The most important thing an employer should do to hire the right person for the job, is to know the job. An employer really needs to look at the duties of the job and see what they need in terms of qualifications. If an employer hires someone over qualified for the job, the employee could get bored very easily. If the employee is under qualified, it can cause increased frustration with trying to learn the position. If either of these situations occurs, chances are the employee may move on to a position that is more suited for them.
The best way to determine qualifications for the position is to make a list of all duties the employee will be expected to perform. Take a skills inventory and set experience requirements. Develop a good job description. It obviously doesn’t take a degree to answer the phones but it does probably take a person with experience dealing with people.
The interview is a very important process of hiring the right person. It’s the first chance to meet a prospective employee and first impressions are important. Are they dressed appropriately for the position they are applying for? Develop good interview questions. Questions must fall within acceptable guidelines. Be sure to know what you can and cannot ask such as age, family status etc.
Checking references is very important. Often prospective employees do not think prospective employers will actually check their references. References are sometimes limited in what they can tell you, especially former employers but they CAN give dates the candidate was employed and if they are eligible for rehire. These two things can tell an employer if the candidate sticks with a job long and if they performed well.