Interviewing Prospective Employees for Your Small Business

There comes a time for many small business owners when hiring an employee or two makes good sense. This is not a decision to take lightly - choosing the right person for the job is one of the most important investments you can make in your company's future. Before you add a new name to your employee payroll software, ensure you have a system in place to help vet candidates.

Who are you looking for?

Qualities, experience and skills. What are the most important qualities for an employee of your business to have? Write down your criteria for hiring, considering both hard and soft skills.

Make sure you think about the particular role the worker will be filling, as well as the type of personality and attitude that would be a good fit for your business. Will they spend a lot of time on the phone with customers? Or is it a behind-the-scenes administrative position?

Work on your questions

Prospective employees are not the only ones who should prepare thoroughly for an interview - the employer should engage in some ahead-of-time prep work as well. Create a comprehensive list of questions that could yield important information about candidates.

Be specific. Avoid yes-or-no questions. Angle the interview so that pointed questions are mixed in with more general queries. Many experts suggest phrasing interview questions so they will yield specific answers, such as "Describe a situation in which you…" or "Provide an example of…"

Don't be afraid to follow up on vague answers. It's easy for an applicant to claim they are a detail-oriented hard worker who enjoys collaboration, but how can they show you? Request detailed examples to help illustrate any answers that may be too broad.

Avoid legal pitfalls. In the same way that knowing the law is necessary when adding a worker to your employee payroll software, basic legal knowledge will help ensure you avoid potential interviewing pitfalls. Phrasing a question the wrong way or inquiring on a sensitive topic may lead to legal complications.

Sensitive topics include, but are not limited to, the applicant's age, marital status, race and disabilities. You may choose to steer clear of these areas completely or seek more specific guidance from a legal resource on how best to phrase these questions.

Describe the job well

During the interview, prospective employees will be looking to you to provide an accurate description of their potential role. This explanation may include job title, responsibility, daily duties and future prospects.

The important thing to focus on is to be as honest as possible when describing the position. If the job consists solely of data entry, don't make it sound better than it is. Similarly, if there is a high level of responsibility, make that clear from the outset. If you aren't exactly sure yet about all of the tasks involved, say so - this will help avoid a surprise down the line, after the individual has already been added to your employee payroll software.

Describe the working conditions and benefits

Make sure you tell applicants about where the job is located, how many hours per week it is, what the salary is and describe any related benefits. Be prepared to consider your response if a candidate tries to negotiate on any of these terms. Would you hire the right person for a higher wage?

Interview approach

One-on-one or group? If your business is currently a one-person operation, an individual interview may be the best option. But many employers find it can be helpful to have another person present during interviews to supply additional questions and offer a second opinion. Additionally, you may consider interviewing candidates in groups, rather than one at a time.

Formal or relaxed? A more traditional, formal style of interview is based on the question-and-answer format. However, some bosses may prefer to forego this structure and simply start chatting to the candidate. This may help elicit a better sense of their day-to-day personality, when they are not relying on prepared answers.

To test or not to test? Some employers find behavioral, knowledge or personality tests beneficial when narrowing down a candidate pool. Whether or not these come in handy depend largely upon the type of job. A bookstore might want to assess someone's literary knowledge, for example. Or a particularly sensitive customer-oriented role may warrant a personality test.

Listen and observe. During the interview, maximize the amount of time you spend listening rather than speaking. It is only too easy to get carried away describing the intricacies of your business. However, the most important take-away from an interview is whether or not you have found a match for your open position - and that can only be determined by listening to the candidate's words, as well as observing their nonverbal behavior.