Having recently watched a mini-marathon of the chef contest Hell’s Kitchen, I have to say that the show is the best job interview ever. Professional kitchens are rough, loud, sometimes frightening places to work and those who succeed really must have a very thick skin. Not only does Chef Ramsay get to see how they conduct the basic operations (cooking), he gets to see how they handle unbelievable pressure, working with other difficult people (including Ramsay himself), and how they deal with both successes and failures.

The great lesson for entrepreneurs in these competition reality shows is the importance of finding out what a job candidate can do and how they will fit in before you commit to hiring them. Many small business owners struggle with embracing their role as employer. They fret about hiring the right people, where to find them, how to effectively interview them. In frustration, they often just hire whoever comes in the door and hope it works out. Bad idea. It is very expensive to hire the wrong employee…far beyond the mere expense of their paychecks.

Interviewing is the best opportunity you have to find out about the candidates. The basic list of interview questions really doesn’t tell you much. People looking for jobs often give standard answers to standard questions…the answers they think will get them the job. Instead, look for ways to find out what you actually need to know. If the job description includes specific tasks that can be easily tested, include that in the interviewing process. For example, if the job requires handling customer emails, contact your candidates by email and evaluate their responses. If the job requires personal sales, ask them to sell you an item on your desk. If the job requires accounting skills, create a messed up set of financial reports and see how many problems they identify and how they would go about solving them.

Of course, at the other end of the interviewing spectrum are the bizarre questions used by many of the hi-tech startups like “How do you think they get the peanut inside M&Ms?” or “What three items would you want to have if you were stranded on a deserted island?” or “Why is a manhole cover round?” Unless you are looking for very creative types to fill your staff, these questions, while fun, are a waste of everyone’s time. Before you begin recruiting your staff, think through what you are really looking for in an employee and brainstorm creative but sensible ways of seeing how they actually work.

Start here. Go far. LaunchX.com