How to Interview Potential Employees

by Jenny Tracy

Many of us have been interviewed before; we have rehearsed our elevator pitch and practiced answering the basic interview question, but as an entrepreneur you will need to practice another aspect of interviewing, flipping the role and being the interviewer. Whether you are the owner of a small one-person start up with the goal of growing, the founder of a striving business that needs more employees, or an employee in a managerial or supervisor position within a company that is hiring, you will need to review and know the basics of interviewing.

Here is a cheat sheet for interviewing potential employees:

Be clear and be prompt. Be clear and concise when scheduling the date, time, and location for the interview, and respond as promptly as possible to inquiries and e-mails from the candidates. Taking too long to respond reflects poorly upon your business. If you are having difficulties finding a time or place that works for both you and the interviewee, consider interviewing over the phone or web camera, these are great alternatives that accommodates both parties.

Be on time and be courteous. If you are meeting at a neutral location, aim to arrive 15-20 minutes before the scheduled interview time; definitely don’t be late. If you are meeting at your business or office, be ready when they arrive. Be courteous: Shake their hand and introduce yourself, then offer the candidate a glass of water or coffee, and thank them for meeting with you.

Dress for the part. Today is not the day to wear your most casual outfit. The candidate will be dressed for an interview, and you should be too. If you ever find yourself in an outfit predicament, opt to over dress rather than underdress. A business suit is almost always acceptable interview attire.  

Be prepared. Read through the candidate’s resume before they arrive and refresh yourself on the position you are interviewing for. Be prepared with job-specific questions; it helps to have a page printed out with the questions you would like to ask. It is appropriate to ask 8-15 questions in an interview; any more seems like a bombardment, and any less seems like a waste of the candidates’ time. Here is an article of the 10 best interview questions to ask. If you need more options or question ideas, this article provides 100 common interview questions. Forbes contributor, Louis Efron, suggests that you ask every candidate this question: “When in your life have you been so passionately focused on an activity that you lost track of time and what were you doing?”

Questions you CANNOT ask. There are certain questions that you cannot legally ask during an interview. This is a list of the illegal questions that you may not use and some alternative ways that you can legally rephrase the questions.

Use the STAR method. This is a common method for effectively answering behavioral questions. Before asking behavioral questions, ask the candidate to answer the questions using the STAR method. STAR stands for- Situation (Explain the background and set the scene), Task (What is the Target), Action (What they did), Result (The outcome, what happened). The STAR method ensures that they answer in a way that allows you to follow along and understand their response.

Take Notes. Taking note of the candidates’ responses to your questions is especially helpful when you are interviewing more than one candidate. It will allow you re-read the responses when analyzing the candidates and making your hiring decisions.

Be understanding. Understand that interviewing can be stressful for candidates. To help calm their nerves, express to them that they can take their time answering questions and that they may ask you to repeat or further explain any question throughout the interview.

SHHH! The candidate should speak 70-80% of the time. Don’t make the interview about you, spend majority of the time listening to the candidate to get to know them better and to see if they are a good candidate for the open position.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? Allow the candidate to turn the table and ask you any questions they may have. Although it may be tempting to answer the questions in a casual and laidback manner, remember to stay professional during this final step of the interview; it is often the most memorable part for the interviewee.

After reading this cheat sheet you should now have the knowledge and information necessary to interview candidates that can help your business grow and prosper.

Any other tips? We'd love to hear them

President vs. CEO: Choose Your Title Correctly

by Geraud Staton

I haven't reviewed your company. I don't know how many employees you have. I don't know what you do with yourself all day. But I can tell you this: odds are good that you do NOT need to be called the "CEO."

What Does the CEO Do?
The CEO is responsible for quite a bit within your company. And no matter if you have a 1000-person company or a 3-person company, these tasks need to be done if you want to continue being a company in the next few years. In essence, your job is to see into the future.

1. Look at the Physical
You are operating your business in a warehouse, a storefront, or out of your bedroom. How long will that suffice? Where should you be if your company is to grow? What facility do you need next year? The year after? Five years from now? It's your job to answer those questions and to ensure that your company is ready when the time comes.

2. Look to your People
Your customers are why you get up every morning. You are helping hundreds or thousands of people. You want to help millions of people. Will your customer be the same 5 years from now as they are right now? What changes? What do you need to change in order to reach them?

But your customers aren't the only people you care about. What about your employees? How many of them will you need in order to keep helping your customers? What skills will they need to have? When do you need them? It's your job to be ready for them.

3. Look at your Technology
One day your laptop will become obsolete. So will your phone. So will the tool you're using for your company. The question is: did you see it coming? And if you did, did you prepare for it? It's your job to see it coming.

4. Look at your Money
You need to know where you're going to be, who you're going to hire, who you're going to serve, and what technology you need in order to continue your mission. All of that is going to cost your company money. And it's your job to know how you're going to get that money. Will you borrow it, or find investors? Will you earn it through your current operations or will you look at other revenue sources?

As CEO, you live in the future. But, let me repeat this because it it important. You SHOULD be doing these tasks regardless of how large or small your company is. But, as CEO, this is the bulk of your job. You have the time and income to do so. That means that someone else is doing the every day work that keeps your company running while you get to live in the future.

Some people's favorite president. Check him out at Soul Pancake

What Does the President Do?
To put it simply, your President's job is to lead your company and its employees toward the company goals. The President is the commander of the troops, and the cheerleader, and the dispatcher. The President of your company needs to keep his or her finger on the pulse of the entire company, and if that person were to leave it is possible that everything would grind to a halt!

If you are the one ensuring your company's daily survival, you are more likely to be President than CEO. You are living in the here and now. You know what is happening in every department and with every employee. Again, you SHOULD be taking some time, at least quarterly, to do the job of the CEO, but maybe you aren't at a place where you can do this every day, or even every week.

And that's ok.

By working your business, growing respectfully, and being certain to take time out to put on the CEO hat, you will eventually get to a point where you actually need someone to handle CEO duties regularly. That's the goal. Once that happens, feel free to promote yourself. Or, hire someone from the outside to be your company's CEO.

The important thing to remember is that you are doing what's important for your company and for you customers. 

Simple Marketing: Pay Attention to the Signs

By Jenny Tracy

There are many common characteristics of successful businesses; one of these characteristics is a well-placed, quality-made, creative, and attractive sign. Signs are an essential part of a business’ overall marketing strategy; they serve as a 24/7 advertisement that draws attention to their business and helps differentiate it from their competitors.

Exterior Signs: Exterior signs help to draw attention to a business; they can be ground-mounted, typically near a road to attract the attention of passing motorists and pedestrians, or they can be building-mounted on the rooftop, walls, or awnings. 

Interior Signs: Interior signs are usually hung from the ceiling or attached to the walls; they help customers locate merchandise, and, when added to special displays or to advertise sales, can lead to impulse sales.

The costs for signage is much lower than the other types of advertising, such as radio, television, and newspaper. In fact, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, signs are the most effective, yet least expensive, form of advertising for a small business. 

Great example of a ground-mounted exterior sign

Three things to consider when purchasing a sign:

Zoning Regulations: Many cities have specific regulations for outdoor signs, concerning the size, type, and location. It is important to know these local regulations before designing and purchasing your sign.

Design: The design of a sign should appeal to the business’ target audience. If you own a yarn business and would like to attract motorists passing by your store that knit and crochet, the ideal sign would be a ground-mounted sign near a busy road, or a building-mounted sign that is high enough to be seen by passing motorist. The sign should include your business’ logo and possibly an eye-catching relevant image, in this case, a yarn ball would work. If the sign is not building-mounted or ground-mounted near the store, an address and phone number may be needed to direct the customers to the business’ location.  You want your sign to be visually appealing, have all the necessary information for the customer, yet not look cluttered. The larger your sign, the more information and visuals you can add; the smaller the sign, the more you should focus on adding only necessary content, like the business name and phone number. 

Nice and simple, but still effective!

Picking a Company:  Once you decide where you would like to place your sign and draft a design, get quotes from several companies; remember to calculate and add any design, set-up, and delivery fees. Sign costs vary depending on the size, material, color, and content. Some companies specialize in certain types of signs (neon, wall-mounted, etc.), so it may be less expensive to work with a company that specializes in making the type of sign that you desire.

Even better, use your own experiences.  If you see a business sign that you like, don’t be afraid to ask the business’ owner who they ordered it from and if they would recommend working with that company. And always remember to read reviews before deciding which company you are going to work with.