If you’re searching for a great new employee to hire, it’s important to know that there’s a right way and a wrong way to conduct an interview. There are typical screening questions that help start the interview process and then more specific interview questions that make potential candidates truly think critically and thoughtfully.
Whether you’re hiring your very first employee or just need a refresher, here are the basics on how to conduct an interview, the best interview questions to ask, and how to onboard a new hire.
The Basics of How to Conduct an Interview
Well before the interview even starts, write down notes about the exact type of person/employee you want to hire based upon skills, work style, experience, and personality. When crafting questions for your potential new hire, try to tailor some questions towards this specific person’s interests, hobbies, and work history based upon his or her resume and what you can learn in a quick online search.
Plan to conduct your interview in a professional meeting room to set the tone for business and on neutral grounds. At NYC Office Suites, we offer on-demand and package-deal meeting rooms that are perfect for interviews at multiple convenient locations in Midtown Manhattan.
As an employer, you should first introduce the interviewee to your company and sell it as an amazing opportunity at a great place to work. Then it’s time for you to ask your interview questions, followed by inviting the interviewees to ask questions of you. To conclude the interview, describe what the next steps are in the hiring process and then wrap things up in a cordial way that leaves a good impression.
Best Questions to Ask in an Interview
Interview questions will vary from one job to the next based upon what level experience is required and what industry you work in. However, there are common interview questions that can apply to nearly any type of job and really give you insights into how a person will perform at your company.
For example, certain interview questions are very basic and give you an overall sense of why the candidate interviewing for the job, such as:
- What attracted you to this company?
- What are your professional strengths and weaknesses?
- Why should I hire you for this position?
Meanwhile, other interview questions dive into a candidate’s behavioral patterns and are very useful to employers, such as:
- What is an example of when you made a mistake at work, and how did you handle it?
- If you were assigned multiple tasks to finish by the end of the day and there was no possible way to complete them all, what would you do?
- How do you handle receiving criticism in the workplace?
It is also a good idea to get a sense of a candidate’s preferred work style, professional passions, personal hobbies, and big motivations. Therefore, these are examples of more questions to ask in an interview:
- Can you describe your ideal work environment?
- How do you best communicate with coworkers and managers at work?
- What excites you about this position?
- What activities do you like to do outside of work?
- What has been your most satisfying or rewarding professional experience in your career?
Tips for Properly Onboarding Your New Hire
After you’ve completed the interview and chosen your ideal candidate, there’s still a lot of work to be done to onboard your new hire. Create a well-organized process for getting started with very reasonable milestones and pacing. Be realistic about the learning curve for the job, and be patient with your new hire. To retain interest, consider incorporating various types of training for your new employee and mixing things up with lectures, presentations, one-on-one meetings, and videos.
Consistently ask for feedback from your new hire about the effectiveness of onboarding process and if he or she needs anything to learn better. Throughout the training process, communicate about your company culture so your new hire knows what to expect going forward. Your new hire’s first day is a big one, so make it as informative, organized, and enjoyable as possible to set your new hire up for confidence and growth.