Take me through a typical day for you...

[Mel Kleiman]

I sat in on an interview last week where the interviewer asked the applicant to describe what a typical day in their life is like.

Seems like a great question, but I have found that there is no such thing as a typical day.

When a potential employee is asked this question, all you get are generalities and nothing really substantial to base a hiring decision on. But, if you make the question more specific : "Take me through your last work day," you can get a real picture of the person's piroities and job responsiblities.

You can always get more information by asking: "Is that typical?"

For example, the applicant says she got into the office at 7:30 a.m. for an early morning meeting, You can now ask: "Is that typical?"

The key to making great hiring decisions is to ask great questions and not settle for generalities.