When every new hire can significantly impact your company’s productivity and culture, how do you know you’re making the right choice? The key is conducting better — more consistent, more equitable, and more effective — job interviews.
Done right, interviews help uncover a candidate’s skills, personality, and fit for the role while allowing your company to make a strong impression. You’ll also need to stay compliant with legal regulations to avoid costly mistakes. This guide will provide essential steps for small business owners and managers conducting job interviews.
Contents:
- Preparing for the Interview
- Conducting the Interview
- Legal Compliance and Questions to Avoid
- Post-Interview Evaluation
- Common Interview Mistakes
- Making the Right Choice
Preparing for the Interview
A well-prepared job interview is an effective interview. Set the stage for success by planning the key details ahead of time.
Define the role and skills needed.
Start by creating a clear and accurate job description, including:
- Primary Responsibilities: What will this person do daily, weekly, or monthly?
- Key Skills and Qualifications: Include hard skills (e.g., proficiency with software) and soft skills (e.g., adaptability, communication).
- Cultural Expectations: Think about how candidates should align with your company’s values.
This preparation serves as your foundation for structuring the interview questions and identifying the qualities of your ideal hire.
Plan the interview structure.
Decide the practical details of the process:
- Who Will Be Present: Will it be just you, or will team members or managers also participate? Consider panel interviews for more comprehensive insights.
- Location and Format: Will the interview take place in person, over a video call, or on the phone? Each format has its benefits depending on your goals.
- Time Allocated: Make sure there’s enough time to discuss the role, ask questions, and allow the candidate to ask their own.
Conducting the Interview
Good job interviews are more than just a series of questions. It involves creating a comfortable environment while gathering the information you need.
Use phone interviews for initial screening.
Start with a short phone interview to determine whether a candidate meets the basic job requirements. Questions should focus on verifying qualifications, such as:
- How did you hear about this position?
- Can you tell me about your relevant experience with [specific skill]?
Limit phone screenings to 20-30 minutes to save time.
Follow up with face-to-face or virtual job interviews.
Once you’ve narrowed your list, move on to in-depth interviews using techniques like the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result):
- Example Question: Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict in the workplace. What actions did you take, and what was the outcome?
Assess cultural fit.
Cultural fit is vital for long-term retention. Use situational questions to evaluate personality and alignment with company values:
- How do you approach teamwork in high-pressure situations?
- What are your professional goals, and how do they align with this role?
Take notes.
Charles Krugel, a Chicago-based labor and employment attorney, advises employers to take notes either contemporaneously during the interview or as soon as possible after.
“Notes don’t have to be typed. Even chicken scratch notes are fine,” Krugel says. “Always note the W’s: who said what, where the interview occurred, what time, when it ended, if there were witnesses, what was asked, why, etc.”
Legal Compliance and Questions to Avoid in a Job Interview
Hiring the best candidate involves staying compliant with employment laws and asking legally permissible questions.
Understand Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) prohibits discrimination based on:
- Race and national origin
- Age (40 and older)
- Gender and sexual orientation
- Disability
Small businesses are required to comply with these laws to avoid legal consequences.
“Even if it’s just harmless small talk,” says Krugel, “what’s the value of having this knowledge especially if it’s not relevant to the job? If the intent is to find out whether or not they’re eligible and able to work, then just ask them that.”
Avoid illegal job interview questions.
Some seemingly harmless questions can be legally risky.
- Don’t Ask: How old are you?
- Do Ask: Are you over the legal working age of 18?
- Don’t Ask: Do you have children?
- Do Ask: Are you able to meet the schedule requirements of this role?
- Don’t Ask: What is your religion?
- Do Ask: Are there specific days or times when you would be unavailable to work?
Krugel advises employers to focus their inquiries on a candidate’s ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations.
“This is why job descriptions are so important,” Krugel says. “Job descriptions not only tell the candidate exactly what you expect, they help prevent you from asking bad questions and keep you focused on whether or not the candidate can do the job.”
Post-Interview Evaluation
After the interview, take time to assess each candidate thoroughly.
Review your notes.
Evaluate a candidate’s potential based on the notes created earlier. Key areas to analyze include:
- Specific answers to job-related questions.
- Communication and interpersonal skills demonstrated during the job interview.
- Overall compatibility with company needs.
Run background checks.
For top candidates, run background checks to verify employment history, criminal records, or other credentials. Ensure compliance with regulations like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires signed consent from candidates.
Balance data and gut feelings.
While structured evaluations are essential, your instincts also matter.
“If your gut tells you that this candidate isn’t a good fit for you, and you trust your gut feelings, then don’t hire that person,” Krugel advises. “It’s your time, money, and possibly even your business that’s on the line. Don’t waste your time hoping that a candidate will do better after a bad first impression.”
Common Interview Mistakes
When it comes to preventative HR, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, according to Krugel.
“I estimate that it’s three or four times more expensive to defend these issues as lawsuits than it is to get it right in the first place.”
Avoid these common mistakes to ensure a smooth hiring process:
- Incomplete Job Descriptions: Failing to align questions with job descriptions inevitably leads to poor hiring decisions.
- Biased Questioning: Businesses that flout EEO laws set themselves up for legal fees and damages. They also risk overlooking qualified candidates.
- Missing Documentation: Interview notes not only ensure transparency but also help you remember important details about each applicant.
- Ignoring Your Gut: At the end of the day, small business owners have to trust their instincts.
Making the Right Choice for Your Small Business
Recruiting and hiring may seem intimidating, but conducting job interviews effectively is crucial for finding employees who contribute positively to your small business’s growth. Structured interviews, legal compliance, and thorough evaluations give you the tools to make informed decisions.
Remember, interviews are a two-way street. Just as much as you’re evaluating candidates, they’re considering whether your business feels right for them. Make your company’s mission, culture, and opportunities clear so that candidates leave enthusiastic about joining your team.
