As the job market has shown signs in recent months of improving, the chore of finding the right talent for one’s company becomes even more of a task.

Ask any recruiter or employer and they will tell you that getting the right person in from the first interview, to the background check, to the decision to hire or not can be challenging.

As we all know, having the right employee in place not only helps the employer strive for a better return on investment (ROI), it also saves the company money in having to keep training new employees like a revolving door. In the event your recruiting efforts have not always been up to par, there are some things to consider the next time you pour through a batch of resumes, considering who does and doesn’t walk through that door for an interview.

The key factor is determining if this employee is really necessary in the first place. Will the job and the responsibility that goes with it in actuality end up being something that the company really needs; does the company currently have the resources needed to handle the work?

Among the factors to keep in mind when considering interviewing applicants would be:

• Do we know what we need? In many instances, companies will specify in their advertisement exactly what they are looking for. Other times, the ads will be more general in terms, leaving both employer and potential employee with some questions. Make sure that the advertisement is clear, meaning both you and the potential employee know what is being sought;

• What makes this person stand out? While each individual who comes into your office for an interview has some unique qualities, you’re looking for that one factor or factors that make them head and shoulders above the rest. Anyone can fill an office cubicle during the day, but you want the individual who will best assist your company;

• Will we overlook some issues with this or that person? When someone comes into your office for an interview, it is assumed that you or someone on your team has given their resume the once-over. What happens, however, if there are some issues with the resume but you still think this individual could be a good fit for your company? When having questions on someone’s resume, go straight to them for the answers. If there is a gap of a year or two from working, ask the individual why that is the case should they not divulge the details ahead of time. Many gaps in resumes can easily be explained, make sure you get the explanation you want;

• How will this individual potentially fit in with the other workers? This is often the million dollar question for many employers. Until an individual is in place and working with other staff, it can be hard to say how they will interact as part of the team. As any company owner knows, finding employees that mesh well together is extremely important to a company’s success. While employees do not have to be best friends on the job or outside of work for that matter, they do need to function in a cohesive manner in the office to produce results;

• Put those references to good use – While many employers seek references, they are not always adept at properly using them when it comes time to hire a new employee. Make sure you follow through with an individual’s references and contact them. More importantly, take a closer view of the people you are calling and the relationship they have to the candidate. Or they all friends of the candidate? Has he or she not listed any recent employers? Has the candidate flat out said they have no references to provide you? References are supposed to provide honest answers when called on an employee, not be their cheerleading squad;

• What have we learned from past hires? Given that life is always providing us lessons, what have you learned from previous hires? Do you have a large rate of retaining employees or do you continuously have to hire new people? While employees will obviously come and go for a variety of reasons, having a high turnover rate means a number of things, including you are not hiring the right people in the first place;

• Lastly, grade yourself on how the process went – Employers oftentimes do not give themselves a grade on how they or appointed staff go about interviewing candidates, but they should. Grading the job you’ve done when it comes to interviewing candidates for work can help you down the road when someone comes to your office or does a phone interview with you. Live and learn just as the candidates do.

Interviewing and hiring new employees whether in-house or through a recruiting agency is not rocket science, but it does mean reviewing your techniques on a regular basis.

In the end, finding the right employee for the right job is better return on investment for everyone involved.

Dave Thomas is an expert writer on items like telemarketing and is based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.