You are busier than ever. You tell yourself that one of the goals is to
Hiring the right person comes down to asking the right questions. I’ve listed 26 of them for you that Kelly McGuinness from United Mortgage uses to sort out the weak candidates from the strong ones.
Pay attention to how your prospective employees answer the questions and take notes. Then if they’ve made the first cut, set up a second interview.
However, the second interview should be conducted by another person (it could be someone in your office or a friend that you trust). Ask the same questions and then compare notes.
These are not easy questions to answer. That’s what makes this questionnaire so awesome.
So, if you’ve hired an assistant in the past and it just didn’t work out—or you just plain old decided that you need help—use these questions to help you make your final decision.
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why are you thinking of leaving your current job?
3. What are your responsibilities there?
4. What does your typical day look like?
5. What talents and strengths did you bring to your position?
6. Please give me a couple of examples of your strengths.
7. Tell me about how you have worked in a team.
8. What’s the best feedback you’ve gotten from a customer?
9. Give me an example of when customer service could have been better.
10. When do you think a customer’s telephone call should be returned?
11. What’s your opinion of the mortgage business?
12. Describe what you think a loan officer does and their responsibilities.
13. In your opinion, what’s the hardest part of a loan officer’s job?
14. In your opinion, what’s the easiest part of a loan officer’s job?
15. What is your opinion of Realtors?
16. Tell me about a great experience you’ve had with a salesperson (personal or professional).
17. Tell me about a bad experience you’ve had with a salesperson.
18. What could they have done to make the experience better for you?
19. Please describe your ideal boss.
20. Please describe your ideal job.
21. How would your boss describe you?
22. What have you done in your career to make someone else successful?
23. What irks you about people?
24. What irks people about you?
25. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
26. Who do you look to for guidance and why?
You may not be in the market to hire an assistant just yet. So, tear this page out (or copy the questions) so you have it handy when the time comes to hire someone to help you take your business to the next level.
