NFIB

Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Employee Interviews?
03/ 28/ 2002


You can interview job candidates for an hour and still not know if they're the right fit for your company. It takes more than ability to make someone a good fit for your company. If you're a jacket-and-tie kind of place, you wouldn't want to hire someone who is a sweatsuit-and-sneakers type of person.

Contributor Edith Helmich has some ideas for questions that will help you determine these more subtle personality traits in an interview...and then view them against the personality of your business before making a hiring decision.

An effective job interview is one that will allow the employer to select an employee who will not only be able to perform the job, but who will stay on the job for an extended time. Rehiring and retraining are expensive for a company.

Questions that are designed to determine whether the applicant has the desired skills and training to perform the job are easy to ask. Typically, many applicants will meet the requirements for the abilities needed to perform the job tasks.

The more difficult objective of the interview is to select the applicant who will work well with the other employees and who will enjoy the job enough to become a long-term employee.

Honest discussion of the job requirements in subjective areas will help the interviewer and the applicant come to a decision on whether the job is a good fit. The following areas will give the applicant information that may help them decide whether they really want the job. In a like manner, the interviewer may screen out applicants who show obvious reluctance or discomfort with these subjective requirements:

Personality traits -- A talkative person who enjoys team work and interaction would be a poor fit for a position that requires independent work in relative isolation from other employees or the public. Conversely, a conscientious person who takes pride in careful details and precise records would be uncomfortable in a position that requires creativity and adaptation to dynamic conditions. Required travel, public speaking, and possible confrontation situations related to the job should be disclosed. Intelligence and training will not compensate for a poor match between routine job conditions and personality traits.

Company management style -- Whether the management is a traditional authoritarian or a loosely connected structure of participatory management makes a difference to many people. A structured workday that is viewed as oppressive for some individuals is accepted by others as a matter of fact. Some individuals feel comfortable with clearly set policies while others expect to be involved with the on-going development of policies. The company's management style should be discussed with prospective employees before making the job offer.

Immediate job expectations -- The job tasks and skills that the new employee will be expected to perform almost immediately, and the additional competencies that will be expected after an orientation or training period, should be clarified. Realistic discussion of expectations will avoid disappointment and stress for both the employer and the new employee.

Advancement opportunities -- If this is a permanent job with salary increases but no pathways to other positions, this should be made clear. Some applicants are willing to accept an entry-level job if there are good opportunities for advancement, and this fits in nicely with jobs that are meant to be training positions. However, some applicants are looking for a secure, long-term job with regular salary increments. Clarifying the job's status in terms of advancement is an important part of the interview.

This subjective level of the interview is important enough to merit formal questions and prepared information, because these areas may lead to job dissatisfaction or unsatisfactory performance for new employees.

Small Business Sound Off
Does this story hit home?  Share your story with us