Employing the right people, of course, comes down to good interview technique - and that's the problem. Few people have formal training in carrying out interviews and most of us do it only rarely. It's an interruption to an already busy week, something that has to be done rather than an opportunity to find a great new member of staff to drive up profits and make life better.
At Armchair we know what success looks like and we know how to hire the best receptionists. We have built our business on providing an overspill reception service for busy organisations, so we have to have the best.
Heres how we go about recruiting the right candidates - and how you can do
the same.
1) Dont be a victim of fake enthusiasm
Interviewers all too often make a quick judgment based on their
perception and then jump to an instant conclusion.
Since hiring the wrong receptionist for your business can make the difference between success and failure, you cant afford to make a snap decision.
The enthusiasm a candidate brings to an interview can be real or
manufactured; your job is to distinguish between the two. Every book that tells people how to get a job teaches candidates to be enthusiastic.
Be specific. If you want to find out whether or not the candidate really can build a rapport with a customer, ask for an example of how they established a successful relationship with a prospect in the past.
2) Control the interview
Controlling the interview simply means getting the information you need, not what the candidate wants to tell you - in the time available. The only way to control the interview is to ask effective questions. Never just invite the interviewee to: Tell me about yourself. The candidate will tell you what they want to hear and you will lose control.
All the books advise applicants to answer questions with a story and to use words like enthusiasm, excited and energy. Always be better prepared than the applicant and make sure you find out what you want to know, not what they want to tell you.
3) Dont jump to conclusions
Its no secret that many interviewers prepare by scanning the CV two or three minutes before the interviewee arrives. They believe they will immediately know if this person is the right one for the job. This is the one real way to lower the probability of making a good hiring decision. Prepare properly.
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