Have you ever interviewed somebody for a job in your business?

[valis]

Any strategies you use? What do you look for? Of course, it depends on the field, but there may be general principles...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. I usually let them do all the talking

you can learn a lot about a person by letting them talk about their current position and why they are leaving; what they liked about one position vs. another; and what they do with their spare time. In sales/business development, there are metrics as well-namely, quota attainment.

[valis]

2. That's a good strategy.

How many letters of recom do you ask for in the biz world? In the academic world we usually ask for 3.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. I usually ask for three-either two bosses and a peer, or

two bosses and a client. It depends on the candidate and the position. I think three is standard.

[Lindsey]

4. I'm responsible for a lot of hiring plus I used to be a career counselor

so I have a lot of experience in this arena. Always wear an incredibly professional and appropriate outfit (for example, if it's a business environment wear a suit). I even think that women should wear a busines suit (including appropriate length skirt, low closed-toed heals). Arrive 15 minutes early - no earlier. Have ALL the info.you need to complete the application in its entirety. Take three extra resumes with you to the interview (make sure that the resume is perfect). During the interview, NEVER ask about salary, benefits, etc. The whole focus should be what you can do for the company, not what they can do for you. Maintain eye contact without staring. Sit a little forward in the chair but don't invade the interviewers boundaries. Smile at appropriate times. NEVER be negative about any past employers-NEVER be negative at all. Be upbeat, positive- the kind of person that people would like to work with on a daily basis. Ask questions that are pertinent to the job/position itself (such as "what do you see as the greatest challenge in this position, what would your idea of the perfect employee be, etc.).Sorry for being so lengthy but this is my thing and you asked - hope it helps!:-)

[kodi]

6. valis, listen to lindsey, its very good advice

oh, and never, ever ask who the hot babe is in the photo on the interviewer's desk.

[kodi]

5. the hard part is weeding out 5 good resumes from 100 of them.

i have interviewed dozens for positions under me. usually i have spoken to them over the phone and already have some sense about them.

normally i go over their cover letter and highlights of their resume, then ask what special skills they believe they have and use in the course of their work.

i review the job opening and its duties, and tell them what a typical day, and week would be for them. so they will have some idea of what is expected.

If they went to a particular college, i ask them about it.

typical questions are what are your strengths and weaknesses, what major successes have you been involved with, where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years.

everyone interviewing should have answers to those questions at their fingertips.

i was taught to examine resumes by my grad adviser. he showed me how he reviewed resumes several times when he was selecting candidates for new faculty members.

we sat at his desk and showed me how he read them. it was about the best thing he taught me that was non-technical.

it was a combination of style, substance, and the story the resume told.

i have sat at my desk with a pile of 50-60 resumes for jobs on several occasions. it is not easy to read them all, but i feel it is important to at least do so. i would hope that if the situation was reversed, i would be shown that courtesy

however, once i was a chemical plant manager and had to hire a factory worker for heavy labor immediately. we lost two of our best guys the day before and the plant was busy as hell. so after interviewing several men during the day, and believing none could do the hard work required, one big fellow walked in, and shook my hand. they were strong and callused, and i thought he was the guy we needed. but, while reviewing his employment application i became curious, and asked him: "in the box where it asked you to give a phone number to call in case of an emergency, why did you write in 911?"

he responded, "i thought it was a trick question."

i hired him, but we always kept an eye on him, and our nickname for him henceforth was "911."