The ability to work through the night, whether in a warehouse or a call center, is a specialty in its own right. Night-shift workers face unique challenges. They may have trouble balancing their work and family lives. Being disconnected from the company’s day-to-day activities can hamper their on-the-job morale. Their energy level can flag if they aren’t accustomed to late-night work hours.
But some workers shine at night. Studies show that the most productive night-shift employees tend to be night owls by nature who are physically fit extroverts. With that in mind, here are some interview questions that can help you quickly identify the promising applicants:
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Target night owls with your help-wanted ads
Your ads should make it clear that you are seeking qualified job candidates who are ready to work when everyone else is asleep. Janie O’Connor, president of Shiftworker.com, suggests calling attention to that point with humorous headlines such as, “If You Can Stay Up After the 10 p.m. News, We Have a Job for You.”
I recommend: : Get some tips on creating strong employment ads at
RecruitersNetwork.com, which provides resources such as a sample job description that you can use as a template for your own ads. Find more help at
Business and Legal Reports where you can buy a CD-ROM that contains 500 sample job descriptions. At
America's Career InfoNet, the Job Description Writer guides you through the process.
Know where to recruit
List your job openings in the classified section of your local newspapers, but also place ads where night-shift job seekers are most likely to check. Since young people adapt best to working all night, post ads in local college newspapers. If your night-shift opening has career potential for new college graduates, consider exhibiting at a nearby college’s career fair.
I recommend: Among the hottest spots for night-shift job ads are
Nightshiftjobs.com,
Monster.com, and
CareerBuilder.com. Meanwhile,
The National Association of Colleges and Employers offers several ways to connect with student job seekers, including a listing of upcoming
career fairs on college campuses.
Smart interviewing
As with any job interview, your questions should help you determine whether the applicant has the skills for the job, but you also need to ferret out the applicant’s interest in night-shift work.
I recommend: On SelectPro.net you can create an
interview script. It includes the option of letting job applicants answer interview questions online via an
automated online interview – a nice tool for pre-interview screening.
Is the job applicant truly a “night person”?
Help determine if a job candidate really does thrive when the sun goes down by finding out if he or she is a lark (a day person) or an owl (a night person).
I recommend: The Lark and Owl Test gauges a person’s sleep personality. Take the test and get the results for free on the Circadian Technologies Web site.
Conduct background and reference checks
Whether it’s a day or night position, don’t offer a job to anyone until you have verified that he or she is trustworthy. With fewer supervisors on hand during night shifts, it pays to be extra vigilant about hiring honest people.
I recommend: :
Intelius offers employee screening and verification.
Monster.com explains the most common mistakes employers make when checking references.
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