Transcript of Episode #14:
Creating Your Small Business Hiring Funnel: Part 2 - Nail the Interview Process

Cristina:  Hello, and welcome back to the Blissful Mompreneur podcast. I’m your host, Cristina Hall, and I am so grateful you are here today. I am on a mission to help mompreneurs or female entrepreneurs who hope to be moms in the future, systemize and scale their businesses to beat overwhelm and reclaim their time. Join me each week as I dive into actionable strategies and inspiring stories to support you on your journey to entrepreneurial success and work-life balance.

Last week, we covered the first stage of the hiring funnel, which included defining the role, crafting a compelling job description, creating the application, and getting the word out. Today we’ll dive into the next stage, setting up and conducting interviews. If you missed last week’s episode, I recommend pausing this one and catching up as this episode builds on the content in the last episode. Alright, let’s dive in.

Once you’ve posted the job, you’ll receive a number of responses. Here are some key factors to consider when reviewing the applicants. Skills and qualifications. Do they have relevant degrees, certifications, or specialized training? Experience. Is their past experience similar to the role you need to fill? Response quality. Are their answers complete and free of grammatical errors? Cultural fit. Do they seem aligned with your company’s culture and values? If a candidate seems like a good fit, invite them in for an interview. If after three to four weeks of advertising, you don’t find any suitable candidates, it could be one of two things. You may need to revisit and refine the job description and application, or you may need to get more eyes on the posting. Maybe at a later date, I’ll do an episode around troubleshooting a job description. DM me at the Blissful Mompreneur if that is something you would find helpful. Anyway, I cannot stress this enough. Do not invite unqualified candidates in for an interview. It’s a waste of your time and their time. The only reason why I might invite an unqualified candidate is to practice my interviewing skills, but otherwise I would wait for the right candidate. Hiring the wrong candidate will just create more problems for you. Trust me, I’ve done it too many times.

Now once you’ve identified one to three candidates that you believe would be a good fit, reach out to them to schedule an interview. My preferred form of contact is email, but you could do this over the phone or send a text message. I send them an email that reads like this. Subject: thank you for applying – Iinvitation for a Zoom Interview. Hi, insert name. Thank you for applying for the available voice and piano teacher position at our studio. Your application stood out and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your responses. I believe you would be a great fit for our team. Are you available for a Zoom interview? And then insert the date. It would be a pleasure to connect with you and discuss this further. Thank you once again for your interest in joining our studio. I’m equally looking forward to hearing from you. Obviously you would modify it to fit your business. Now I have this script saved in a Google Doc so that it’s very easy to send when I’m looking to schedule an interview. I actually have a folder in my Google Drive titled Hiring Kit where I have separate folders for each role in the studio and that is where I store all scripts, applications, job descriptions, interview questions, etc. I love how I’m able to create all of this at once and then copy and make minor adjustments each time I hire. Now when you invite them in for an interview, give a specific date and time for the interview. If they are interested and happen to be unavailable at the time you suggested, they will request a different time. But most of the time they will agree and then you’ll just get that on the calendar. I like this approach as it is direct and minimizes the back and forth. You may be thinking what if I send a link to my calendar and they can schedule a time. You could do that but the reason why I don’t is because I don’t want them getting reminders about the interview. Let me explain. When I’m hiring I want to ensure that the person is reliable. I don’t want someone who needs a reminder about every little thing. So by avoiding sending a calendar link, I am almost testing them to see if they can remember an appointment. Alright, now getting back to setting up the interview. Once they confirm the date and time works for them, then I will reply confirming the interview along with the link to the Zoom meeting. I personally love doing the virtual interview first. It’s convenient and if the candidate doesn’t show up, I don’t feel like I wasted any time traveling. But you do what’s most comfortable for you. I happen to work from home mostly so Zoom is just extremely convenient. Now I recommend getting back to candidates in a timely manner because this is when they are most excited. I try to send the invite email within 1-3 days of receiving their application. In the past I used to wait weeks and I did not have as much success. Many times candidates would either lose interest or they would have already accepted a position somewhere else.

Now how to prepare for the interview. I have a list of interview questions for each position in my business. Some of my favorite questions are, what inspired you to apply for this position? In your prior work experience, what was a highlight? When did you decide to become a insert role? Be sure to include position-specific questions. For example, when I interview potential teachers, I ask about their teaching philosophy, how they would handle a difficult student, how they would communicate with a parent, etc. For inspiration, you can enter the following prompt into ChatGPT. You are an expert recruitment specialist with impeccable attention to detail. I am interviewing candidates for the following position. Please provide me with 25 interview questions to ensure I choose the best candidate for the position. Then, copy and paste the job description. ChatGPT will provide you with a number of ideas. Aim for about 15 questions and put them in a Google Doc. Before the interview, review the applicant’s responses to the application to refresh your memory and personalize the conversation. This shows you care and are genuinely interested in getting to know them. As a side note, I remember years ago when I would go in for interviews when the person interviewing me would ask me basically all the questions that I already had put in my cover letter or was on my resume or in my application. It just made me feel like they didn’t really care and they didn’t really prioritize getting to know me.

At the start of the interview, I welcome them and thank them for meeting with me. Keep in mind the applicant will likely be nervous, so I try to do everything I can to make them feel comfortable, which includes smiling, a warm greeting, making eye contact. My overall demeanor is warm and friendly. I actually have had applicants say to me that they were so nervous going into the interview but I was so kind and really prioritized in making them feel comfortable that they were immediately put at ease. So I just think creating that warm and friendly environment can really go a long way in making them feel comfortable but then also make it so that you can get a more accurate picture as to the type of person they are and if they really would be a good fit for your business. Then I will outline the interview, which is basically I want this to be very relaxed and conversational so that I can get to know you and you can learn about our studio to see if it is a good fit. I will ask you a series of questions but if you think of anything you want to ask along the way, do not hesitate to ask. Alright, let’s begin. Then I go through the questions. Early on in my hiring journey, I found that I was so nervous that when they were responding to questions, I wasn’t even listening. I was focusing on the next question I wanted to ask. I encourage you to focus on listening to what they have to say. If something isn’t clear, ask for clarification. Sometimes their response will inspire another question. Have an outline but let the conversation be natural and informal. I believe this is how you really get to know someone. I try to keep the interview to about 20 to 30 minutes but I have had interviews go as long as 60 minutes. It really depends on the candidate and the position. As we wrap up, I ask them if they have any questions for me and tell them the next steps. I might say something like, I have additional interviews scheduled over the next couple weeks and I will be in touch with the next step after completion. When I hire teachers, the next round is typically a demo lesson. I like to see them working with the student before making my final decision. Depending on the position you are trying to fill, you may need a second or third interview. Perhaps other people in the business will be involved in later interviews.

Once I have completed all interviews and demo lessons and I have narrowed down to one candidate, I do background checks and reach out to their references. For years I did not contact references and this was a huge mistake. Speaking with references helps you confirm that there aren’t any red flags. Once I speak with their references and complete their background checks, I offer them the position which is what we will cover in next week’s episode. I will also share our best practices for onboarding and training the new hire so they feel well welcome and set up for success.

Now, I always like to make these episodes actionable. If you are not currently hiring, I would still write your interview email script and work on your interview questions so you have everything you need when you are ready to hire. Also, get clear on the steps you want the candidate to take. After the initial interview, do you want them to do a second interview? Do you want them to do some sort of assessment or demo? Do this now while everything is fresh in your mind. You will be so glad you did. If you have any questions about hiring or business in general, DM me on Instagram at theblissful mompreneur. I would love to help in any way that I can.

Thank you so much for tuning in to today’s episode of the blissful mompreneur podcast. I hope you found the information valuable and inspiring. Remember, you have the power to step off that hamster wheel, reclaim your time and find balance in your life. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps me continue to provide valuable content to mompreneurs like you. Until next time, keep pursuing your dreams, finding joy in the journey and creating a life and business you love. Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.