Most of us would not get married after the first date, so why do so many companies hire employees with little knowledge of who they are hiring? Hiring a new employee is really no different than getting married to them, for better or worse. Even though there is no specific contract for employment, in most hiring situations, you are still forming a relationship with the employee that can involve a long and painful divorce if you later decide to terminate their employment. Therefore, it is important that you take special care in hiring the "right" employee for you company. The following guidelines will help you plan and decide who is the "right" employee to hire.

Know the job: You do not need a person with a Ph.D. to answer the phones and do light typing. So, before you advertise your new position conduct a skills inventory, write a job description, and set experience requirements. You conduct the skills inventory by interviewing employees who have held the position in the past. You may learn, for example, that the job requires strong customer service skills in addition to typing. Other skills to look for include the ability to handle multiple projects at one time, project planning, and computer skills.

TIP: Make sure you separate out the essential job functions from the non-essential job functions at the time you develop the job description. The essential job functions are vital and repetitive. It is essential that the candidate drive a car, but not essential that they travel to a different State, once a year, to attend a company conference.

Develop Interview Questions: From the skills inventory you will develop interview questions beyond what hobbies the employee enjoys. Be careful not to develop questions that violate the employees' rights under Title VII, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, Rehabilitation Act, Pregnancy Act, ADA, OWBPA, and FMLA. Here is a sample of topics and questions that could possibly lead you into asking an unlawful employment question. The list is not inclusive of all the possible illegal questions; therefore, it is a good idea to have your interview questions, job application, and job listing reviewed by an attorney for possible discriminatory questions and statements.

Age, do they rent or own a home, have an arrest record, use birth control, birth place, if he/she has filed for bankruptcy, citizenship, disability status, health status, mental illness treatment, marital status, maiden name, see a drivers license, obtain a photography, nation of origin, clubs/organizations they belong to, pregnancy status or plans to have children, native language, height and weight, military enlistment, race, religion, race of relatives, gender, sexual orientation, and if the applicant wants to be addressed as Miss., Mrs., or Ms.