Potential hires: Let's do lunch

Did your last new hire fail to live up to his or her potential after a promising interview? Teresa Bradley Bays, DVM, owner of Belton Animal Clinic and Exotic Care Center in Belton, Mo., solves this problem with a little lunch.

Candidates who make it through the practice's thorough screening process, which includes several interviews and two half-day job shadowing sessions, get a special invitation to lunch with several team members. "At lunch, candidates seem more at ease, and they speak more candidly than they might in an interview," Dr. Bays says. Afterward, team members meet with the administrative staff to discuss their impressions.

"This allows the whole team to participate in the hiring process," she says. "It's especially helpful with too-good-to-be-true candidates. If several team members feel trepidation about a potential hire, we don't waste time and money training someone who may not be a good fit with our culture and philosophy."