To be nervous that we hire the wrong person for the job again?

[mameulah]

Please, please can you give me your top tips for hiring a new employee.

My DH has his own business and desperately needs a good team of people to delegate too. For one or another the people he has recently hired have turned out to be awful. Lazy, incompetent and dishonest.

What are the best interview questions you have asked/been asked?

What is the best way of checking that the interviewee really is as good as they say they are?

Or any other top tips?

Apologies if this thread would be better suited in another subject area but we have a toddler and a new born due any day now. We desperately need a team behind us so that my DH can spend more some time enjoying our family.

You've got to find the can-do attitude ie someone who goes the extra mile, someone who works well when the s* hits the fan or when you are up against it.

I ask lots about previous jobs. And you get an inkling for someone with a good attitude. I have always employed attitude over experience.

I once employed a girl who spent 6 months shining shoes in the City at bankers offices. She had no direct/relevant experience to the job I was interviewing her for but she was cheery, bright, friendly and enthusiastic and I figured if she could do that job and keep smiling then she had a good can-do attitude.

I'd certainly ask about toughest jobs, challenging jobs and/or personal experiences.

I don't think you can avoid a mistake as such. Some people do interview way above the level they will work at. There is an answer though - probation periods. Give the new recruit clear targets, interim feedback and a chance to up their game. If they continue to fail then you have a clear process you've followed and can proceed to end their contract.

Perhaps someone who has secretarial and office/business qualifications. A degree educated person or IT whizz kid may not be the best fit necessarily. When I last went for an interview, I was asked (a) could I type? (b) could I spell? as it seemed that the admin/secretarial position had previously been given to people who could do neither of these.

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There's loads of tests you can do, you don't need to buy them! Basic filing, answering an email ( in a word document, not a real email!), have a couple of emails from a colleague and a customer and then you can check their tone, write a letter from scratch, and a prioritisation task. E.g. These four things a re happening, what order do you do them in and why. Also data entry task is a good way to check accuracy, e.g, here's a load of invoices, put them on a spreadsheet in the way you deem most useful.

For me above all else it is getting a verbal reference, so making my own phone call to a referee. I always ask the question would you re-employ them.
Twice I have used written references and both times they were not satisfactory.

Sorry, long answer...

Does he already have employees he trusts? Could one of them sit in on interviews and give an opinion afterwards?

Is there any chance that his/your collective decision is skewed towards people who are attractive and well-presented but who have no "depth"? Are references being checked properly?

Is he/are you covertly discriminating, for example, against older or disabled people who may have long, steady work records and a wealth of relevant experience?

Is the pay at a fair level, commensurate with the duties etc rather than, say, minimum wage (the least that an employer can legally get away with)? Is the work being accurately presented during the application process? Is it possible that employees are starting work only to find the job is not what they anticipated and that they are expected to take on big responsibilities for little reward?

Turning full responsibility over to an employee may simply not be appropriate - it is DH's business so he needs to be aware of what is going on at all times. Has he contemplated having a business partner (I realise this may simply not be possible financially or otherwise)?

Hard for you/him to be objective but is he a fair, approachable, boss or does he, for example, take it amiss when employees ask for time to go for dental/medical appointments?

Is the process being hurried without proper consideration?

Are employees properly trained? Are they listened to/consulted? An excellent candidate may lack one core skill which can be acquired on the job.

Don't just look out at potential employees, look inwardly to see what is offered and expected. How are the physical working conditions? Are safety requirements adhered to?

Perhaps an applicant's outside interests give a clue to abilities/organisation etc. Ask what he/she would do in X situation, ask for an account of when he/she demonstrated abilities required in the job on offer.

(Sorry for the essay, am currently job hunting. At my last interview I spoke to the tops of two heads while the interviewers scribbled all I said in longhand!!)

china I think it's really harsh to ask someone about their dream job and write them off as unreliable if the answer bears no resemblance to the business in question. If someone is running eg a plumbing supply business, (just picking something at random) and they're looking for an admin person, are they really expecting that person to have a huge interest in plumbing supplies? Or a massive yearning for admin? And if they say they do, would you not suspect them of lying? I know I would. Most people have no realistic chance to work in something resembling their dream job, but they can still be hardworking and reliable in what they do work at.

Absolutely do tests - I do a lot of technical recruitment, and these really, really weed out people who can't do something (they're given full access to the internet - they're not expected to have memorised everything), and give you some insight because you can see how they approach something (we've had such a range of techniques for one fairly simple task).

For admin - I dunno, get them to type up a timesheet, or ask them to organize a heap of paperwork and ask why they did it that way, a 15 minute task, which will probably take a nervous person in interview 20-30 minutes is what we do.

Tasks such as writing a letter, making up a spreadsheet, sending off an invoice, taking a difficult phone call. These are some tasks that you could do at interviews. Give them a list of things to do and set them a time to do them in. For example 30 minutes to do 15 tasks.

Hi. I have used shl tests a lot. You can pay for them to analyse the test for you and there seem to be a lot of tests to choose from. All that is needed is a computer and the reports are quick.

In terms of interview questions, along with the tell me about a time when you type questions, I like " tell me about the piece of work that you are most proud of". Surprisingly telling as it gives you an insight into what the applicant values, how they work and what they perceive as good quality.

You could make up some customer complaints or problems (based on real ones) and see how they deal with them? I would second the idea of hiring through an agency and then paying the fee if you find someone you like. At least then you can replace someone unsatisfactory more quickly. I think one of the issues here is that good admin people are like gold dust and aren't necessarily appreciated! If you are near a university, try their student jobs office too?

There is an answer though - probation periods.

Probationary periods are great in theory - but they are a complete red herring legally. Any employer can get rid of any employee [unless for sexism, racism and a further list of other isms and things such as whistleblowing etc] at any time in the first two years.

The only time I pay heed to probationary periods is to make sure they are 3 months, and then watch after this has been celebrated to see if it was all for show.

mameulah

Where are you? I know someone looking for that type of work.

Have you considered a disabled employee? I don't mean not discriminating but actually going looking (and yes you can legally do this) and 'disability' can cover a lot of things you might not consider such as mental health issues.

If you go directly to the job centre or a specialists such as The Shaw Trust you will be sent suitable candidates and - this is the important bit - they will be given support in to the job, this varies depending on the person's needs so could be providing equipment (provided to you paid by government), a taxi to work (not paid by you) or other support and usually involves a number of meetings over some months so that if things are not working you have a third (free to you) party to help iron out problems.

Pay them well?

As someone who interviews really badly I love assessment days. They give you a chance to show what you can do.

I can never think of anything for the give an example type of questions until after the interview (when I come up with many).

The last interview I had turned into a three way conversation about hobbies! Im hoping the rest of the assessments get me through.

For what its worth I think I am a great candidate. I will only apply for a job I think I can do well which fits my life and I am honest about the bits I cant do.

I would do some assessments.

There was a thread here in the past week where a woman got a test at interview for a school admin job- that will probably be helpful to you!

Think it was in 'going back to work' board.

WOW everyone, thank you so much. This is by far the most helpful thread I have ever posted! And sitting here at 39 +4 pregnant with our toddler I am starting to feel much more positive about our family time in the future!

To summarise some of the points that have been covered...

My DH is a very fair boss. In fact I would think that that has sometimes contributed to problems in the past. Fairness is not always something that is reciprocated. In the past I have told him that he has to be more of a bitch!

The last person he hired was from an agency. They cost a fortune, were a nightmare to get rid of and there was no come back for the agency. It was a really stressful time.

Any tips on what the CV of the successful candidate should say?

Definitely tests, sorts those who can talk about it, from those who can actually do it.

I interviewed recently for someone to work in a stats based role, lots of spreadsheet work and analysing figures. The number of people who failed the basic excel test was frightening (considering the role they were applying for). Definitely ask them to write a draft email or letter to a customer too - the number of people who don't know how to set out a basic letter on a page is a bit of a worry too.

For that kind of role, don't be swayed by a snappy young thing with a degree - somebody in their 40's coming back to work after children with a long secretarial career and a clutch of pitman certs from the 80's would probably do a brilliant job.

Having been an employer myself, the disadvantages of an employee who can't come in when there's chickenpox at home are NOTHING to the advantages of the experience, common sense and capability of an older staff member with a massive administrative cv. My best employees have been mothers.

Apologies to snappy young things with degrees reading this and bristling with resentment!

Show not tell :) all the way - define the central tasks and set up tests to show competency.

Why was it a nightmare to get rid of the agency worker? Did your DH commit to a long period up front? Normally, it's really easy to let agency staff go!

Re the CV - I would expect it to reflect the skills, qualities and experience that candidates will need for the job, so if you're clear about what they are, it should be easy to know what you're looking for. :)

Also if you can offer flexibility you may get a mum/dad returner/carer with great skills but willing to work in a more junior role

I'm terrible in interviews as I get nervous. I'm a fab employee, good at my job, go the extra mile and get on with everyone.
A former colleague was great at interviews. Real gift of the gab. Awful at his job, personality disorder and caused havoc.