By Markey Read

Interviewing potential employees to determine their qualifications can be one of the most frustrating parts of hiring a new employee. How do you know if s/he is telling the truth? How do you know if s/he really has the skills for the job?

For this reason, we, as business owners and hiring managers, need to stay fresh in our interviewing methods. A simple changes in how you ask a question and observe behavior can make the difference in hiring a good talker and a qualified individual.

Ask questions that pertain directly to past experience. The goal being to elicit responses that describe specific past examples of how the interviewee used a particular skill or trait. For example, the question "Can you handle working in a high stress environment?" will elicit a yes or no answer. But, "Tell me about a time in your last job when you had to perform in a high stress situation," will force the interviewee to “show not tell” you how qualified s/he is. As the interviewer you can then translate past behavior to more accurately predict future behavior.

The end result of updating and redesigning your interview technique is that the new style results in contributing to lower turnover rates. While such probing questions may provoke some initial silence in an interview, this should not cause concern. This is a sign that you will more likely get an authentic response rather than a memorized one.

By using open ended questions that cause an individual to think, you will get a higher quality (more insightful) response from the interviewee. This will result in candidates who are capable of assessing and communicating their skills effectively in a job interview.

Another way to more accurately assess a candidate is take note of how s/he follows up (or does not follow up) after sending the resume, having an interview, and even after s/he has not heard from you when expected.

Did s/he call to make sure you received the resume? Did s/he write a thoughtful thank you letter after the interview? Did s/he call you to update you about another offer? His s/he call you when you had promised to communicate and did not? If a candidate is not doing these simple things, then s/he is probably not the “self-starter” s/he painter her/himself to be, nor is s/he a “good communicator.”

In addition, meet with the individual several times and observe how s/he handles
meeting other staff members and what questions s/he has about the details and the big picture of your company. An individual who never has any questions, may be making assumptions about the position and/or your company.

Pay close attention to not only what a potential candidate says, but also to what s/he does. Actions speak louder than words in revealing a person’s true character and intentions. Hiring a new employee can be one of the most rewarding and refreshing processes you endure when you stay awake and alert to all the signs.