Interviewing and Hiring

You can't do it all
In a small business, the jobs you create may depend on what you prefer not to do, or what you don't have the time or skill to do. Remember: Do what you do best – hire others to do the rest. As your company grows, reasons for hiring may change, but you're still hiring people to fill skills or time gaps.

A real need?
Check how much overtime your employees are putting in. Is it smarter to hire more people to avoid paying time and a half or double time?

Check your customer service
Can you meet commitments with current staff? Is there a valid business case for expansion? Never hire before you're sure company revenue will support new employees.

Define the job
Identify tasks and responsibilities and how often they're done. Accurate job descriptions help you find the right employees.

Your responsibilities
Before hiring, know your responsibilities as an employer.
Check out Canadian labour standards and British Columbia employment standards.

Use the experts
Use professionals to handle work that isn't your main area of expertise. Human-resource professionals can save you time, money and headaches by finding the best candidate.

Hiring isn't cheap – do it right the first time. JobWave can help!

How does it look?
Neat, clean and professional? Does it catch your attention? Does it read well and flow in a logical way? Correct grammar and spelling? Proper formatting? The résumé should be an applicant's best effort to impress you. Red flags can include incomplete or missing information or poor language skills.

Gaps in work history?
There are good reasons for gaps – pregnancy, parenting, education, travel, learning sabbaticals, etc. – but gaps may also indicate a checkered, unreported work history.

Too many jobs too quickly?
This may be a sign of unreliability or an inability to keep a job. However, employment in seasonal industries such as tourism may explain this type of activity.

Past performance?
Look to see if the applicant has been promoted or has exceeded job expectations. This gives some indication of an applicant's past performance.

Why interview?
Many employers seek to answer two major questions:

Identify desired skills
These may include hard skills such as the qualifications and certifications the job requires. Soft skills may include attitude, adaptability, ability to work on a team, etc.

Consult with department supervisors and employees to help you focus on the right skill requirements during the interview.

List your interview questions
This helps get the information you need from the applicant. Do they have the hard and soft skills you need?

Develop a fact sheet
Include company data and history. Use it during the interview to help answer the applicant's questions.

Create a job description
Use it during the interview to give a realistic overview of the job. Point out the good, bad and unchangeable aspects (e.g. shift work/heavy lifting). Explain the reporting structure, hours and other relevant details. Don't include salary and benefits on this sheet.

Select an interviewer
Decide who will ask the questions and who will take notes.

Take time to prepare
Interviews are often an exchange of information. Strong applicants tend to be enthusiastic and ask thoughtful questions about the position. Be prepared to answer questions such as: "What goals do you hope the person you hire will achieve for your organization?" or "Why is your company expanding and hiring?"

Quick tips to improve any interview:

• hold interviews in a quiet, private area and schedule plenty of time
• put the applicant at ease by being friendly and conversational
• let the candidate talk, but control the question and answer flow
• ask for specific examples of work experience and achievements
• try to ask questions that need more than a "yes" or "no" answer
• don't ask leading questions, such as "Don't you think...?"
• stay as objective as possible throughout the interview; this will help you listen

A good interview should not only give you a sense of what the applicant has done but should also show you what she/he is capable of doing.

You're also trying to see how well you, other staff and your customers could work with this person and how much value she/he will add to your company.

An organization is only as good as its people. That's why it's better to search thoroughly for the right candidate, or wait for one to come along, rather than hire somebody now who might not be best for the job. It may increase your training costs and supervisory time, but that's better than losing customers and business.

Questions to ask
Ask questions that are directly job-related. Personal information can be useful, but generally a question is inappropriate if it does not relate to the employee's work background or job performance.

Candidates will come prepared to show you what they think you want to see, so ask questions that will reveal the truth.

Six ways to get useful information:

• “Tell me a little about yourself.”
  This is an easy way to start the interview because it opens up the conversation and leads to further questioning. You'll start to see if the person is suitable for the job and learn what she/he feels is important.
  You don't want to hear "I'm 25 and I have two brothers," or "There's really not much to tell." You want to hear job-related information such as education, work experience, ambition, career goals, etc.
  
  
• “Why are you interested in this job?”
  You don't want to hear why the applicant needs a paycheque or that they simply like the area. You want to know why she/he is after this job with your company.
  
  
• “What experience do you have that prepares you for this position?”
  Listen for a clear explanation of why the applicant is right for the job. He/she should tell you about relevant experience and interests. Even a recent grad with no practical experience can show that he/she is somewhat prepared, by mentioning special projects and group work, etc.



• “What are your interests outside of work?”
  Again, look for job-related experience and find out about any potential conflicts with the job. For example, you don't want to hear that the candidate is trying to set up his or her own business and needs this job to raise capital. You'd want to hear that he/she is involved in a professional association and enjoys learning about your line of work.



• “What areas of work have caused you difficulty in the past?”
  This will indicate how well the person might fit in the job. If a candidate tells you "I get bored easily," she/he might not be suitable for repetitive work like line assembly, etc. However, that same weakness would be strength in a job that involves a great deal of change on a regular basis. Most candidates are prepared to answer this question, so follow up by asking for an example of how this weakness affected the candidate on the job and what he/she did to overcome it."



• “How do you handle conflict management?”
  Ask the candidate to describe a case where she/he dealt with a workplace conflict. Ask for real examples of how the conflict was handled and discuss the outcomes.

More sample interview questions:

• “What do you want to be doing five years from now?”
  This should help you get a feel for the candidate's motivation and shows how interested she/he is in the position. If the candidate's goals fit with the position and organization, she/he is probably a strong candidate.



• “What experience do you have that will help you to succeed in this position?”
  You want to hear about the advantages of their education and work experience, and their enthusiasm for new job situations.



• “Why should we hire you for this position?”
  This is usually one of the last questions. It's where you want to hear the candidate go over their strong points and stress the benefits she/he has to offer. The candidate should be really interested in this job, not simply needing a job.



• “What would your last manager or supervisor say about you?”
  This will let you know how candidates perceive their relationships with previous employers. It also helps determine how they handle difficult questions and offers you another insight into their general work attitudes.



• “What is your expectation for this position?”
  Find out how important salary is to the person you are interviewing. What other compensation are they interested in (e.g. medical benefits, bonuses, flextime, etc.)?



• “Do you have any questions for me?”
  Every interviewee should be given the chance to ask you questions. A candidate who mumbles "no" and slinks out the door should not be high on your list of possibilities. Neither should the one who quickly asks about the chances of moving into another department.

Almost all employers ask for references, but few actually check them, even though it's a crucial part of the hiring process. Always check references.

About 90% of hiring mistakes could be avoided just by checking references. Unfortunately, many employers rely on their own impressions of the candidate based on his/her résumé, application and interview.

Before you check
Always ask permission from the candidate, either verbally or with a signature on an application form.

What to ask
Never check just one; check all the candidate's references. Check them yourself so you're hearing the information directly. This also lets you probe for additional details if necessary. It's often these tidbits of information that are most revealing.

Treat this checking with as much care and attention as the interview. Try to ask open-ended questions. Hesitant or vague answers should set off alarm bells. For example, you must know how and why the candidate left his/her last job, or why there are major gaps in his/her work history.

The crucial question
For obvious reasons, one of the most revealing questions is: "Would you hire this person again?"

There are three ways:

• in person
• by phone
• by mail/e-mail

In person is the most revealing method, but it's not often the most practical. Checking by mail is the least productive, because former employers may not take the time to write a letter. While e-mail is quick and easy, you don't get the benefit of verbal cues such as tone of voice. The phone is the most common means of checking references because it's immediate, inexpensive and you can pick up on voice cues.

Questions to ask references

• Are you willing to share information about the applicant?
• Which positions or jobs did the applicant hold with your company and how were these duties performed?
• Does the applicant work best as a member of a team or alone?
• Do you have specific examples of the applicant's high performance or achievement?
• In what instances did the applicant perform below expectations?
• How does the applicant cope with stress?
• Would you rehire this person? Why or why not?
• Would you recommend the applicant for this position?

The legal side of checking references
According to studies, about 75% of employers don't check references. These employers may be opening themselves up to lawsuits due to an emerging theory of employer liability known as negligent hiring.

Negligent hiring becomes an issue when an employer knew, or should have known, that an employee presented a foreseeable risk of harm. That's why it's vital to find out if a job applicant is suitable for the job.

Hard questions every employer should think about:

• Is this the right person for the job? (Do they have the right attitude and skill base to perform the job?)
• Can they work effectively in my work environment?
• Can they multi-task or problem solve?
• Are they willing to learn from their mistakes?
• Do they have the motivation and aptitude to keep this job?