If you are having a crazy, hectic and stressful
day right before an interview is about to take
place, take a moment to breathe and regroup
before meeting a job candidate.
regardless of whether you exude or
lack confidence in your interviewing
skills, there are concrete ways that
you can raise the bar by becoming
aware of which questions to ask, as
well as effective ways to determine
the best candidates based on their
answers.
Below you will discover a wide
variety of interview questions, based
on my 15 years of experience as a
professional recruiter and
employment agency owner. During
that time, i interviewed over 6,000
candidates and placed close to 1,000
in positions.
So, what’s the secret to successful
interviewing? relaxation. although
there is no ‘one right way’ to conduct
an interview, according the national
association of Personnel consultants,
first and foremost it is essential to
put the candidate at ease. This is
successfully done by a warm, relaxed,
punctual greeting; nice setting void of
interruptions or distractions; being
prepared to ask good questions; and
actively listening to each and every
answer.
Before reading the list of questions
at the end of this story, envision how
your interviews usually begin and the
way you currently greet a candidate.
are you punctual? are you present
and pleasant? Do you put them at
ease? many hiring spa owners and
managers fail at these things
because their day gets crazy, hectic
and stressful. if you are having a
crazy, hectic and stressful day right
before an interview is about to take
place, take a moment to breathe
and regroup before meeting a job
candidate. your first impression,
also called the primacy effect in
psychology, is a determining factor
in getting more accepted offers by
top talent. Given the shortage of
qualified applicants in the spa
industry, especially for management
positions, it’s just as important that
you impress them, as for them to
impress you. The perfect candidate
isn’t perfect if they don’t accept
your offer.
The purpose of sharing the
interview questions on page 44 is to
prepare you for interviews that you
may not have time to prepare for on
your own. it is important to make
these questions your own by focusing
on the questions that will be of most
use and value to you.
feel free to make any changes to
the questions to best suit your inter-
viewing style and the culture of your
spa or business. most importantly,
enjoy the process, be positive and
take a sincere interest in the person
you are interviewing, regardless of
the circumstances that can consume
your day, time and attention.
Please keep in mind that answers
to your interview questions will vary
depending on the experience of each
candidate you interview and the way
you ask each question. also, some
highly talented people are not profes-
sional interviewers, so putting them at
ease and making the interview more
of a friendly conversation will give you
a better opportunity to get to know
the applicant and determine a fit.
a word of caution: you will not be
pleased with the results of hiring a
‘professional interviewer.’ have you
ever hired someone who was
charming, cool, stylish, enthusiastic or
good ‘on paper’ only to discover a
mismatch? Being aware of the halo
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