong ones, could lead to a disaster in the hiring process.

Suppose you are interviewing candidates for a customer care position. If a candidate possesses excellent written communication skills but not so good oral communication skills, you had better not hire him/her.

Determine which questions to ask at the interview. It is better to consult a hiring guide to know which questions to ask. This should concentrate on the job responsibilities, and aim to seek out as much information as possible from the candidate. Try to learn about the skills, strengths, weaknesses, adaptability, and such others.

Also, stay away from questions that may lead to trouble. The legal directives make it essential that you do not question a prospective candidate about protected traits, like national origin, race, marital status, and so on.

It always helps to create a questionnaire in advance. This also ensures that you do not ask questions that border on the illegal, or questions that are too vague to comprehend. Asking whether he/she is a US citizen is illegal, but you may ask whether he/she has authorization to work in the US instead.

Determine how much you can pay the right candidate. It is a wise thing to have a clear idea about the pay details. Consider the minimum wage rates applicable in your state to avoid legal hassles.

A job seeker always prepares for an interview, but the interviewer needs to prepare for this as well. Noting down the essential traits, preparing a list of questions and deciding on the pay are important tasks that you need to do before the commencement of the interview. This would help you find the best candidate without much hassle.

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