How do YOU interview prospective employees?
So, you’re looking to hire a new person for your business. Finally, the time has come to add more people because the business is growing and you need more help.
This in itself is great!
Whenever a business decides to take on more people, that means it’s growing and a growing business is great for our economy.
Business Insider (2018), published some interesting statistics regarding our workforce:
- Job churn – Australian companies report on average 15% of their staff are currently leaving
- Two-thirds (67%) of employers have seen an increase in staff turnover in the last three years
Statistics aside, the mere cost of hiring can be daunting – add up all the time that was spent on the hiring process:
- Writing an ad for an online job seeking portal
- Possibly scouring your LinkedIn contacts for a suitable person
- Reviewing resumes as they come in (reviewing resumes is not as simple as reading and deciding – you need to know what to look for)
- Ringing up candidates and arranging interview times – typically after hours
- Going through the interview rounds
- Making the offer – hoping the candidate accepts the salary package – if not, more negotiations
- Onboarding and training
- Then at least 3 months of non-productivity as the new person comes up to speed
If you could put a dollar value to each of these steps – I’m sure you’d be more than surprised.
And now what if the new hire didn’t work out – and they leave – so you start the process all over again!
These numbers are frightening – and for any business owner looking to expand, they should be frightening.
Why? Because it suggests that businesses are having trouble hanging on to their employees – and despite what the current employment environment may look like, it’s clear that employees have much more choice today.
Think about this – 10 years ago if an employee was unhappy in their workplace, they may have had to think about the right time to leave.
Today, your employee can leave anytime and start their own business; Uber driver, renting out on Airbnb, selling on Gumtree/Etsy/Facebook – they could even become a virtual assistant and work from home.
So, given the power of employment has shifted from employer to employee, it makes sense that when you are ready to take on new staff, you do so carefully and with consideration.
Here are some tips on asking the right questions to ensure you find the right person who aligns with your thinking and that of the business.
- What do you know about this business?
Quite straight forward – yet if the candidate is unsure or even worse, ignorant about your business – then they are spamming every job advert on the market hoping ‘something’ sticks.
- Why are you looking for a new job?
This one question is your killer question – why are they leaving their last job or even deciding to possibly re-enter the job market?
- Why are you interested in this job?
Do you really want THIS job or are you just wanting another ‘job’?
- What did you like about your last job?
Just listen – the response will probably start with; ‘that’s a good question’ or ‘hmm, let me think about this’.
- How did you help your employer in the last job?
Or in other words, how did you help your boss in the last job? What value did you provide?
Asking great the right questions at a hiring interview is not about trapping the other person or making them look silly.
On the contrary.
It’s about ensuring they don’t fail and you, as the hiring company, you don’t fail them and that both of you succeed in this very expensive exercise.
And, merely asking the ‘right’ question, without knowing what outcome to look for is equally remiss of the employer – because you may miss some very big cues.
Recruitment Australia specialise in securing the right people for the job – it’s our job to make sure your investment in hiring, training and nurturing results in many years of productivity, value and culture building.
For your next recruitment need – consider us and see how we can save you from a potential NO GO!
Contact us today on 02 9634 5912 to see if we can help you in any way.
