As the labor situation toughens, we have to keep in mind you're looking for the right person for the job, not just filling a position. Setting the stage for hiring and interviews is critical, with a few basic points that can help in the process.

• When you talk to someone on the phone and ask them to come in for an interview, make sure you include the following, "We appreciate you coming in to interview. We only ask a few things, with the first being to bring a print copy of your resume if anything has changed. Second, bring a list of all your professional references and their contact information. Additionally, if you're going to be late or cannot meet our commitment, please have the courtesy to call us beforehand and let us know. We will do the same if something comes up on our end. "This not only sets the tone for expectations but also lets them know communication is important.
• I have some great standard questions and some that are what I call discovery questions. As an example, I always ask the task question which is, "If you have six tasks to do today.  Three are relatively easy, two have some difficulty, and one is extremely difficult, which task do you complete first and why? "An overwhelming percentage of the time I get they would do the easy tasks first. This is not the person I am looking for. I want them to tackle the hard tasks first and here is why. (1) hard tasks usually take more time. If you put off a hard task you may be crunched for time to complete that difficult and probably important task later and probably not doing the best job you could. Second, as you're doing those easier tasks first, what's in the back of your mind? It's definitely the hard task you have to do later. So how good are you at doing the easier tasks and coming up with the best solutions if you have a cloud hanging over your head of that difficult task you yet have to do. And last, difficult tasks usually involve people and finances. If something deals with people or finances, don't put that task off.
• I've had a few instances in my career where I have interviewed who I thought was the right candidate and made an offer which they accepted. A couple of days later they told their employer they were leaving and offered the person more money to stay. To avoid this, I always ask a simple question. "If you give notice and your current employer offers you more money or incentive to stay, what will you tell them?" This trend seems to be happening more and more as staffing challenges continue. Now I could say something smart like if they really felt you were valuable, they should have offered you more before you gave notice, but I won't. With this question it sets the stage if this were to happen, and hopefully reinforces commitment with a candidate.
• Ask questions that relate to attitude and character of the candidate. Here's why I hire for attitude and train for success. I also believe these two traits lead to success within any team. Basic skills are important; however, only a part of the overall evaluation of a candidate.
• Ask follow-ups or questions that give details. "You said one of your strengths is time management. Tell me why you say that and provide an example of the last time it was of critical importance. "At all costs, avoid yes and no response questions and never be afraid to do a follow up question relevant to the original.
• Have others on your team also interview candidates that you are considering. This does two things; (1) lets the team get involved in the process and they will feel a part of the decision, (2) You will be surprised there may be discoveries they have with sometimes a candidate opening up more than they would in a formal interview.

• And yes, as I previously stated, hire the right person for the right job. This will save time and frustration in the future of having to go through the headaches and process all over again in a few months in addition to repairing the team damage that may have been caused. Trust me, two things will ruin a good team, with one being bringing in the wrong team member into the fold, and the second being not dealing with low performing team members in a timely manner.

I could go on and at one time designed a workshop on employee searches and hiring covering everything from checking information and references (which is getting harder to do with both technology and the fear of litigation if an employer gives a negative recommendation), to setting the prospect at ease for an interview that doesn't feel like an interrogation, and finally getting good information where you feel confident in the decision you make. There are things that you should also do and that is check their page on LinkedIn and Facebook and you might be surprised as to what you find. I had one candidate that looked good on the resume but when I went to check LinkedIn, I found that he neglected to leave his last employer off of the document. Checking further, he apparently posted something about him being fired and some details I won't go any further and it told me this was not the right person.

Finding the right person for the right job is critical. Out of the hundreds of employees I have hired in my career, I can think of only four or five that I looked back on and wondered what went wrong. Trust me, there will be those that you feel the same way about; however, a few simple steps will give you at least more confidence in your decisions.