Employee Evaluation Interview

I interviewed a friend who is the manager at a boutique clothing store
1. How often do you perform employee evaluations?
I perform employee evaluations annually in December or January
2. What kinds of things are you looking for in an employee evaluation?
The employee evaluation is a good time to look at the employee's performance over the past year, discuss any problems, and successes. Raises are usually discussed in this evaluation.
3. Do you have any goals or plans that you discuss in your employee evaluations?
Our employee evaluations are pretty informal. I don't set specific goals with my employees, except looking over what they could improve on and things that they are doing well.
4. How important do you feel an employee evaluation is?
I think employee evaluations can be very beneficial to both me and the employee. It offers a chance for us both to sit down and discuss anything that needs to be addressed.
5. If an employee has not done a satisfactory job in the past year,
how do you approach the employee evaluation?
If they have not done an awesome job, I look at the evaluation as a way to discuss what has gone on. I try and see what I can do to help the employee succeed as well as identify ways for the employee to improve.

This was a great experience learning more about employee evaluations and how one manager approaches these evaluations.

Hiring/Firing Interview

I interviewed the owner of a new fast food chain. I listed the questions I prepared below as well as the answers that he gave.
1. What are the qualities you looked for in potential employees?
The biggest thing I look for is work ethic and if they will be able to get along well with the team and customers. I want hardworking employees that can communicate and be personable.
2. What stood out to you in interviews as something a candidate did well?
The candidates that were personable and outgoing in the interview stood out quite well to me.
3. What stood out to you in interviews as something a candidate did
not do so well?
Kind of the opposite of my previous answer. If the candidate was shy and hard to talk to, it was hard to envision them interacting with the customer.
4. What kinds of questions did you ask in the hiring process?
I asked them about their experience with customer service, their schooling, and how they approach difficult customers and stressful situations.
5. How important were the references in the hiring process?
The references are important, but as long as the references did not say anything negative and the candidate did well in the interview I usually felt good about hiring the candidate.
6. How important was the previous experience in the hiring process?
I wish we could hire only those with previous experience, but that is not plausible. Instead I looked for those candidates that had experience in working hard maybe in school or in an organization. I looked for quick learners.
7. What is your discipline policy?
We are still developing our discipline policy as we are a fairly new business. Obviously consistent absences and tardies will lead to a face to face meeting where I can discuss the problem.
8. How do you handle conflict between employees in the workplace?
I try to have my managers work on handling the conflicts by diffusing the situation. If it elevates then I will sit down with each of the employees and work to see their point of view and work towards a conclusion. If someone is consistently the cause of the conflict, they will be terminated.
9. Any tips for a future manager on how to handle disciplining an employee?
I just try to promote a healthy working environment. I want my employees to get along and have a good experience at work. If someone is consistently having issues, I try to work with them one on one and come to a conclusion.
10. Is it helpful for you to have other managers involved in the
hiring/discipline process? Why? Why not?
It is definitely very helpful to have other managers involved in the hiring and discipline process. It is nice to have another point of view as well as be present for legal issues.