Ask the right interview questions

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January is the month when we typically see the highest number of jobs posted to Idealist, and this year has been no exception. It's fun to imagine thousands of hiring managers out there, armed with fresh strategic plans and eager to share their workload with talented newcomers. And of course, it's most fun to imagine those newcomers being the best possible fit for their roles.

If you're posting a job anytime soon, here are some ways to make sure you're bringing the right folks on board.

• Reflect. Have you clearly articulated who the right people are for your environment? Are your staffers staying with you? Are they succeeding at their jobs?
• Revamp as needed. Want to start incorporating behavioral interview questions, instead of just hypotheticals? Thinking about how to include key stakeholders such as prospective teammates in the interview process? If you're considering an overhaul to your system, check out this article from our IdealistHR newsletter, and these ideas for making sure you stay true to your organization's personality and positioning.
• Prepare. When you've got your interviews lined up, think carefully about how how you'll detect candidates' strengths and areas of improvement. We like to provide anyone on the hiring team with a list of questions in advance, and if we're pairing off, we talk through which of pair will focus more on which themes. And we do our best not to schedule interviews back-to-back, allowing time for a debrief while impressions are fresh.
• Rinse and repeat. Continue to refine until you have a system that helps you to fairly and effectively evaluate candidates... and choose the best ones for your environment!

What do you like (or dislike) about your organization's hiring process? Weigh in on the blog.

Julia Smith, Communications Manager at Idealist, collaborated on this Tip with Amelia Byers and Kara Montermoso, who write the IdealistHR newsletter. Connect with the team on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo from TenSafeFrogs, via Creative Commons