After you decide on your methods of searching, you'll have to go through the task of evaluating resumes and determining which individuals you want to call in for interviews. If you are flooded with resumes, it might be worth your money to hire someone to read through them and narrow down the field to the best candidates.

Weigh the benefits of education, knowledge, and experience in the field against basic work experience and an often-overlooked strong work ethic. In short, you may be best off hiring a mix of people fresh out of school and people who've been in the workforce for a while. They can balance your company and benefit from one another.

Many people think that it's easier to be the interviewer than the interviewee. However, because you're the one representing your business, there is a lot of pressure on you to act in a professional manner and in a way that adheres to proper protocol. In other words, there are questions you can ask prospective employees, and questions you cannot ask them.

If you get a crush of responses to your job posting it might be worthwhile to do the first round of screening interviews by phone. From this group you can winnow down those who came across with enough knowledge and polish to warrant a face-to-face interview.

For example, you can ask all about past jobs, past responsibilities, favorite tasks or work-related activities, and why they've left their last job. You cannot ask if they're married, have kids, or about their sexual orientation. You can ask about goals, dreams, special skills, strengths and weaknesses, long-term plans, and preferred work style (team, individual, and so on). You can't ask about a person's religious beliefs, age, political affiliations, or disabilities. In short, personal questions are out and work-related questions are fine.

Reread the candidate's resume just before you start the interview so you can focus on her qualifications. The resume may trigger an interesting talking point revealing how she would fit into your organization. The candidate will relax a bit knowing you took the time to at least read the resume, a small courtesy to her and requisite preparation for you.

When interviewing, stick to the subject (the job), explain the company, make no judgments, and use common courtesy. You should be able to evaluate and determine whether you want to hire someone based on two interviews and a check of his references. Sometimes, individuals are also asked for samples of their work, such as a portfolio in advertising.

It's often advantageous to ask someone how he would handle a certain responsibility or how he would act in a specific situation. The answers to questions like these may prove more valuable than the standard “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Get an idea of how an individual solves problems. You can, and should, request references, and have the person's resume in front of you as a guide during the interview. Take good notes when interviewing someone so that you can go back and compare candidates later.

Once you do decide to hire someone, establish a start date. (Usually a new employee will start in a week or two.) Provide each employee with the W-4 form for the IRS, any benefits information, the I-9 form from the USCIS (formerly the INS), and an employee handbook if you have one.