Hiring: What’s in it for me?

When you interview job candidates, it’s not selfish to ask yourself: “How will hiring this person affect me?”

Of course, you have other concerns, too: how the new hire will advance the organization’s goals, how the person will get along with his/her peers, how he/she will affect the culture, and so forth.

Their effect on you
But to get some idea of what your life at work will be like should you hire a particular applicant, you may want to ask the person questions like these:

• “At your current/most recent job, what are/were your boss’s most pressing concerns?” People should know this, but they often don’t.
• “What have you done recently to make your boss’s job easier?” A credible answer flashes a big green light. You want people who think about making your job easier!
• “Tell me about the best boss you’ve had.” Does this boss sound like you? If you’re a hands-on manager and the applicant cites a boss who left them strictly alone, that’s a warning signal.
• “What would your ideal boss look like?” You want the candidate to have definite criteria, but not too many. Someone who demands perfection of the boss is unlikely to find it in you.
• “Think of a disagreement with your current/most recent boss. How did you handle it?” Can you live with a person who handles differences with the boss in this way?