I now get to do the interviewing at my store

[WonTon]

Please. Any helpful hints? My SM is going to let me sit in on a few with him before he throws me to the wolves, but I'd love to hear some interesting stories from a few of you.

[Sandman]

Never NEVER! Put their resume off to the side and ask them about their job history. It's a huge insult to them.

Trust me.. I've been on the interviewee side when that happened and I hated it.

[Becks]

I would suggest not asking any weird questions, that have NOTHING to do with the job, etc.

When I applied to be a team leader at Goodwill, the ambiguously gay duo (aka store manager and assistant store manager) asked questions like, "Why do kids play with toys?" and other odd stuff. I hated that. With a passion, even.

[Seanette]

I'd definitely make very sure you know what questions are legally shaky (e.g. marital status, reproductive plans, etc.). I prefer interviews in which the conversation stays on subjects relevant to the job, and where I get plenty of info offered to me so I can decide if *I* like *them* (and maybe if someone doesn't have any questions, it's because you've already covered everything that applicant is interested in).

[bars.of.a.rhyme]

Try starting out with small talk. When I interviewed at Hollywood Video, the manager asked me what my favorite movies were. When I interviewed at EB games, they asked me about my favorite games.

Not only will it give you a chance to see what they like, but the way they answer can be a huge insight into the way they deal with other people...if they like talking about things that they enjoy, and if hearing them talk about it makes you want to check it out, odds are they're going to be a great salesman and probably pretty good with customer service. I've never had a problem with job interviews (I tend to view them less as tests and more as little chats - hey, if I don't get along with my interviewer I'll probably hate the job anyway), but if I did I imagine answering little questions like that would calm me down a bit as well.

And don't do that "quiet" thing where you clam up for a whole minute just to see what kind of embarassing shit the interviewee spits out in the awkward silence. I hate that.

[Think Blue]

Watchout for the crazy people. The things people offer to get the job is ridiculous (sexual favors ). Remember to keep the atmosphere professional, but friendly.

[April]

The WORST question EVER is name 3 positives and 3 negatives about yourself. I HATE that question with a passion. A close second is "what did you hate about your last job" I never want to reply with a wishy washy answer, but I never want to bash my old employer to my prospective employer either.

[Worker-Intellectual]

Don't ask someone for their weaknesses... the last interview I had I wasn't prepared (I thought it was just a typing test and not a complete interview) and screwed up the weaknesses part. It went a little like this:

Interviewer: "Okay, what are your weaknesses"
Me: "Well, uh, typing I guess, I only got like 47 on the typing test (minimum of 40 or 45 wpm, I just barely passed). And sometimes I have trouble expressing myself over the phone (I'm applying for an office position), like especially when I am talking to someone in front of me too. And I'm not good at dealing with people"

Then I realized what I was saying and kicked myself, while watching the interviewer write it down... I didn't get the job

Asking someone for their weaknesses is really a loaded question... I never know how to handle that one and always screw it up.

[Barefootgirl]

I agree with crappytire - asking about an interviewee's weaknesses is actually a sign of a lazy interviewer. People who are honest and hadn't thought about it, will simply make themselves look bad (as with bars.of.a.rhyme above), while the people who've read up on interview questions, and are expecting this, will have a pat answer prepared - which again, doesn't actually tell you much about their real weaknesses !

Follow the structure your manager uses in interviews. Putting interviewees at their ease to start with is definitely the best way to go - you are much more likely to get a real feel for their personality and behaviour if they are relaxed and comfortable with you.

Oh and please, follow-up when you say you will. I think that's the number-one complaint of people applying for jobs - that the interviewing firm doesn't get back to interviewees.

[Knightmare]

Asking someone for their weaknesses is really a loaded question... I never know how to handle that one and always screw it up.

How I've dealt with this in the past is by answering thusly:

"Sometimes I'm too much of a perfectionist. If something isn't done perfectly, I will get the job done until it's perfect, even if that means leaving the smaller, less important tasks on the wayside for a bit. A job worth doing is worth doing to the best of one's ability."

You're turning a negative into a positive, reinforcing your strong work ethic and attention to detail, and showing you care about doing your job correctly.

I've always gotten smiles from that answer.

[nicegirl]

read over their applicaton/ resume before the appointment time. so you can be informed on what they are bringing to your company. so you will have some kind of idea of who you are interviewing and not just some nameless face.

[Titi]

No matter what they put on the application for availibility, ask if them about it. So that there are no suprises in availibity later. Also ask straight forward the question as why they want to work at this particular store. (not with the company, but at that store.)

And also listen to your employees if all of them have had a bad interaction with the interviewee, then it's pretty obvious that they should not be hired. (As once happened at a store I worked at.)

[Gurndigarn]

I'll second the "no really stupid questions."

First off, I'm assuming you're interviewing people for part-time, no special skills needed jobs. (This isn't an insult or a slight, BTW. Each type of job has a different style of questions. Most of the people thrown into interviewing positions without training, though, are looking for general labor.)

Always keep in mind what you're trying to screen for:

Will this person show up? And work when they're on the clock?
Is this person honest?
Does this person need constant supervision? Does he have enough of a brain to understand and remember instructions?

With that in mind, you probably want to get them to talk about past jobs, or about themselves in general. Look for (without looking like you're looking for) indications of all of the above. Reasons for leaving jobs are prime indicators, as are questions about what they liked most and disliked most about the job. And keep in mind when doing this how long they stayed at prior jobs (should be on the application or resume: don't ask them!)
Keep in mind that there are sucky jobs out there. A single job that they left for hours or conflict with management isn't necessarily bad, but should be kept in mind. More than one is either a sign of a bad applicant or one with very bad luck.

Ask them what they think the job they applied for will entail. This is usually the most telling question: it lets you know how much they prepare, and what they're really expecting to do. Also, ask them if they can do cleaning, even if you have professional cleaners do the work. A distinct "yes" means either they're neat freaks, or (more likely) that they're just trying to say the right things. A "yeah" or "I can do it", possibly with a short pause first, is usually a more positive sign. A long pause is a bad sign.

Ask them about availibility, and expected hours per week, both what they want and what they need. If you don't have what they need, don't hire them; you'll both regret it.

And finally, if hiring for someone in management or, for some other reason, need to do a more in-depth interview, when they arrive, say you're finishing something up, why don't they look around the place while they wait, you'll be less than three minutes.

After a few minutes, head on out, do the interview, then ask "so, what do you think about this place?" "What did you like?" "What would you change if you could?" These answers can be as telling as anything else you could ask.

Oh, and if they protest waiting three minutes for an interview, they don't have the patience or willingness to work with people for the job. Any job.

And, of course, make sure they have an opportunity to ask questions. Those also tell a lot about them. Some people say asking about money or hours is a bad sign, but I don't. More neutral than anything, IMO. And questions that look like they're asking about specific problems they encountered in the past are actually good, IMO, as they mean the person is learning.

[Dark Psion]

Here is a helpful guide to doing Job Interviews;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkj4W...20Interview%20

[ladodger34]

Just from a couple of interviewing experiences (as an interviewer)...

A person that interviews really well isn't always the best candidate for the job. Said person may be able to talk a really good game, but that doesn't mean that they can walk the walk. Some of the best people we hired were folks that didn't interview the best. With my old job, the majority of people that we hired were just out of high school. They aren't exactly the most confident people in the world.

And stick to a consistent set of questions. After doing enough interviews, you'll get a good idea of what the better candidates say. If you have a good enough pre-screening process (ie apps), you'll have an even better idea.

Most importantly, don't be nervous when you are the interviewer. I remember when I first did interviews that I was a little nervous. It seemed like it would suck to determine whether or not someone got a job. After sitting through enough of them, I got more comfortable. Most of the time, you get a general idea rather early on if someone is right for the job.

As a sidenote, please take all my advice with a grain of salt. One of the best crop of kids we ever hired were screened very little with the app process. We had a big national tournament coming up and needed to hire more bodies. More or less, if they showed to the interview, they were hired. Several of them were very good workers and have moved on to bigger and better things.