Starting your own business is exciting and
also challenging… but you’re finally making your dreams come true of becoming
your own boss.
You’ve worked out and tested your business
plan. You have investors lined up and you’re ready to go. All you need now
is the right staff.
There is always going to be a huge learning
curve associated with any type of startup. Ideally, you shouldn’t weather that
storm all alone. You should find capable workers who can support your plan.
Part of the hiring process will involve interviewing your prospective
employees. The following questions could become a good guide for the interview.
How
are you with customer
service?
The correct answer should be, “Awesome!”
But don’t take their word for it. Run a few scenarios by them to see how they
would handle a particular situation related to your business. Role playing is
an effective way of seeing how this employee might handle a spontaneous
situation especially one involving an irate customer.
Describe
what it means to be adaptable.
There’s no escaping that with a startup
you’re going to have some
days of genuine chaos. How will your new hire handle the pressure? Can they
think on their feet? Will they need constant supervision? Ask them to discuss a
previous work experience when the unexpected happened and how they adapted to
that situation.
What
was the last project you worked through successfully?
Hopefully, the candidate you’re
interviewing will have had some experience relating to your business. They
should be able to talk about a previous work project they either initiated or
were put in charge of. What did they learn from that experience? What mistakes
did they make?
How
would you rate your drive to succeed?
It’s easy to find workers who punch in, do
their tasks and punch out. They get the job done but don’t go that extra mile.
If you’re excited
about starting your business then you want someone who is going to share
your enthusiasm.
How
do you resolve employee conflicts?
Hiring a staff means you’re hiring multiple
personalities. In the best case scenario everyone will work in harmony but we
all know that is a lofty goal to achieve. Even if the person you’re
interviewing is just for a staff position you still want to get a sense of how
they’ll get
along with the rest of your team. Communicate your goals and then see if
they “get it.”
One of the best indicators of a good
employee is through their references. Ask the references similar questions
about the candidate. Look for consistencies in the responses. If there is any
inconsistency, find out why.
