8 Tips for Interviewing Potential Staff

The Interview process for possible employees to fit into your designated role can be unexpectedly daunting. Asking the right questions can tell you a lot about someone. Their tone and body language can give you a great insight into their personality. How can you tell if their previous experience is a good fit for your company's needs?

Some business owners and managers will have a lot of experience in this process, and others, not so much. That’s why the Elf has come up with some easy-to-understand points to keep in mind and guide you through.

Know what you can and can’t say

Make this become second nature to you. It is so vital for your protecting business. You have to be careful as some questions are illegal! You cannot ask an interviewee about their religion, age, marital status or if they plan to have a child.

Outline what you will say about your business

Tell them about the upside of working for/with you. Why it’s exciting and the benefits for them of being there. This is especially important if they have other opportunities elsewhere.

Tone Be firm but friendly. Have a smile and exude confidence. Remember, this is a professional conversation, so exude professionalism and don't be too severe. Remember, you may be working together soon.

Plan what you will ask, and write questions down on a piece of paper. These questions should be designed to get the answers to what you want to know about the person, which brings us to our fifth point…

Ask open-ended questions

Stay away from questions that can be answered with a simple yes and no. You want to learn about this person, how they think, what makes them tick, and how they will fit in with your team. Try asking questions that start with who, what, when, where, why or how.

Tell them what to expect

At the outset, give them a rough idea of the structure of the interview; this will help manage your and their expectations. Also, give them a recap of the job description they are applying for so you are both on the same page.

Take time to Listen

They should be doing the majority of the talking, not you.

And the best thing you can do?

Turn the Question and Answer session into more of a conversation. It will make both you and the interviewee more relaxed. Pause for a couple of seconds at the end of their answer. If you resist the temptation to respond, the interviewee will either expand on what they’ve just said, go off in a different direction, and perhaps provide a fuller example or highlight different strengths.

Either way, with a more extended response, you will get a more detailed view of who the person is beyond their Resume.

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