Do you have the difficult task of interviewing to hire someone to fill a position in your company? It is always challenging to assess another without personal biases influencing your decision. To help you keep your focus on the candidate and his ability to perform the responsibilities of the job, use the following objective questions to guide your interview.

While not every question posed below will fit your situation exactly, adapt them to meet your needs. The most important aspect of the questioning is to keep yourself focused on the job and the type of person you need to fill the position. Use the questions to stay objective and avoid becoming subjective in the interview process.

To determine the job scope and requirements, it is helpful to put those requirements within a framework of three main categories: Can Do, Will Do, How Fit.

Can Do:

Skills

• How does he/she manage people?
• How organized is he/she?
• Can he/she multi-task?
• Can he/she represent the company to the various partners in the organization or business community?
• Can he/she oversee the business operations?
• Can he/she work with the team, board, etc.?
• How will he/she handle the various personalities?
• Can he/she select, mentor and retain a competent and satisfied staff?
• Can he/she work well with others?

Knowledge

• How important is knowledge of the job or organization and its relationships to other organizations and the community?
• Can he/she "sell" to the business community, corporate board, team members, customers, etc?

Education

• Is a degree essential?
• Does business experience count as "education"?

Experience

• How do his/her work experiences prepare him/her for the position?

Will Do:

Motivations

• What is in it for him/her?
• Will he/she be willing to work the hours required without feeling conflicted or disgruntled?
• Of what value is this position to him/her presently and in the future?
• Can he/she "sell" (and is comfortable doing so) to management and customers?

Interests:

• Can he/she do the job?
• Will he/she do the job?
• Does he/she want to do the job?
• Will he/she enjoy doing the job?
• Does he/she see the position as a step closer to fulfilling personal goals?

How Fit:

Work style

• How will he/she adapt to the style of current work group?
• What would he/she do to address issues?
• Is he/she willing to follow directives from the team or management and not his/her own agenda?

Personal style

• What is his/her preferred work pace?
• How does his/her communication style fit the organization?
• How does his/her decision-making style fit the organization?

Once you have adapted the questions to your specific interviewing situation, create a worksheet leaving room for you to note your comments. If you use the same set of questions with each person you interview, you will be able to create a more standardized approach to the process. It will be easier for you to compare the candidates following the interviews since you have used the same set of questions and have kept the same focus throughout the interview process for all candidates.

By focusing on the Can Do, Will Do and How Fit questions, your objectivity will prevail. You are also gaining valuable information about your potential employees. Hopefully, it will make you more comfortable with the challenge of placing the right person into the job.