Responsible for the initial interview of perspective employees?

Are you responsible for the initial interview of perspective employees? Perhaps wondering what you should be asking during an interview?    The below questions are all commonplace really but I want to point them out because you want to try and sell the job the best you can to get people to the next stage while not saying something that can backfire later. These where all asked during initial interviews with me and in the approximate order they were asked:

1)      What duties does the job entail?  This response needs to be as complete as possible while being upfront and honest.  For the most part advertisements only scratch the surface of the actual duties so this question has been the first one many times.  Be ready for a variety of questions under this one main question. It would not be unreasonable to spend 15 or so minutes during this initial interview on the actual job and duties depending on the position.   The answer to this question can end the call and the perspective employees’ interest so it is important to know as much as possible about the duties.   Remember though to be as honest as possible and if you are in doubt say so.  Just because you are the initial contact person does not mean that you have done the particular job – in fact let the future employee know that.  Inform them that the immediate supervisor or another individual will be present later on to answer the questions you can’t.

2)      Does the company have a 401K or other retirement plan?  Again this response should be complete as possible.  If your company has a 401k plan that matches up to 3% and then .5% for the next additional percentage tell them that.  If there is a cap to the employers matching contribution tell them that as well.

3)      Is their health coverage, who is the provider and how long do I need to be working to qualify for insurance?  Again like the previous two this should be answered as complete as possible but do not be afraid to tell them you need to get back to them. This should be fairly standard for most employees at the organization so you should know these details.

4)      Are there other benefits?  Normally at this point you would tell them if your company had a discount membership at the local health club, perhaps had a weight room on the premise or that you offered a children’s center for employees.

5)      How much is the annual salary?  This question is just as important as the first one and again can make or break the initial interview.  In one case I had an individual tell me it was lower than expected but on the other hand I have had some that where fine with the answer and told me as much.  Unlike the other answers that I asked you to be as specific as possible, I am going to have to say that this one requires some uncertainty.  It is ok and in truth I would suggest that you do not get into specifics with this one – at least not during this initial interview.    If you have ranges of $X – $Y then stick to that range.  It is reasonable to say that at this point you are not in the position to suggest anything else and that salary can (and should) be discussed at a later time.