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How many wrong hires have you made this year? Did you conduct interviews for them?

Interviews are a popular means of choosing between candidates or deciding if a candidate should get the job. However, it is very easy to interview wrongly and hire a candidate that would fail. How do you get the best out of your interviews?

Always go into the interview knowing what sort of job you intend that candidate to do if he is employed. Focus your mind on the job that the prospective employee would do and that way you would be able to ask questions that reflect the position you are recruiting for.

You should not ask interview questions that you see on the internet. In other words, don’t ask interview questions just to ask them. Ask questions that you actually need the answer to. You don’t have to ask the questions that every other regular employer asks. Always have a reason for asking each question you ask the candidate.

Allow the candidate to speak. Yes, you are doing the interviewing. You should however allow the candidate to talk. Don’t interrupt. Allow the candidate show his/her skills.

Make the interview to be a conversation, not an interrogation. There are many good candidates that you would turn away if you make them nervous. By all means, create a good and convenient environment that would enable your candidates relax.

Try to assess the candidate for cultural fit. In other words, would you be happy working along this person? This is often the most important information that you must discern from an interview. A hardworking worker who is unable to fit in well with colleagues is worse than a lazy worker. You should thus ask questions that would enable you know if you and your current employees would get along with this person. Behavioral questions are great in this regard. Pose scenarios that occur in the day to day affairs of your business and see how your candidate responds.

Ask questions that would allow you find out the work ethic of the candidate. Hardworking workers are likely to contribute more to your bottom line so find a way to glean information from the interview that would help you know just how hardworking the candidate would be.

You should always know what you want to get out of the interview. Jot down point of interest before the interview. Study the candidate’s resume and ensure you discuss all that is needed.

Even after following these tips, you may still make some hiring mistakes. However, you can make great hiring decision from interviews by following the above points and planning your interview process carefully.