A quick perusal of their resume offers an overview of a candidate’s skills and experience. A few probing interview questions will confirm them. Soft skills are harder to evaluate. You must get behind the candidate’s interview face to really get to know him and learn what he may be like on the job.

Approach interviews mindfully and with an understanding of what makes current employees successful to identify employees with the most potential. Behavioral interviews using typical work scenarios can help you to test for those skills.

Here are a few questions to consider:

Tell Me About a Time You Had to Deal with a Difficult Customer.

Tough customers are a reality of any service industry. Look for answers that indicate the candidate considers the best interests of both the customer and the company. We want to believe that the customer is always right, but there are “bad” customers who will take advantage of a weak employee to get more out of a transaction than they deserve.

What Role Do You Take When You Work in a Group?

Successful teams require many kinds of members, including a leader, creative people to provide ideas, someone to execute on those ideas and a member who can identify potential problems. Asking this question will help you to see where the candidate may fit into your organization. Everyone wants to claim a leadership role, but in reality, there are many roles that must be played.

What Do You Do When You Don’t Understand an Assignment?

Answers may include researching the topic further, asking clarifying questions or just plunging in to see how it goes. This will tell you much about how the candidate may fit into your organization. Would you rather have someone who can operate independently or someone who will take care to get all the facts before beginning? There is no one right answer. Only you know what the position calls for.

What Would You Do If…?

Present a scenario likely to occur on the job you are interviewing for, and assess their response. Does it show them to be a good fit with your company? Will they need a bit of training first? Or does their response reveal red flags that would eliminate them from consideration?

What Question Should I Ask That I Have Not?

This question will reveal a lot about what the candidate is thinking and where their attention is focused. Is their question thoughtful? Self-serving? Does it give you a new perspective on the candidate, your interview process or even your company?

The experts at Horizon Hospitality can provide you with top candidates who not only meet your skills qualifications, but have what it takes to fit into your organization as a valued team member. Contact us today and we will begin our search for your ideal candidate.