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5 key questions to help you recruit great employees

Succeeding in hiring the right candidate can seem like a miracle. It’s a process that requires flair and intuition, but must also be based on the achievement of precise objectives. With this in mind, here are five questions to ask potential employees to help you identify an ideal candidate.

1. What is your level of motivation? The candidates who are the most qualified on paper may not necessarily be the best fit for the position you are looking to fill. Without dismissing an applicant’s experience, education and training, their level of motivation is crucial when determining if they are the right person for the job. Why do they want to work for you? How interested is the person in growing with your company? Get them talking to get a good understanding of their interests, ambitions and priorities. Is the person between jobs or are they looking for a stable position that will allow them to learn and evolve? Keep in mind that an employee who is motivated to work will pay off handsomely in the long term: not only will the person be more enthusiastic, but also more likely to integrate well with the rest of your team.
2. Tell me about your work experience. Ask the candidate to explain to you what they’ve done at their previous jobs in concrete terms. Don’t accept a vague or general response like “I have 2 years of experience as a repairman.” Ask them to describe the tasks that they had to perform as part of their job. How did the candidate and their previous employer approach their daily workload? What aspects of the job did the person like, and which did they dislike? By asking specific questions, you will be better able to get a true portrait of the candidate’s experience, competencies and interests.
3. Ask the candidate if they are a team player. To get a frank and honest response, ask a question like “What does teamwork mean to you?” In an increasingly competitive environment where several employees from different trades may be called upon to work together on a vehicle at the same time, it’s important that your chosen candidate be able to work well in a team environment.
4. What are your professional ambitions? You could also ask, “What position is the most interesting to you?” Painter? Repairman? Service advisor? All of the above? As a manager, it’s important for you to know the ambitions of the candidate that you’re interviewing. This will ensure that you are able to successfully position the person within your organization, and also manage them more effectively, from the very beginning.
5. Trust your instincts. This is not a question per se, but successful managers will tell you that you need to have excellent listening skills in order to effectively evaluate candidates. If you have developed this skill, you will probably be able to quickly determine if the candidate is a good fit for the position or not. What is your general impression? Does the person seem to have the same mentality as other team members? If your intuition isn’t giving you a positive feeling, don’t push it – move on to the next qualified candidate.