Are you getting ready to fill a position at your firm? I have a number of suggestions to help you find the right person the first time. These tips are based on my own experience and observations in running interviews and managing hiring searches over the past 5 years.

Before you even post the job listing:
1) Have a plan. This is the most important part. I recommend the steps listed below, but even if you decide some of these aren't for you, make sure you have specific alternatives in mind.
2) Define the position. This is absolutely essential. Sit down with the other decision makers and make sure everyone is on the same page as far as what skills you are looking for and what your goals are.
3) Create or update the job description, and profile the ideal candidate.

After posting the job listing:
4) Screen resumes with your ideal candidate in mind. Grade them: 'A' is a good match, and should be interviewed. 'B' is on the fence, and gets an interview if there are not enough 'A's. 'C' is not a match and should not be interviewed. For me, the magic numbers always seem to be 10 people for the first round, with second round callbacks for the top 3 candidates. If you can find 10 'A's to begin with, you're off to a good start.

Before the first round interviews:
5) Create a standard question list for the interview. Avoid the standard interview boiler-plate questions, as well as questions which can be answered with 'yes' or 'no'. You want to learn about the candidate and understand how they think, so ask questions which require thought.
6) Create a brief test or assignment which will give you insight into the candidate's skills. Hiring is often extremely subjective. Having a test creates an objective measure, which takes at least some of the subjectivity out of it. Plus, as a bonus, it creates a means by which you can quickly test people to see if they have at least the basic skills required.

During the first round interviews:
7) Follow your list of questions and give the test religiously. Don't deviate unless absolutely necessary. You want to treat every candidate the same, so that you can compare apples to apples when evaluating and comparing them.
8) Try to have 2 people perform the interview. This allows one person to listen while the other talks, plus it gives you a 'second opinion' with whom to discuss the candidate afterwards.

After the first round interviews:
9) Immediately after each interview, discuss the candidate with any other colleagues who were present. Don't put it off- soon after the interview, recollections will start to get muddled as other tasks start to occupy the attendees. Immediately rank each candidate, especially the top 3. Keeping a running tally is a good tool for prompting recall of what each candidate had to offer. Plus, as a special bonus, once you've interviewed your last person, you will have a list of the top 3 ready to go for the second interview stage.

For the second round interviews:
10) Invite the top 3 candidates back for a second interview. Three is the magic number. Two just isn't enough, because your colleagues won't have enough of a sense of the range of candidates. Four is too many -- people will start mixing up the candidates, or won't be able to focus equally on all of them. The second interview should repeat steps 5 through 9, with these changes:

* involve more people from the organization, both to expose the candidate to a wider range of the people he/she will work with, and to involve a wider range of opinions.
* repeat at least some of the questions from your standard question list, for the benefit of those who weren't present the first time (and also to see if the candidate answers the same way).
* create a more involved skills-based test or assignment. You really need to know if this person can perform if hired.


Now refer back to step 1, where you created a plan. The beauty of having a formal interview process, ie. 'a plan', is that if what you are doing works, you know how to replicate it. If results are not what you anticipated, you can gradually tweak your plan over time until you get to where you want to be.

Congratulations, your hiring practices are now far more organized, and likely far more effective, than most companies. Happy hiring!