Improving Your Hiring Process

Have a staff opening and looking to get the best candidate to fill the position? Consider implementing these strategies in your hiring process the next time you’re interviewing a potential new employee:

• Spend part of the interview working together on the floor.  Instead of asking applicants to tell you about their customer service and selling skills, have them show you with real customers. Disclaimer: Check with your attorney if you have any concerns about the legality of doing this.
• Have candidates observe the staff and share their insights with you. This can be almost as good as having a candidate work the floor. Their feedback will tell you if they really get what it takes to deliver great service and how to sell.
• Require the applicant to interview you. You can learn a lot about a person by the questions he/she asks. Are they interested in challenges and opportunities, or how the lunch breaks work? Tell the applicant, “I’d like you to interview me for five to 10 minutes. I’ll give you a few minutes now to prepare your questions.”
• Have the applicant spend time with non-management team members. Never forget that not only are we choosing who we want to hire, but applicants are deciding who they do and do not want to work for. One of the best ways to have the strongest candidate accept your offer is to have him or her bond with one or two of your best non-management employees.