You have an administrative staff position open; you ran an ad or worked with the KBA placement service; and you scheduled an interview.  When the applicant enters your office, are you prepared for the interview?  Have you reviewed the resume’ and have questions ready?  If you are interviewing several applicants for the same position, do you make sure you ask each applicant the same questions so you can make a decision based on the same information?  Do you require the applicant to fill out an application or do you rely solely on the resumé.  If you have EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance) coverage, you may be required to have all applicants fill out an application.  You should check with your insurance agent.

It’s sometimes tough to be impartial.  You see a whiz-bang resumé and you think this person has wonderful credentials and they must be able to back them up.  Or, during the interview, your personalities mesh so you think they will fit in and you are sure they can perform any job you ask them to do.  Other biases may appear during the interview process, i.e., halo/horn effect – where one strong or one weak point overshadows all other information; cultural noise – where the interviewee gives all the politically correct or socially acceptable responses to questions; contrast effect – strong candidate who interviews following a weak one may appear even more qualified than they actually are or vice-versa.  While first impressions are very important and often accurate, be sure you consider all the information obtained during the interview and when checking references when it’s time for you to make your final decision.  It’s not always easy.

Remember, you are the interviewer.  You want to learn as much as possible about the person in a short period of time.  You can’t do that if you do all the talking.  Be a good listener.  Be prepared to ask questions that will give you as much information as possible about the applicant’s skill level and abilities, work ethic, etc.  Avoid questions that have “yes” or “no” answers.  Use open-ended questions – Tell me how you would handle this situation; How do you handle multiple projects, Give me an example of. . ., Describe the three top responsibilities of your current position.  Instead of asking if you handle stress well, ask them to describe a work example in which they handled stress well.  If you ask these types of questions, it’s difficult for someone to make up something quickly.  Difficult, of course, but not impossible.

A person who is relaxed will provide you with more information than someone who is tense.  Be cordial and make the person feel comfortable and they will likely offer more information.  While you might want someone to sit in your lobby and see employees walking through to get a glimpse of your office’s personality, please do not leave an applicant waiting for a long period of time.  Their time is valuable also.

You may ask an applicant if he/she is able to perform the essential functions of the job for which they are applying.  Of course, you must tell the applicant what the essential functions are.  If you use job descriptions in your office, you may show the applicant a copy of the job description and then ask this question.

Of course, everyone knows there are areas from which you should stay away.  Some of those are: –

            Age

            Children – Child-care arrangements

Birthplace – National origin – You may ask whether the applicant has a legal right to be employed in the U.S.

            Marital Status – Spouse’s occupation

Bankruptcy - Credit affairs – Any credit inquiries must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Workers’ compensation history

Conducting a successful interview requires a wide range of skills and abilities.  It can be time-consuming and difficult.  While there is never a guarantee, you work hard to find the best fit for the job and for the firm and, hopefully, your hard work pays off.

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