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Interview tips? (employer side)

Ok, here's a new one for me... I have to interview and hire a secretary in the next week, if not next few days (current one is done on the 22nd and we'd like some training).

I've done plenty of interviews from that side of the table, but haven't given one before.

I've got the companies standard 7 page interview form, but figured it doesn't hurt to ask others.

Likely end up doing the interview in town at like Moxie's or Earls over coffee. I'll have plenty of time to show up and get organized (and caffeinated :lol:). And should be fairly easy to pick out the person walking in dressed for an interview. Dress pants and company shirt should be enough on my end I'd imagine.

Any suggestions on method or questions? General tips?
 
I've never done an interview but I have worked in law enforcement and one of my favorite ways to ask questions about behavioral offenses (if they come up in your interview) is to ask "when is the last time you did...X" (where X is the behavior) as opposed to saying "have you ever done...X". It is much more likely to result in an honest answer.

For example, you are hiring a secretary so you might be interested in finding out if he/she has ever stolen anything from a previous employer. So ask "When is the last time you stole from your employer?" Not "have you ever stolen anything from your employer?".

I could go into the reasons why this works, but I don't want to bore you.

Other than that, I'm sure a 7 page interview packet probably has all the standard questions. Having a pleasant chat before beginning the interview gives you a chance to read body language a bit and then be able to attempt to spot deviations that could indicate stress during the actual interview. Be cautious with this, though, if you aren't used to doing it, as you can easily believe something harmless to be a sign of a lie.
 
I always brought up salary or hourly rate of pay first. The reason being if you are worlds apart then you are wasting time for both of you.

Along with pay, hours of work seem to be the most important. If you expect overtime,make sure they know it are commited to working it.

If you require a drug screen or credit check let them know, you will be surprised to see how many don't show up for a second interview.

If they are answering the phone or taking calls, let them show you how they greet customers and take a call.

The last thing from both sides of the desk is to let them know the hiring process.Let them know how long it will be until a decision is made and how many steps in the process.
 
Before I interview I settle on the things I am most looking for in the new employee, fit, punctuality, experience, etc. I then ask open ended questions whose answers should give me an insight into the candidate. For example, "Tell me about a time when X happened.". Then just let them talk and follow up with questions that provide more illumination based on their answers. It's a method that takes some getting used to, but has worked very well for me.
 
I do a lot of interviewing of candidates. One question I always ask to help me judge level of committment and passion level is "Would you tell me about your favorite hobby?" I want to find out how detailed their knowledge level is on something that THEY say they enjoying doing. If they can not talk in detail about something they love, the chances of them committing the energy and passion required to do a job well is even more remote.
 
don't make the assumption that the person you are interviewing is a gullible dope. Police interrogation should be a million miles away from a job interview.
Typically criminal suspects are morons, do you want a moron on your staff? Asking the same old tired crap in a new way might fool a nitwit, but few others. Try being honest and straightforward. Policeman are allowed to lie and attempt to manipulate suspects. Is that how you want to be treated in a job interview, being put on the defensive and proving you have the right to be alive? How about asking the former employer if this person stole from them? You might get the answer you want, without seeming like a d**k.




I've never done an interview but I have worked in law enforcement and one of my favorite ways to ask questions about behavioral offenses (if they come up in your interview) is to ask "when is the last time you did...X" (where X is the behavior) as opposed to saying "have you ever done...X". It is much more likely to result in an honest answer.

For example, you are hiring a secretary so you might be interested in finding out if he/she has ever stolen anything from a previous employer. So ask "When is the last time you stole from your employer?" Not "have you ever stolen anything from your employer?".

I could go into the reasons why this works, but I don't want to bore you.

Other than that, I'm sure a 7 page interview packet probably has all the standard questions. Having a pleasant chat before beginning the interview gives you a chance to read body language a bit and then be able to attempt to spot deviations that could indicate stress during the actual interview. Be cautious with this, though, if you aren't used to doing it, as you can easily believe something harmless to be a sign of a lie.
 
call me crazy but I happen to think that what I do on my own time is my business. I don't care what my employer gets up to, it's not my business. What we want is a job to earn some money, not an intrusive, pointless interview. If a potential employee declined to answer such a pointless question, would you stop the interview? How about telling the interviewee about your personal interests? Let me assure you, they don't care. Persons being interviewed will not be impressed by your imagined HR skills. You have a resume in front of you. You can ask all the questions you want about skills and habits of punctuality. You can contact the former employer and get the straight story. They are applying for a job, not adoption.:thumbdown





I do a lot of interviewing of candidates. One question I always ask to help me judge level of committment and passion level is "Would you tell me about your favorite hobby?" I want to find out how detailed their knowledge level is on something that THEY say they enjoying doing. If they can not talk in detail about something they love, the chances of them committing the energy and passion required to do a job well is even more remote.
 
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something I know a little about..

has you HR dept filtered the candidates? they should have already done back ground checks talked with previous employer's HR folks, etc. This person an internal or external candidate? frankly I would not do an interview 'off site' particularly of the opposite sex. If you decide not to hire them they could claim any number of reasons. YMMV

frankly if anyone asked me the last time I stole something the interview would be over.. until I could schedule a meeting with their HR dept head.
 
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frankly I would not do an interview 'off site' particularly of the opposite sex. If you decide not to hire them they could claim any number of reasons. YMMV

Echoing Blue Racoon's comments, on site or off, I wouldn't do an interview of either sex without someone else in the room with me. The scene in which Kevin Spacey gets terminated in "American Beauty" keeps running through my head.
 
the reason we can't do it on-site, is that syncrude requires a LOT of paperwork to get someone approved to come on-site, including a drug screening... doing that for 4-5 candidates would take at least a week.

Interviewing in a public place like a restaurant in town takes care of the "no-one else in the room" issue.

We're getting their resumes through a temp agency, so basic background and history is long since confirmed. I'll still be sending resumes along to our HR dept to dig through (and then they do a 5-10min phone interview there). The interview from my side is a be behavioral interview to see how they'll fit with the company and work situation up here. I'm fairly easy going, but I know the one thing that would fail them in my books would be failing to show up on time without calling. 15min early is what I aim for personally.

Lot of the questions are "tell me a about a time when X happened, how did you deal with it (or "how did you feel about it"). I already know about the looking left or right trick, but that isn't foolproof either when you get folks like me that are ambidexterous. I've done lots of research on "how to beat behavioral interviews" when I was on that side of the table, so I'm aware of those tricks.
 
I have two thoughts and don't take this the wrong way however if you have to ask here about what to ask you should not be giving an interview. The other is as a company rep you need to be in a position of authority and doing an interview in a public area puts you in the weak spot. if the company has issues with on site they should rent a private motel room or office to do the work offsite.
 
seems backwards to me.. so, are you hiring her to work for your employer or is she going to be employed via the temp agency?

Interviewing in a public place like a restaurant in town takes care of the "no-one else in the room" issue. imho not really.

15min early is what I aim for personally why?

I would never consent to a drug screening unless I had a written job offer in hand dependent on passing the screening.

The temp agency doesn't have interview facilities?
 
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the reason we can't do it on-site, is that syncrude requires a LOT of paperwork to get someone approved to come on-site, including a drug screening... doing that for 4-5 candidates would take at least a week.

Interviewing in a public place like a restaurant in town takes care of the "no-one else in the room" issue.

We're getting their resumes through a temp agency, so basic background and history is long since confirmed. I'll still be sending resumes along to our HR dept to dig through (and then they do a 5-10min phone interview there). The interview from my side is a be behavioral interview to see how they'll fit with the company and work situation up here. I'm fairly easy going, but I know the one thing that would fail them in my books would be failing to show up on time without calling. 15min early is what I aim for personally.

Lot of the questions are "tell me a about a time when X happened, how did you deal with it (or "how did you feel about it"). I already know about the looking left or right trick, but that isn't foolproof either when you get folks like me that are ambidexterous. I've done lots of research on "how to beat behavioral interviews" when I was on that side of the table, so I'm aware of those tricks.



You might want to consider asking the temp service you've employed to let you interview potential candidates at THEIR offices. That'd be a very reasonable request, especially if it's a temp company that you use frequently. I'm guessing they'd be MORE than happy to have you-unless they're some sort of mom'n pop that operates out of a bedroom somewhere.

FWIW, I had an interview around 10 years ago with a 24 hour restaurant chain and it was held in a booth at one of their restaurants. The guy I was interviewing with was the VP for the area. We were interrupted at least 3-4 times by customers and employees.

I was interviewed just last week for a position with a large C store chain. The interview took place in the stock room of one of their C stores, with me sitting on a metal folding chair (I'm a pretty good sized guy). The stock room was about the size of my bathroom at home. Suffice to say, it was FAR from a professional environment and did not reflect well on the company that was doing the hiring. I'm a professional and conduct myself as such-I expect the same from the company that's conducting the interview.


Beerman
 
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I interviewed with the big three oil companies a few years back. All had one common theme-they all did everything they could to help you do your very best during the interview. All did what they could to keep you from being nervous and even mentioned that if they asked a question you weren't sure about, you could walk around outside and think about your answer. One went so far as to have coffee, water, soft drinks, candy and fruit, and you could take a short break from the interview at any time if you liked. They seem to get very qualified candidates using this format.
 
I have two thoughts and don't take this the wrong way however if you have to ask here about what to ask you should not be giving an interview. The other is as a company rep you need to be in a position of authority and doing an interview in a public area puts you in the weak spot. if the company has issues with on site they should rent a private motel room or office to do the work offsite.

Hence the "general tips"... first time interviewing someone, though I've personally been in the business world since I was about 12.

seems backwards to me.. so, are you hiring her to work for your employer or is she going to be employed via the temp agency?

Interviewing in a public place like a restaurant in town takes care of the "no-one else in the room" issue. imho not really.

15min early is what I aim for personally why?

I would never consent to a drug screening unless I had a written job offer in hand dependent on passing the screening.

The temp agency doesn't have interview facilities?

They'll be coming from the temp agency, and if they work out we'll be hiring them to work for us.
As far as the 15min early, blame 6.5yrs of air cadets. 15min early is on time, the exact time is 15min late.

Drug screening is for getting on site and working on Syncrude's location, as well as being hired by us. ZERO tolerance for drug and alcohol on site. Even a 15-20yr employee can be canned for showing up drunk or popping positive following an incident.

Temp agency is in Edmonton, 441km away, and I've got other business to take care of here that has to be done this week. So we have to bring them here for the interview.

You might want to consider asking the temp service you've employed to let you interview potential candidates at THEIR offices. That'd be a very reasonable request, especially if it's a temp company that you use frequently. I'm guessing they'd be MORE than happy to have you-unless they're some sort of mom'n pop that operates out of a bedroom somewhere.

FWIW, I had an interview around 10 years ago with a 24 hour restaurant chain and it was held in a booth at one of their restaurants. The guy I was interviewing with was the VP for the area. We were interrupted at least 3-4 times by customers and employees.

I was interviewed just last week for a position with a large C store chain. The interview took place in the stock room of one of their C stores, with me sitting on a metal folding chair (I'm a pretty good sized guy). The stock room was about the size of my bathroom at home. Suffice to say, it was FAR from a professional environment and did not reflect well on the company that was doing the hiring. I'm a professional and conduct myself as such-I expect the same from the company that's conducting the interview.

Beerman

Working for a multinational, that has a history with this temp agency. The current secretary came from them a year ago. Same thing, they sent up 4-5 for interviews for one day... previous manager held them in Moxies too.

I interviewed with the big three oil companies a few years back. All had one common theme-they all did everything they could to help you do your very best during the interview. All did what they could to keep you from being nervous and even mentioned that if they asked a question you weren't sure about, you could walk around outside and think about your answer. One went so far as to have coffee, water, soft drinks, candy and fruit, and you could take a short break from the interview at any time if you liked. They seem to get very qualified candidates using this format.

We're contracted by syncrude, not working for.
 
As far as the 15min early, blame 6.5yrs of air cadets. 15min early is on time, the exact time is 15min late.

I suspect she may be happier elsewhere.. if you are dinging her for being on time in the real world and not yours.

Not to be a wise guy but why did you guys wait until the last minute to look for a replacement. If the other lady is leaving the 22nd (assume of feb) no way will she be on staff in that short of time considering all the requirements.

aqgin once hired I would let you drug test but not before.
 
As far as the 15min early, blame 6.5yrs of air cadets. 15min early is on time, the exact time is 15min late.

I suspect she may be happier elsewhere.. if you are dinging her for being on time in the real world and not yours.

Not to be a wise guy but why did you guys wait until the last minute to look for a replacement. If the other lady is leaving the 22nd (assume of feb) no way will she be on staff in that short of time considering all the requirements.

aqgin once hired I would let you drug test but not before.

She gave her notice on the 7th, just after starting holidays. The last week was getting things organized on our end to replace her and contacting the temp agencies. We still don't even have everything in place for the exit procedure.
 
VW when I was a manager it was really important to me that the individual I'm am considering "fits" with the rest team, because they are becoming part of that team. It doesn't mean you are looking for a clone of everyone else, but rather you are looking for someone who is going to work well on a personal level with everyone else. To find that out you need to take some time talking with them. I find most people want to talk about themselves. If they weren't qualified for the job I doubt they would have gotten vetted by HR to be there for your part of the process. Another thing I always kept in mind is what things I absolute detested in some interviews and didn't do them.

I don't tend to get into the wage discussions until I'm down to my short list candidates.

My 2 cents worth....
 
I can't give you any specific advice from the interviewer's side of the desk, but as a potential candidate, here are things I would like to see:

Since you're interviewing in a coffee shop or restaurant, don't keep the candidate waiting. If you're interviewing more than one candidate, schedule them far enough apart that there is no chance of overlap. Not only is it inconsiderate, you don't want one candidate comparing notes with another, either before or after their interview.

If you're having coffee during the interview, offer to pick up the tab for their drink, too. (Any smart candidate will politely decline this offer, as it will be an unnecesary distraction.)

You can keep your cell-phone on the table to watch the time, but don't answer it under any circumstances. If you get an incoming text or eMail, just let it sit there until the candidate is gone.

Make sure you pronounce their name correctly ... ask if you're not sure.

Introduce yourself and tell them your job title. If they will be working directly for you, let them know that. Give them their job description, preferably in writing. Give them a 1-minute speech about what a typical day will be like when they get hired.

Explain the salary and benefits.

Give them an overview of your company's hiring process. If this is the first interview stage of two or three or four, let them know that. Let them know who will be making the final decision, and approximately when.

Be clear about when the job will start, and what the hours will be.

Be clear about any additional screening(s) that may be necessary, such as drug tests, criminal/credit checks, polygraphs, etc.

Practice all this on two or three of your co-workers before you go to the first live interview, to work out the bugs.
 
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