Peering In
Peer-to-peer interviews give you a closer look at how prospective employees will get along with your staff--but be careful whom you introduce them to.
By Chris Penttila •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When Bruce Fenton gets a good vibe about a job applicant, hedoesn't dangle a job offer right away. He wants the applicantto meet a few of the company's employees first. "Peopleact differently with different people," says Fenton, founderand president of Atlantic Financial Inc., an investment firm inWestboro, Massachusetts, with annual sales topping $1 million."If someone is abrasive to the junior people, we're notinterested. They wouldn't be a fit."
Fenton, 32, uses a technique called the peer-to-peer interview,where applicants meet one-on-one with rank-and-file employees toask questions about the job and the company. The employee sizes upthe applicant and tells the boss what he or she thinks.
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