David Blaine, the magician reveals in his book, Mysterious Strangler that the most important secret behind Harry Houdini’s extraordinary death-defying escape was his obsessive advance preparation. The audiences never saw the months of practice and planning he invested to pull off his magic.

Making the right hire does not require magic but it does require doing your homework. Asking the right questions is the most important aspect of making a good hire and it is also one of the most overlooked. Doing your homework means preparing in advance to systematically approach the interview with the candidate. If you really want the answers that provide insight into a candidate's likes, dislikes, desires, and drives, and into how that candidate will perform for you, you are going to have to ask the questions that matter to him or her. You certainly never get a second chance to make a first impression, but you also never get a second chance to form one.

How should you think about the interview process? How important should you consider preparation? Well, how prepared would you wish the candidate to be interviewed to be? How seriously should the candidate take the interview? How much preparation should she do? That's how much you should do, too. That's how prepared you should be.

Critical Components

What's the big fuss about asking the right questions? After all, how hard can it be? Well, it can be very hard. First, hirers have to isolate what they want from the candidate. This may not be obvious. This requires reflecting on your own goals for the hire. Second, hirers need to know what they want to know from the candidate meeting. What is absolutely crucial that you walk away from the interview knowing?

Example knowledge goals to make the right hire by:

Establishing rapport.

Qualifing the candidate.

Eliminating or differentiating one candidate from another.

Building credibility.

Knowledge of previous employers.

Relevance of past work experience.

Identify needs.

Close the deal, make the hire.

Ok, you know what you want. You know what you want to know. Now comes the hard part. What questions match up with your knowledge goals? What questions will get you the answers that will satisfy your goals for the interview? The message today is that if you've done your homework, you'll know. All of these answers come from asking the right questions.

Do you have at least 25 questions that you’re prepared to ask? Not? Join the crowd, most people don’t. 46% of newly hired employees fail within the first 18 months. 82% of the hiring managers recently surveyed confessed early indications of potential failure were present, but unrecognized. So, do we have to ask the obvious question?

Develop a list of 15 to 25 smart questions before you interview. Devise a strategy that will give you the desired results.

Here are 8 question success strategies to get you going:

Ask the candidate some questions that make him or her evaluate new information.

Ask questions that qualify his needs.

Ask questions about personal goals and ambitions.

Ask questions about past achievements.

Ask questions that separate him from other candidates.

Ask questions that make the candidate think before responding.

Ask questions about improved quality or sales goals etc.

Write down the answers to questions. This shows you care and increases your listening skills.

Ok, how do I write smart questions? The key is to write questions that make the candidate think and respond with specific examples of past achievements that can be quantified, not just theory.

What type of personal development plan do you have for each of your employees?

Did you reach your sales goals last year? If so, what is your target for this year?

How did you achieve your goals? Describe to me the steps that you took to realize them.

Please describe the most important achievement in your work history.

Please describe to me your leadership style and give me a specific example where you have had demonstrated your particular style.

To use questions successfully you must write them down. Create 15 to 25 smart questions. However, before you click your heals and write your questions you must be clear in your own mind what qualities, skills and abilities that you are looking for. You cannot step out on the hiring stage and wing it. That’s not magic. That’s a disaster just waiting to happen. Be a Houdini and plan, prepare and practice.

Ask the right question. Make the right hire! It’s magic!

Steven B. McKinney is the founder and president of McKinney Consulting Inc., Korea's most trusted executive search firm.  McKinney Consulting offers a comprehensive range of personalized, professional resource services to a wide cross-section of companies operating in Korea and Asia.  Mr. McKinney is a globally established commentator on international management.  He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it