Playbook: the ABCs of interviewing: how to find the right employee by conducting the perfect interview.

Whether you have two or 200 people working for you, at some point in your career, you will conduct employment interviews. For many people, this prospect may be unnerving. What kind of questions do I ask? What can't I ask? Won't the application tell me everything I need to know? No matter what type of employee you are looking for, there's more to a good hire than merely confirming the information on his or her application. Hiring successful employees isn't an accident--it's work, and you'll get out of it what you're willing to put into it.

The ABCs (The Dos)

Abilities--The applicant must have the core education and experiences, or the ability to do the job. Ask open-ended questions that require more than just "yes" or "no" answer. For example, if you're interviewing accountants, don't ask, "do you know how to close the books at month's end?" (They'll answer "yes" even if they don't.) Instead ask them to describe their month-end closing process.

Behavior--Once you're comfortable the applicant knows how to do the job, you'll want to determine how he or she behaves on the job. Does he or she have initiative? Is he or she a team player? The answers will help to differentiate the applicant who will fill your position from the one who will try to make it a career. To determine if someone has initiative, ask questions that require an applicant to recall specific past instances of it. For example, you could ask, "give an example of time when you successfully went beyond your required duties to solve a problem for your employer." The answer you get will be far more revealing than asking a yes or no question.

Corroboration--Don't miss the opportunity and value in interviewing the applicant's references. This is your opportunity to corroborate the information you've been given. Use similar behavior-style questions when talking to that former boss. Don't just ask, "were they a good employee?" You'll get a "yes" when an example of the applicant's work might have revealed "not really."

The 123s (The Don'ts)

1--Don't interview every applicant who applies or who just meets the minimum qualifications. If you don't enjoy interviewing, wasting time with people who aren't right for the job won't improve your enjoyment of the process. Identify your top five, and do a short telephone screen. Bring in your top three for live interviews. If none of those seem right, then bring in more.

2--Don't ask questions you are legally prohibited from asking. These include questions that (directly or indirectly) deal with race, gender, religion, marital status, age, disabilities, ethnicity, national origin or sexual preferences. Avoiding those types of questions can save your organization thousands of dollars in an EEOC discrimination claim defense. Rule of thumb: if it does not directly relate to the job, don't ask the question.

3--Don't accidentally (or intentionally) misrepresent the job. You can scare away a good applicant by making the job seem more complex that it really is. Likewise, don't make the job more glamorous than it really is or you'll be interviewing candidates again when the employee quits.

Some describe interviewing as an art--as complex as painting the Sistine Chapel. However, following these basic guidelines can make it as simple as learning the alphabet or counting.

Lauren Yost is NRPA's Human Resources Manager. Yost brings 14 years of experience, with concentrations in training and development, compliance and process improvement.