As you gear up for the new year, you may be looking to expand and bring on new members to your team.
Of course, when you do so, you’re going to have to ask certain questions in order to discover which applicant is the best fit.

It can be challenging to get the information you require, so to help you do so, try adding my two favorite hiring questions to your mix:

1. How much compensation do you need? How much would make you happy?

Some companies wait to talk about compensation until the end of the hiring process, but I think it’s really important to find out early in the interview, before you waste too much time, how much the applicant needs. You see, there’s the level of compensation that a person needs for basic survival, and then there’s the figure that would make the applicant happy. For instance, a person might need $60,000 a year to meet her obligations and she couldn’t consider a position that paid her less than that. But she’d be happy if she were making $85,000.

Now, of course, you want everybody in your company to be happy, but you don't even want to explore how to get there if you’re not even in the ballpark of their need. Imagine going through a long process and then finding out that the applicant needs $250,000 year, and you're not even making that. At that point, all you can say is, “Wow, you know what, I can't even get on the map with what you need, so we’re probably not a fit.” It’s far better to discover that early in the process.

If their need is something that you can meet, then you can negotiate. At our company, we like to have people making their need, and then we have creative ways to get them to their happy place.

2. What are your top three priorities in life?

This is a great question for opening up talking points around some of the more personal topics that you generally wouldn’t ask (or can’t ask) about in an interview, but that can really help you both determine if the position is a good fit.

For instance, if your applicant shares that one of her top three priorities is gaming and she travels to tournaments every weekend, that brings up the topic that your events happen twice a month on weekends.

Or if your applicant says his top priority is a family obligation that happens every weekend, without being discriminatory, you’re able to bring up the point that your events occur on weekends. This gives your applicant the opportunity to see for himself that the position is not a good fit.

Author's Bio: 

Recently honored as one of America's Top Women Mentoring Leaders by WoW Magazine, and recipient of the coveted eWomen Network Foundation Champion award for her generous fundraising, Lisa Sasevich, "The Queen of Sales Conversion," teaches experts who are making a difference how to get their message out and enjoy massive results, without being "salesy."

If you found today’s issue helpful, you’ll love Lisa's flagship product The Invisible Close where she reveals 97 secrets to influence sales using irresistible offers, get results without being "salesy" and maximize profits with no marketing budget!

Recognized as a sales expert by Success Magazine, and highlighted as one of the fastest growing independently owned private companies by Inc. Magazine for two years in a row, Lisa delivers high-impact sales-closing strategies for turbo-charging entrepreneurs and small business owners to achieve great profits.

According to best-selling author Brian Tracy, "Lisa Sasevich is one of the greatest discoveries in America today!"

Kym and Sandra Yancey of eWomen Network say that "without question she is brilliant at teaching others how to leverage their unique gifts and qualities and convert them into a financial windfall. She is one authentic, heart-centered expert that delivers in spades!"

Robert Allen, author of multiple New York Times Best Sellers says, "I added a zero to my income today just by watching her. Lisa Sasevich. Watch that name and whatever you do, be part of what she's doing. You're going to love it."

After 25 years of winning Top Sales Awards and training senior executives at companies like Pfizer and Hewlett-Packard, Lisa left corporate America and put her skills to the test as an entrepreneur.

And in just a few short years, Lisa created a multi-million dollar home-based business with two toddlers in tow. Lisa is the undisputed expert on how to make BIG money doing what you love!

To receive monthly Sales Nuggets and Lisa's FREE 6-part series, "Simple, Quick and Easy Ways to Boost Sales Without Spending a Dime," subscribe today at http://theinvisibleclose.com/