How to Hire the Right Person for Your Office
OKLAHOMA CITY - August 19, 2020
How to Hire the Right Person for Your Office
Every office is comprised of people with various backgrounds, experiences, and skillsets, all of whom make up the company's culture. When hiring someone new, it's important they not only have the right qualifications but also fit into your office's culture. And in many office environments, people become close acquaintances since they spend the better part of a week with each other. Even in remote work environments, a need for group synergy is important.
As a hiring manager, you are tasked with finding the ideal person that meets everyone's expectations, skill wise and personality wise. So, what are the best questions to ask during an interview to help determine if someone fits into your office's culture?
Whether you're new to hiring or are a seasoned hiring manager, these five questions and statements can help you understand your candidate on a deeper level.
Tell me about yourself, something that I wouldn't find on your resume or application.
This request gives the applicant an opportunity to tell you things about themselves that aren't typically on their resume. This can also be a good icebreaker to help ease the applicant's nerves and promote genuine dialog. Take notes of topics that you can use later as follow-up questions.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a co-worker and how you resolved that disagreement.
This is a great way to determine your candidate's conflict resolution style. It's inevitable your team members will have a disagreement of some kind, whether it's how to proceed on a project or being late on a report. How the applicant responds can tell you a lot about who they are. If they say they can't remember a time when they had a disagreement with a co-worker, this could mean they avoid conflict or maybe they go with the flow and try not to make any waves.
What are you passionate about?
Learning the applicant's passion can reveal their long-term goals. Are they applying for the position to just earn a paycheck or does the job align with their personal goals? If you are looking for someone to stick around for a while, you'll want whatever it is they are passionate about to align with the job they are applying for. If their passion is to become a champion surfer but they are applying for an 8-to-5 accounting position, it's possible the candidate might jump ship as soon as a job with higher pay or hours more conducive to their surfing schedule comes along.
Tell me about a moment in your life that you are proud of.
Leave it up to your applicant as to whether they describe something personal or professional. There's no wrong answer and you can learn a lot about what drives them to succeed in life and at work. If they recall a moment when they won an award, then you know public accolades are a good way to encourage them and help them succeed. If their proud moment involves endurance, like training for a marathon, or completing a year-long project, you can bet they would be encouraged by personal motivational emails or messages to give them the push they need to achieve their goal.
How would past co-workers describe you?
When you ask an applicant how someone else would describe them, it's less likely you would get an exaggerate response. It's also likely an applicant hasn't prepared for this question, so you'll receive a more candid response, versus a canned answer. This question can be used in various forms, such as, how would past co-workers describe your weaknesses, or strengths? Learning how a third-party would define your candidate can shed light on how they will fit in with your existing team.
Whenever possible, ask open-ended questions and allow the candidate ample time to respond. In fact, if you provide an extended pause after a candidate's response, it can encourage them to expand upon their answer, providing additional details about their skills and experiences. It's human nature to fill an awkward silence.
Hiring the right person for your office is a daunting task and can take a lot of time away from your normal work routine. If you're looking to fill a position in your office,
call your local Express Employment Professionals team.
Our recruiters are staffing professionals and are trained to seek out the right candidate for your team. In fact, Express placed 70,596 (U.S.) / 2,342 (Canada) people in an office role in 2019. Whether you use Express or hire your next team member on your own, asking the right questions is key to finding the best person for your office's culture.