Everyone hates hiring. Employers and employees. It’s just a tough thing to do. On the employers side, it’s really tough to find people that might be a great fit. Remember, any one you hire has to fit with you, your team, your customers and themselves!
When you do hire someone, make sure you give them a chance to actually make this work. Your job is to provide adequate training, clear outlines as to what you are looking for and communication. Let’s get to some questions that you might want to ask during that all important interview.
These are some questions that might be a little different than what you normally see . . .
When do you last clean a bathroom? If it’s a restaurant job, most likely they will be cleaning the bathroom at some point. Ask them to describe what the procedure they would use. Wax on? Wax off? Just kidding on that part but definitely see what aspects of cleaning they mention. Watch their face and body language on this one. Some people will do anything to get out of this job.
What was negative feedback you received from a customer? Really looking for how the potential employee deals with customer complaints and how they feel about it. Sometimes you need to have thick skin. When describing the situation does this employee complain about what the customer said? Do they use phrases that seem like they took it really personally? Do the use language that is degrading to the customer that said it.
When did you drop the ball? Basically, this is a variation on a couple other questions you hear. This phrasing is better because everyone has dropped the ball in a job. You are really looking for how they handled the issue. How did they fix it? Did the store lose a customer over it? How did their last employer handle it with them?
Any issue with a background check? Even if you don’t plan on running one, it’s a good question. It’s amazing how this can kill the interview in some situations. Please be careful and don’t ask anything your not supposed to! Just the background question itself will sometimes tell you all you need to know.
Slow down! If you find yourself really hitting it off, think twice. Do you want to hire this employee because they are fun to hang with? Are you missing warning signs just because you have a great rapport? Some people are just really personable – it doesn’t mean that they will be a good employee! It’s a good idea to have a 2nd person sit in on that interview or the next one.
There you go! Five questions you may not have thought to ask. Let us know if you have a favorite comment to ask in the comments!