Sometimes a personality test can help determine which candidates are best suited for the job. Granted, you can’t make a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator the end-all be-all in your hiring decision. You still have to conduct face-to-face interviews, check references and ensure the candidate has the technical skills needed for the job. These sorts of tests can be part of a larger checklist of what you need in a job candidate.

We’d like to hear from employers who use personality tests in hiring – are they successful in helping you make good hiring decisions? Or are you an employee who took a personality test during an job interview – do you think it helped you get the job or were you passed over possibly because of the test?

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Before you begin the hiring process, think about your company’s culture and the personality types you have in the business. Especially if you’re a small firm, you’ll probably find several similarities. Is your office laid back or structured? Do you frown on water cooler chit-chat or encourage employee interaction? If you’re employees come rolling in when the mood strikes them, a punctual and organized person might go crazy in your office.

Even someone with the best skill set may not work out if their personality and working style don’t mesh well with your organization. And making the wrong hire will ultimately result in problems for both sides.

Check out this article from ITBusinessEdge.com about cultural fit and questions you can ask to get a feel for the company. We particularly liked this item from the article:

Do your research. Review materials publicly available online and in the media; use your network to find out as much as possible about the company; and when you visit the office for an interview, observe everything from the layout of the office to the age of the equipment.

If you’re looking for a job, what are some ways you figure out the corporate culture and if you’ll fit in? And, if you’re doing the hiring, how do you gauge whether an employee would thrive in your company?

If the prospect of hiring makes you want to run away screaming, you’re not alone. It’s a tough process that often feels like a crapshoot where you won’t really know if you made the right decision until the person has already put a picture frame and a potted plant on the desk.

But with some careful planning and forethought you can up your chances of making a smart hire. One of the first steps is to determine the job’s qualifications – what exactly do you need? What should the employee be able to do? What skills are necessary?

Also, think about what’s more important to you and your organization: technical skill level, personality, the ability to get along with others or fit within the company and its structure. For a position that requires a great deal of teamwork, you may be more interested in someone who is a team player and can learn some of the skills needed for the job.

Here are some good tips in this blog post “Seven Steps to Smarter Hiring,” which includes watching for red flags and really taking the time to delve deep into a person’s background.

What have you learned when hiring employees? What are the most important questions to ask a job candidate?

A recent BusinessWeek cover story described what could turn into a “lost generation” of people in their late teens and early 20s, many who have one and two college degrees but can barely get an employer to call them for an interview.

According to the article, U.S. unemployment rate for those ages 16 to 24 stands at 18 percent, a jump from 13 percent a year ago. It might seem these youngsters eager for experience would be considered inexpensive labor, but as the BusinessWeek story points out, many businesses don’t want to take any chances. It’s probably best to hang onto to the workers who know the business rather than devote time and resources to training someone new.

Eventually businesses will start to hire again. The tide will turn and companies will grow, expand and fill some of the desks that have emptied out over the last year. But will young people be given a chance? They won’t have much experience and many probably will have found themselves working minimum wage jobs completely unrelated to their intended profession.

Competition for jobs will be fierce with more experienced workers going toe to toe with younger workers. How do businesses fill their ranks with seasoned employees while giving youth – ultimately the managers, VPs and CEOs of tomorrow – a place in the business world? Share your thoughts on this topic by posting a comment. We’re eager to hear your ideas and advice.