A recent feature discussed how to use exit interviews with a departing employee as the inevitable personnel changes occur at your business.

But that is actually just the first step in another critical process. Whether replacing an employee who has quit or been fired, or adding a new employee because of growth, the hiring process can be a challenging one.

Doing it right, however, can greatly reduce how frequently you face that challenge. One shop owner said that just over four years ago he changed his hiring process. Since then, he said, he’s had only one new hire that was with the company less than a year, and his average employee tenure with the company has risen steadily.

The first thing he’s doing differently is including a key manager in the interviewing and hiring process and decisions. It’s another set of ears and eyes helping determine whether a potential employee will be a good fit. A one-evening seminar offered by a local employment law firm gave the manager a good understanding of what to do and not do during interviews, and the two developed a standardized list of questions that all candidates are asked, including:

• Have you ever had two vehicles (or projects) with the same deadline? How did you tackle that?

• Have you worked with a fellow employee who was difficult to get along with? How did you handle that?

• What’s the last thing on which you and your manager or boss disagreed? How did you settle it?

• What was the most frustrating experience in your past job?

• What are your references likely to say about you?

The other change the shop has made is being more conscientious about checking job references. Just assuring applicants that you will be checking such references may weed out some potential bad hires.

Some employers are reluctant to give our reference information (fearing lawsuits) so check with your attorney about a liability release form you can have applicants sign to reassure their references. If references refuse to talk or cite a company policy against providing such information, ask the applicant to come up with additional references who will talk or to convince reluctant references to be more forthcoming.

At an absolute minimum, you should be able to confirm from each reference if the employee worked where and when he said he did, and if the applicant would be eligible for rehire by the former employee – a valuable piece of information.

But try to ask open-ended questions rather than those that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Rather than asking, “Was Bill a good worker?” ask, “How would you describe Bill’s job performance?”

Another useful technique is to ask the reference for other suggestions as to who else might be able to speak about the applicant’s ability to do the job. This can often help put you in touch with other technicians or employers the applicant hasn’t listed on the job application.

Some other good questions to ask references include:

• If you had to pick three words to describe this person, what are the first that come to mind?

• If you could change one or two things about this person, what would they be?

• Why did the applicant leave your company?

• How likely would you be to rehire this employee if you had the opportunity?

A good investment

While there’s a host of other applicant screening tools – personality tests, criminal background checks, drug testing and even credit checks – several collision industry consultants say they see far too little emphasis placed on the two basics of good interviewing and reference checks.

The high cost of high turn-over within a company is certainly not up for debate. That can make spending a little more time and effort when an employee is leaving and prior to hiring a new one a very worthwhile investment.

John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He can be contacted by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.