Interviewing Prospective Employees of Your Business Center

We all know that hiring the right person for the job is critical to the success of your business center, and that creating a good fit between the employee and the position helps ensure that your center runs smoothly and succeeds in supporting your clients. But, depending on the position being filled in your center, you may want to look more closely at specific technical skills, or you may be more concerned with how the individual will fit in with the staff at your center, or you might focus on an applicant’s enthusiasm and desire for the position. The need to handle specific tasks, supervise others, meet with your center's clients and/or work independently will factor into how you approach the interview process and make your assessment of the candidates.

Although you can get the answers to many questions from looking at a resume, it is important to hear each prospective employee respond verbally. This way s/he can provide greater insight into his or her previous employment and education and how they will contribute to your business center.

The following are ALLIANCE-recommended steps that will help you conduct a great interview that will get you all the information about your candidate you need to make the best hiring decision for your center.

Critical questions to ask your candidate

Ask the right questions to identify whether your applicant is the right fit for your center and the position available. Here are the most important questions you’ll want to ask your potential employees during that important first interview.

The following are among the questions you will want to ask:
• What did you do at your last position?
• What did you like about your last position?
• Why did you leave your last position? (Or why do you wish to leave your current position?)
• How would you describe your relationship with your co-workers? With supervisors? With clients or customers?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of?
• In which areas would you most like to improve?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

You also want to find out about the applicant’s reasons for starting in the OBC field and their future plans or goals. Questions you might ask include:
• What made you pursue a career in the OBC industry?
• What courses in school do you feel were most applicable to your work in the officing industry?
• What are your long-term goals or where do you see yourself in five or ten years from now in the OBC industry?

More intensive questions for your candidate

Now that you’ve asked the critical introductory questions, you will want to get a better feel for how the candidate might function in the specific position at your center for which s/he is applying.

When talking about the job in question, you will want to get a feel for how the individual will fit in among your staff and clients and how s/he will handle different situations at your center. After explaining some of the basic tasks involved, you might ask questions such as:
• Which past experiences do you feel will help you most in this position?
• Would you be comfortable supervising x number of employees?
• We use x computer software. Are you familiar with that system?
• What other skills do you feel you can bring to this position?
• This position may require you to put in x number of hours per week or some travel out of town; would that be a problem for you?

Look at other specific aspects of the position you are looking to fill, such as phone calls, client contact, sales or marketing skills, and ask candidates how comfortable they are in handling such specific tasks. You may want to ask scenario-driven questions about situations relevant to your center and clients to encourage relevant, substantial and useful responses.

You may also want to ask questions about the applicant’s education, particularly with younger candidates who are more recently out of school and have less work experience. Internships have become more common in our industry in recent years and you should ask the applicant what s/he did and what s/he learned from any internships that would be applicable to the position at your center.

If the prospective employee has had large gaps in his or her employment history, you will want to inquire about what s/he was doing during those time periods.

Typically, you will ask what compensation the individual was receiving at the previous job and what s/he is seeking at this job. Sometimes this inquiry is saved for the second interview. In other situations, where you are limited to a certain salary or hourly wage, you might state that this job pays x amount or you might provide a salary range. This way you can determine early on in the process whether or not the applicant is interested at all.

Questions you should NOT ask

Along with the questions you should ask, there are several questions you should NOT ask your candidate.

These kinds of questions are illegal to ask:
• How old are you?
• What is your religion?
• What ethnicity are you?
• What is your sexual preference?
• Are you married?
• Do you have children?
• Are you planning to start a family?
• Have you ever done drugs?
• Have you ever been arrested?
• Do you have any physical limitations?

You should not ask other questions that relate to personal information and are not pertinent to the job at your center. If you are uncertain about whether a question is legal to ask, check with your Human Resources department first, or contact us at ABCN and we will put you in touch with an HR professional who can give you some help. In addition, you should not touch an applicant, other than a handshake.

What your candidate means by what s/he doesn’t say

Along with the questions and answers, you will want to get a feeling for the comfort and character of the person sitting across from you. Do take note of your candidate’s body language, but try not to read too much into it, since typically most people are nervous on a job interview. It is more important that you get a feeling for what this person brings to the position from his or her past experience and his or her manner of presentation. Candidates should dress accordingly for an interview, depending on the formality of the position, and they should look like they would be comfortable and belong in your center. You should explain the position and mention any benefits package that will be included. It is also helpful to give each applicant a little background information about your business center and its culture and clientele, as well as how your center is a part of the worldwide ALLIANCE NETWORK.

A good finish to your first interview

Here are a few tips on closing the interview politely and professionally so that both interviewee and interviewer are satisfied.

You should end the interview by asking the applicant if he has any questions. Make sure you know the answers before responding or make it clear that you can find out the answers and let them know. It is important that any statements you make about the company or about the position are precise.

Finally, you should thank each applicant for coming in to the interview and shake his/her hand. You should be as polite and professional throughout the interview process as you expect the candidate to be when working with your clients and at your center.

The second interview and following up

Typically, if an interview goes well, you will want to schedule a second interview with a strong candidate.

At this time, you should get into describing the job more thoroughly and, if you have not done so already, discuss salary. It is also at this point that you might introduce the candidate to the person who will be his or her immediate supervisor at your center, should that be someone other than yourself. In many cases, the supervisor will conduct the follow-up interview.

No matter how much you may feel that someone is right for your center and/or the job, it is in your best interest to ask for and contact references. You also want to ask the prospective employee to sign a form allowing you to do a background check. You should then take the time to perform such a check. Confirm with past employers to make sure the applicant worked where they claim they did and, if possible, talk to a former supervisor. You can get a better idea of your candidate’s strengths and weaknesses by speaking with previous employers. Interviewers should also verify that the applicant did attend the schools s/he listed on his or her resume or application.

And now, here’s the ALLIANCE NETWORK’s TOP 10 interviewing highlights that will give you something to look forward to:

1.The applicant ''stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.''
2. ''She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.''
3. ''A balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece.''
4. The applicant "asked to see the interviewer's resume to see if I was qualified to judge the candidate.''
5. The applicant "announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in my office.''
6. ''When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office.''
7. ''At the end of the interview, while I stood there dumbstruck, the applicant went through her briefcase, took out a brush, brushed her hair, and left.''
8. The applicant "pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of me. Said she collected photos of everyone who interviewed her.''
9. ''During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate's brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.''
10. ''Candidate said he really didn't want to get a job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one.''