The keys to great interviews consist of the following points:

Preparation,
Structured Interview,
In-depth probing of applicant answers and
Consistent evaluation of applicants.

If you are experiencing less than desirable applicant selection, or high turnover, you problem most likely resides in a poor selection program. Many managers have said, “well, it must be the pay, we’re just not paying them enough, or “we don’t have the best benefits.” The truth is that there are people who work for your company who do a great job with the current salary and benefits, so the answer lies in your selection program.

You need to find out what these successful incumbents do, why they like doing the work, then find more individuals like them. Let’s start by discussing preparation. (more…)

Traditional interviews are still common in small to medium-sized companies. Much of the interview success will depend on your ability to establish rapport with the interviewer, since many of their questions are hypothetical or theoretical. You will quickly know that you are in a traditional interview if the interviewer doesn’t have a list of questions to ask you, or the questions are vague, unfocused or theoretical. (more…)