On the road to hiring success, there are many pitfalls human resources professionals may encounter. The first is not being clear about what you want. A clear job description is a good start, but it is just that – a place to start.

You need to know more than just the background and experience of a candidate. For example, suppose you are looking for a sales executive with a demonstrated track record in selling capital equipment. Once you find a candidate with that track record, you need to assess whether that person will be able to sell to your customers. To do that, you need to take the time to really analyze and know your customer base. What is the right sales style to reach them?

In addition to knowing your customers, you need to know your culture, and what makes employees successful or not successful in that environment. You may find a candidate who matches many of the education and experience qualifications for the job, but if their style is not consistent with your environment, they won’t succeed in the position.

Once you get a handle on your company culture, style and environment, how can you find out if a candidate is a fit? You need to ask behavioral-based questions. How have they accomplished things in the past? How have they described an environment in which they thrived?

The signs of a potential mis-hire often manifest themselves quickly, but take the time to find out if a candidate is right for the job. Don’t ignore early red flags – are they late for the interview? Rude to the receptionist? Demanding or hard to reach? But conduct a thorough interview to see if those early signs are confirmed or explained.

Another way to be sure you find the right person is to involve several people in the screening process. There should be 5-7 people interviewing candidates at the executive level. The interview should be organized so that each team member screens for different aspects of the job, including technical skills, management skills, behaviors and experience, philosophy, culture and values. Decide up front who is going to cover what, with some overlap so that people can provide two viewpoints on a particular element.

Having the expertise and putting in the effort to conduct a thorough interview is more time consuming and complex than simply matching a resume to a job description, but the payoff is more than worth the investment.