At American Van Lines, we make every effort to hire people to join our team who understand the culture and underlying principles of the job. It’s not just a job to us here; it’s a family, and we aim for long-term team members who are happy to be a part of a company that values them and the hard work they put out. We hire those we feel have specific skills, along with a willingness to learn, a level of determination to accomplish what needs to be done, and the ability to take initiative where necessary. We hire on personality, because in our line of work, a great personality with excellent customer service skills can go very far. It’s an interesting process when hiring, but it’s an obvious requirement of any business. So, how do choose the right people to represent and work for your company? Here are three key components I stick to; they’ve worked for me, and I am proud to call my team members “family.”

1.- Know Your Ideal Candidate
Who is your ideal candidate? What are their strengths, their motivations, how hard do they work? Begin this consideration by knowing firsthand what it takes to succeed in this position, and what this person will need to be responsible for. Does this position present a career opportunity for the right person, and how will they progress?

2.- Get to Know the Interviewee
Informal conversation can break the ice, and give you the chance to see who this person is. Let the candidate do a great amount of the talking, and allow them the ability to ask questions. Be a good listener, and acknowledge their responses to your questions.

3.- The Right Questions About Experience
Asking the right questions can give you a tremendous amount of information on the candidate. A great way to get a good perspective on this person is to use behavioral interviewing techniques, which can give you a glimpse into how they work. It’s important to ask questions geared towards behavior, so encourage interviewees to describe how they have handled/ behaved/ or will potentially behave in specific situations relevant to the job. Ask them to describe experiences that contribute directly to the types of competencies you need in a candidate.

And, in addition to these tips, I also suggest you pay a lot of attention to the candidate’s ability to acclimate to the culture of your company. This is crucial to success because it is the overall objective of hiring someone for the long term. No matter how good someone looks by credentials, if they don’t fit your environment, success may not be imminent.