Interrogation Vs. Conversation

This is a guest post by Sean Glombowski. I previously worked with Sean and stayed connected with him. When I saw his LinkedIn post about the job hunt, I knew I had to get him to share. Thankfully, he did. I’m proud to introduce you to Sean today and hope you take something away from his article.

Merriam-Webster defines Interrogation as: “a formal and systematic questioning”. They also define Conversation as: “oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas”. Now that we know what the definition of each is I pose the question of, what method is best for interviewing potential candidates for a new position?

5 Questions To Ask Your Next New Hire

Hiring new talent is exhilarating and scary at the same time. You have the ability to bring new blood onto the team. Your hope is this new team member will help your organization thrive.

woman and man interviewing

Then there’s the fear. Fear the team member won’t fit your organization’s culture. Or that his skill set may not be what you need.

These two emotions clash and can bring anxiety to the hiring process. However, with proper vetting, you can discover whether or not a potential new hire will be a good fit.

5 Questions To Ask Your Next New Hire

There are certain questions you can ask of people to discover who they really are and what they can bring to your team. Knowing the right questions to ask of a new hire can be your saving grace.

How To Find The Right People

Bringing a new team member onto your team can be a scary experience. You want a great fit but you don’t know if you’ll get one.

Finding the right people to join your team can be tough. That’s why you’ve got to take the correct steps to get the right people into your organization.

Finding the right people is critical for business success

Adding Team Members

Whether you’re adding a new team member because an old employee transitioned out of their role or because your company has grown and requires a new person, adding a new team member will impact the culture of your organization.

Anytime you add or remove someone, the dynamics of your team changes. The new team member will bring with him different traits and personality quirks.

They may not be able to slide into their new role and fill it like the previous person. That’s okay. Don’t freak out.

Who Should You Bring Onto Your Team?

One of the biggest decisions a new, or even old, leader will make is who to hire and bring onto their team.

Few people understand how important hiring the right person is. They lack the insight to realize bringing the wrong person onto the team can damage the culture of the organization.

But don’t fear faithful reader, there’s something you can do when it’s time to bring someone new onto your team. It’s not easy and it’s going to take work but it’s well worth it.

So, what can you do to make a wise decision in the hiring process? I believe heeding the follow advice will help you in this leadership task.

Look for passion: Steve Jobs had it right when it came to hiring. He said in a Fortune interview that competence is the ante but the real issue was “Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.”

The Overlooked Skill

If you’re in a position of leadership, you often wonder about certain questions.

How’s the company doing? Are we going in the right direction? What difference are we making in the world?

But there’s another question that weighs heavy on the hearts of leaders…

Frustrated Man

Image by Zach Klein

Who should I hire? What traits should a prospective employee have?

The question is never an easy one to answer. Every position requires a different set of skills.

One position may require knowledge of computer coding. Another may require the employee to know how to effectively manage a core team. Still another may require exquisite customer service skills.

It may seem overwhelming searching for someone with the right skill set. And it can be.

And yet the skill set is not the most important thing a prospective employee must have.