Building a great organization requires a great team. Building a great team starts with a robust hiring process. And a robust hiring process begins with conducting great interviews.

College didn’t teach me about interviewing, Fifteen years of pastoral ministry didn’t either. It wasn’t until I became a team lead in the business world that I learned about talent acquisition, starting with how to conduct an effective interview.

Leaders make one of two mistakes when it comes to hiring: They totally go with their gut feelings—or they totally ignore their gut feelings. One of the worst hires I ever made happened when I ignored my gut. And similarly, one of the worst hires I ever made… when my gut was the only thing I paid attention to. Hiring is an art form made up of an objective approach, coupled with intuition. The cost of making a bad hire is more than just dollars and cents. It also costs time, energy, emotional resources, sleep, etc.

How you interview is not the only component of a great talent acquisition process, but it’s probably the most important one. So here are five ways to conduct a lights-out interview:

Identify Core Values

Core values are behaviors which reveal your organization’s DNA. They are what makes your team different from any other. Core values are guardrails dictating how your team will behave as it moves toward it’s goals. I wouldn’t consider hiring any person who didn’t have 100% buy-in to our organization’s core values. I highly recommend reading Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Advantage, to understand ways to identify core values.

Use Drill, Will, & Skill as Filters

All potential hires should meet the following criteria:

1. They get the drill: They understand the role, your culture, and the pace required.
2. They have the will: They exhibit passion for the role. It’s an assignment they genuinely like and are excited about.
3. They possess the skill: They must be able to actually do the job. Or have potential that can be developed. They have the time, energy, and capacity the role requires.

Each requirement—drill, thrill, and skill—must be met.  NOTE: Thrill/will/skill cannot be fully determined during the interview process.

Define the Role

Write a role description containing clear objectives (4-5 at most). Include the purpose, responsibilities, and desired outcomes of the position. Describe the communication flow related to the position. And outline the accountability of the role—who will they report to? You can’t demand what is unwritten.

Create a Candidate Profile

What non-negotiable characteristics must the candidate have to be successful in the role you’re considering him or her for? What characteristics are nice-to-haves? Build this profile and then don’t settle for anything less.

Use Behavioral-Based Questions

Behavioral-based questions cannot be answered by a simple “yes” or “no.” Let’s assume for a moment one of your organization’s core values is trust. Here are two behavioral-based questions you might consider:

1. Tell me about a time your boss made a decision you didn’t understand. (Let them respond). How did you work through that?
2. Imagine I’ve just hired you. You’re learning the role, and I make a snap decision which makes no sense to you. What would you do?

If you’re trying to get answers to drill/thrill/skill, consider asking the following:

1. Take a few minutes to describe the role to me as you understand it. (Drill)
2. Why do you want to work for us in this capacity? (Thrill)
3. What skills/experience did you use at your previous job that will help you in this one? (Skill)

Let’s say you’re probing the candidate profile characteristic of tenacity. Consider asking the following:

1. What are some achievements you’re especially proud of?
2. Describe a career (or school) setback. (Let them respond). How did you overcome that?

Take notes throughout the process so you can reflect more accurately post-interview.

Obviously, all the nuances of great interviewing can’t be addressed in this blog. But the above ideas will get you off to a great start.

A robust interview process doesn’t guarantee 100% hiring success. No leader gets it right 100% of the time. But conducting great interviews will minimize your hiring risk and increase your hiring success. It will save you time, money, emotional energy… and sleep!

I’m rooting and praying for you!