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Taking out an ad in the paper or calling up an employment agency are hardly guarantees that you will be interviewing the best applicant for your open position any time soon. Placing ads might bring a deluge of people wanting to apply for the job, leaving you feeling overwhelmed. You are going to need to take the necessary time to separate the best candidates from those that would never make it a day in your business.
The interview really is the part in the screening process where you are going to find the best person for the job. Scanning through piles of resumes day in and day out does not mean you are going to find the person you are looking for. The interview process can take over an hour to find out the expectations and requirements of candidates while giving you time to share company goals and other relevant information, and that is for every person you interview!
Picking a Resume
The good resumes have cover letters and references. There are some people who hire professional resume writers that will create a resume that specifically address all of the qualifications you are seeking in an employee. Other people decide to write their own but often fail to catch your attention. It is not wise to evaluate a potential hire based solely on who actually wrote the resume.
The job history should be studied carefully. Are they job hoppers? Have they ever stayed at a place for five or more years? Are there contact numbers from previous employers that you can call for reference? Are there skills beyond the requirements of your job that the applicant possesses?
So if you find yourself searching for a secretary with decent computer skills who likes to communicate with people, the resume of the right candidate should have experience in both the secretarial and customer service fields. Ideally, you want the talents of the right candidate to include skills and talents outside of the specific area that you need for the position so that they may grow with the company into more challenging positions. Anyone with some office management or accounting experience would be a definite bonus for you and the company. In fact, that would be a top flight resume and someone you definitely want to call in for an interview.
Don't dismiss the inexperienced. It is very possible that the better employee with be the one with less experience in your actual field. How? If the employee can be easily trained in your specific techniques, they may work out far better than an associate with the qualifications who may be set in their ways.
Conducting an Interview
If you are looking at Bob's resume you quickly see that he has 8 years of experience in an administrative role and 3 years of experience working in a fast food restaurant. So if you need someone to perform light administrative tasks, as well as answer phones and handle customer questions, is Bob your man? Well, he has the administrative skills but seems to be coming up short on the customer service side of things. When you probe a little deeper, you find that Bob was an assistant manager at the fast food place and therefore had to field customer and employee complaints day in and day out. Although the experience is not exactly what you were looking for, dealing with people in a fast food place can be very demanding and that means that Bob could probably handle your customer base with ease. Similar experience is definitely something to consider when evaluating candidate potential.
The Evaluation Process
The process can take more than a day, a week, or a month.
Give yourself plenty of time to evaluate the applicant. Be fair and consider their body language. Did they look straight into your eyes as you talked? If not, you may be dealing with a dishonest person. Body language is important and shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating how well the interview went. A person can have all of the qualifications needed, but if they don't mix well with you or your staff, you're in for trouble.
If you can't make up your mind, call them in for a second interview. This time have them complete a questionnaire. You may decide to have them perform a small task that shows their skill. For instance, ask Jennifer to type you a letter using a typewriter verses a computer keyboard. Analysis her reaction to this request and don't be afraid to explain why you are asking this of her.
Finding qualified personnel is a lot easier when you know precisely what kind of person meets your requirements. Retain the resumes submitted to you during the process for future use and be very honest but compassionate during the interviews. At the end of the day, you will find that new hire that will be appreciative of the job and more willing to satisfy your needs.
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