By Rebecca Wicks
eHow.com

Every hiring manager wants the right employee in the job he is filling. We all envision someone who has knowledge, listens, picks up skills quickly and meshes well with the rest of the team. Many of us have hired a candidate who we thought was a perfect match only to find in upcoming weeks the choice was poor. A bad hire can cost managers and companies substantial money and time. The key is to be strategic when interviewing job seekers.
Know What is Needed

1. A common mistake is to walk into an interview unprepared. Make a list before starting interviews including what specific attributes and skills are needed to succeed in the job you are hiring for. While we all want perfection — organized, able to multi-task, prompt, etc. — think carefully not only about what requirements you need but at what level you need them to be. Nearly everyone possesses all competencies to some degree, your job is to find out at what level so you can compare candidates.
   Collect Real Evidence
2. Try not to ask hypothetical questions. This usually prompts candidates to respond with what they think is the correct answer. What you are looking for is what the candidate has actually done, specifically how they have performed in the past to exemplify a skill you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for someone who works well under stress ask, “Tell me about a time when you had to perform in a stressful situation.” Or, if you are looking for someone who can solve problems on their own ask, “Give me an example of a time when you were able to problem solve a situation.”
   Probe for Key Information
3. In order to gain insight into the personality, ability and character of a candidate, press for additional important information. Ask “what were you thinking/feeling,” to understand the thought process of your candidate. Or ask “what did you do/say?” to better comprehend more specifically how he handled a situation. And, be sure to ask how a situation ended. Having your interviewee describe what the results were sheds light on how they perceived what was important in the situation.
   Keep the Conversation Relevant
4. You don’t want to know what the job seeker usually does, you want to know what she actually did. Similarly, directing the candidate to use the term “I” not “we” will assist you in accessing what she actually did herself. Asking follow-up questions in the past tense also helps to keep the conversation on track with details of what the interviewee has done in previous situations.
   Dos and Don’ts
5. Do
   –Ask specific clarifying questions.
   –Continue your discussion about a single situation until you have a complete understanding.
   –Take notes.
6. Don’t
   –Let the candidate give you generalizations or speak in theoretical situations.
   –Digress into irrelevant conversations.
   –Go into speculative information for example, what she hopes to do in the future.