Career guide to interview questions & employment agencies & how employers choose candidates
Placing an ad in your local newspaper or contacting an employment agency does not guarantee that the next person you interview has you're looking for. And once you have place an employment ad, you may receive a higher response than planned. Don't seek qualified employees at a whim! Be prepared to conduct an interview that weeds out an "unqualified" employee and draws in the "highly qualified".
It's obvious... The interview process is key to finding that special individual. You can look through a stack of resumes a day and still not find someone that is appealing. It will take a half hour or hour of your time spent one-on-one with an individual to hash out his or her expectations, your requirements, and business goals.
How Employers Choose a Career Resume
References and a personalized cover letter should be included with quality resumes. Some people hire professionals to craft their resumes so that they appear a perfect match for positions and companies while others try to hash them out by themselves and often fail to produce anything that will catch a hiring manager's eye.
Who creates the resume will definitely affect how it looks and reads, but it not necessarily the best criteria by which to gauge potential candidates.
Look closely at their job employment history. Have they moved from job to job? Has the person stayed at a job longer then 5-years?
Did they leave previous employers contact information as a job reference? What skills outside of your requirements do the individual have?
For instance, if you're looking for a secretary who is computer literate and enjoys communicating with people, her resume should show past experience in the secretarial field as well as customer service. Yet, you don't want her talents to end there. Hope is that this employee will stay
on and grow with your business. So, a background in office management or accounting would be an added bonus.
This person would be what I call a 5 star applicant.
Don't overlook the inexperienced. Sometimes an employee that has less experience in the field you want them too engage in is a better employee. The reason ...this employee is trainable and willing to learn 'how' you do things. Chances are he or she will sore beyond your expectations and stay with your company longer.
The job Employment Interview
Let's assume that you choose the resume of Joe Blow. He has 10 years of administrative experience and 5 years of waiting tables down at a local restaurant. You need someone to answer phones, conduct themselves in a professional manner, and handle customer service.
Is Joe the person you want? Joe definitely has the office skills you seek but he seems light on the customer service side of things. After talking with Joe in the interview, you learn that this guy has handled more customer complaints and issues in one week than most customer service associates handle in a month. It is not as easy as you might think working with the public in the food industry.
Associates with restaurant experience can be great candidates for customer service positions.
Evaluation of job employment interview
The process can take more than a day, a week, or a month.
Give yourself plenty of time to evaluate the applicant. Be fair and consider their body language. Did they look straight into your eyes as you talked? If not, you may be dealing with a dishonest person.
Body language is important and shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating how well the interview went. A person can have all of the qualifications needed, but if they don't mix well with you or your staff, you're in for trouble.
If you can't make up your mind, call them in for a second interview. This time have them complete a questionnaire. You may decide to have them perform a small task that shows their skill. For instance, ask Jennifer to type you a letter using a typewriter verses a computer keyboard.
Analysis her reaction to this request and don't be afraid to explain why you are asking this of her.
Finding personnel really isn't all that difficult as long as you know exactly what type of person fits your qualifications. Keep tabs on the resumes you've acquired for future use and be straightforward, yet considerate when interviewing. In the end, you'll obtain a new employee that is appreciative and willing to satisfy you.