Interviewing

Lately I have been doing a lot of interviewing to fill finance and accounting positions at clients, which suggested a subject I have not covered here.

Everyone always tells start up entrepreneurs to hire the best and the brightest. The unstated premise is that you know how to interview effectively. Most executives have never learned to interview a candidate well, partly because it is a skill that is not used constantly. Ten tips for better interviewing:

1. Always define (understand) the job requirements in detail before you begin interviewing; a sample is here.
2. Screen prospective candidates for their experience with exemplary organizations (McKinsey, Price Waterhouse, World Bank, HBS, etc.) and interview these candidates first; 19 out of 20 times the new employee is in this small group
3. Always review a resume before the interview and prepare a short list of key questions to be asked; drill down with the candidate on their experience in the key skills the position requires
4. Always begin an interview with the question "tell me about yourself"; what the candidate emphasizes instantly tells you what is important in their life and it may not be work
5. Always ask "what type of boss do you work best with"; you are looking for the people who answer "the boss gives me a minimum amount of direction and then let's me work" because confident, self-directed people almost always make the best hires (rarely the answer given)
6. At the end of an interview ask the person "what don't I know about you from your resume"; once had a candidate say that she walked from Guatemala to enter the U.S. (she was a great employee)
7. Always split an interview up so you ask the questions for 2/3 of the time and the interviewee gets to ask questions for the remaining time; listen carefully to their questions because these are the things that are important to the candidate (no questions--no job offer)
8. Don't waste time trying to cleverly get information about subjects that are not legally permitted; you are just telling the prospective employee that you do not respect the law and discriminate in hiring
9. Always test for required skills--languages, Excel, programming, etc.
10. If you would not leave your children with the candidate for a weekend, don't hire them; after an hour you should know if the person is responsible, within the norms of social behavior and trustworthy

The most common mistakes people make in interviewing are:

1. They talk too much and do not listen carefully; interviewers like to show their "power", but the interview is not about the interviewer
2. They focus too much on whether they like the person and not enough on whether the person can do the job; this is not dating, this is interviewing
3. They hire people of the same nationality, race or gender; support for fellow immigrants is great but diversity brings different perspectives on issues and makes you more welcoming to others

My preferences in candidates:

1. I tend to hire people from the best universities; the smarter the better
2. I tend to hire people who began their careers with Fortune 500 type companies because typically they have been trained to do things properly and they may have good practices to impart
3. I tend to hire people who are self-motivated and do not need a lot of cheer leading (not one of my skills)

Know what kind of people you like to work with and it will help your interviewing.

Lastly, don't be afraid of people who "threaten" you by their qualifications, self-confidence and accomplishments. To build a great company you need some stars and some stars in waiting.