Small Business Resources, Business Advice and Forms from AllBusiness.com

Becoming a Great Job Interviewer

* From  Managing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Date: Friday, August 12 2005

  • Take notes. Don't rely on your memory when interviewing job candidates. If you interview more than a couple of people, you can easily forget who said what.

Although some amount of small talk is appropriate to help relax your candidates, the heart of your interviews should focus on answering the questions just listed. Above all, don't give up! Keep asking questions until you're satisfied that you have all the information you need to make your decision.

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Interview with Maria Giudice, chief creative officer of Hot Studio.

Asking certain questions during an interview can land you in major hot water. Some interviewing don'ts are merely good business practice. (Accepting an applicant's invitation for a date is probably not a good idea.) But other blunders can land you and your firm in court. Although you can ask applicants whether they are able to fulfill job functions, you cannot ask whether they are disabled. Also avoid the subjects of race, national origin, sex or sexual preference, marital status, religion or lack thereof, arrest and conviction records, height and weight, and debt history.