Taking out an ad in the paper or calling up an employment agency are hardly guarantees that you will be interviewing the best applicant for your open position any time soon. Placing ads might bring a deluge of people wanting to apply for the job, leaving you feeling overwhelmed. You are going to need to take the necessary time to separate the best candidates from those that would never make it a day in your business.

The interview is the key to locating the qualified associates. Looking through piles of resumes will not yield you a qualified employee. You will have to dedicate up to an hour talking with people about their expectations, the requirements of the job, and the goals of the company.

Resume Selection

References and a personalized cover letter should be included with quality resumes. Some people hire professionals to craft their resumes so that they appear a perfect match for positions and companies while others try to hash them out by themselves and often fail to produce anything that will catch a hiring manager's eye. Who creates the resume will definitely affect how it looks and reads, but it not necessarily the best criteria by which to gauge potential candidates.

Look closely at their job history. Have they moved from job to job? Has the person stayed at a job longer then 5-years? Did they leave previous employers contact information as a job reference? What skills outside of your requirements do the individual posses?

For instance, if you're looking for a secretary who is computer literate and enjoys communicating with people, her resume should show past experience in the secretarial field as well as customer service. Yet, you don't want her talents to end there. Hope is that this employee will stay on and grow with your business. So, a background in office management or accounting would be an added bonus. This person would be what I call a 5 star applicant.

Don't overlook the inexperienced. Sometimes an employee that has less experience in the field you want them too engage in is a better employee. The reason - - this employee is trainable and willing to learn 'how' you do things. Chances are he or she will sore beyond your expectations and stay with your company longer.

Conducting an Interview

Let's say you choice Jennifer Smith's resume. She has 15 years experience in the administrative field and 5 years as a waitress. You're looking for someone who can answer the phones, conduct business professionally, and meet customer needs as needed. Would Jennifer be the best choice? Jennifer has the qualifications to complete all of the secretarial tasks that arise, but she appears to lack the experience in customer service. So it appears! During the interview process, talk to Jennifer about her waitress experience and what she liked or disliked about it. You might find that she solved more customer problems in a week then a secretary specializing in customer services does in a month. Working directly with the public in the food industry is demanding. Employees that have had similar experiences are perfect candidates for customer service.

Evaluating the Candidate

The process can take more than a day, a week, or a month. Give yourself plenty of time to evaluate the applicant. Be fair and consider their body language. Did they look straight into your eyes as you talked? If not, you may be dealing with a dishonest person. Body language is important
and shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating how well the interview went. A person can have all of the qualifications needed, but if they don't mix well with you or your staff, you're in for trouble.

A second interview is always advised if you are having trouble making a decision. Give them a questionnaire during this round. Maybe have them perform a simple task that will help you determine their skill level. Maybe you will want to ask Joe to draft a letter for you on a typewriter instead of a computer. Analyze his reaction and be prepared to tell him why you are making the request.

Finding personnel really isn't all that difficult as long as you know exactly what type of person fits your qualifications. Keep tabs on the resumes you've acquired for future use and be straightforward, yet considerate when interviewing. In the end, you'll obtain a new hirer that is appreciative and willing to satisfy you.

About the Author:

Ken Bidgood is the chief writer at Advertising XP, the web's premier location when you're after good up to date advice and observations about Business. For questions or comments about any of our articles visit: http://www.advertisingxp.com/articles You can swap links with us by going to: http://www.advertisingxp.com/links