Did you know that Google CEO Larry Page signs off on every new hire? Vetting more than 30,000 employees for one of the most powerful companies in the world is no easy task, and it shows the importance that Google places on hiring the right people. 

And who can blame the company? If you hire the wrong people, the results can be disastrous. In a larger company, one bad apple might not blow up your firm, but over time, the results will trickle down. As subpar employees absorb your cash flow, your business will suffer.

Hiring the right employees, on the other hand, will ensure the long-term success of your business, and making the best hiring decisions starts with the interview.

Avoid Useless Interview Questions and Tactics 

Because hiring decisions are so significant, it’s essential that you become a great interviewer to decipher whether a candidate is the best fit for your company and its growth strategy. Still, honing this skill takes practice.

A company’s leaders should be involved in every hiring decision because they have the deepest understanding of the company’s culture and growth strategies. The people you hire will be responsible for making your business generate revenue, and they’ll become the future leaders of your business.

When you’re interviewing candidates, don’t waste precious face time on useless interview questions. Be sure to eliminate the following interview strategies:

• Reading off the CV or résumé: You should never simply read a CV or résumé in an interview. Candidates are always prepared to give great responses about their résumés, so you won’t learn very much about their personality or work style. Instead, read it ahead of time, and come prepared to ask deeper questions about specific jobs or activities.

• Using brainteasers as interview questions: I used to throw out brainteasers in interviews — it’s a trick that many large banks and consulting firms use — but I have since moved away from them. They don’t add real value to the interview. Sure, you may want to know whether candidates are good with numbers or excel at thinking on their feet, but it’s a better use of your time to have them take a test. 

• Trying to intimidate the candidate: More aggressive firms or companies will often attempt to intimidate candidates to let them know that working for their company isn’t a slack job. However, this just creates a bad candidate experience, which could land you on the infamous “America’s Worst Companies to Work For” list.

3 Things to Look for in a Candidate 

Beyond relevant work experience, there are a few things to assess during an interview to determine whether candidates will fit in with your company’s growth strategy and culture, including:

 1. Behavioral traits. Is this candidate a driven self-starter? Is this person humble? Behavioral interviewing will tell you more about a candidate than his or her résumé. Once the interview is over and the person begins working, behavioral qualities matter much more than past job experiences.

 2. Career goals. Make sure to let candidates know that it’s OK to have career aspirations beyond the position they’re applying for. In fact, you should ask candidates how they would like to see their career develop. Really understanding a person’s career goals is important when deciding whether he or she is a good fit for your company in the long run.

 3. Personality. Every organization has its own unique culture, and it’s critical that new hires fit in from a cultural standpoint. If candidates don’t fit in culturally with your company, it doesn’t matter how impressive they are — they’ll likely feel like outcasts, which will hinder their performance.

Whilst it may look pretty straightforward, the hiring process takes time. And according to a 2012 CareerBuilder survey, the primary reason companies hired the wrong employees is because they rushed the decision.

Interviewing is one of the most critical components of building a company. Spending adequate time on hiring and facilitating quality interviews will benefit your company as you ensure that your next hires fit into your culture and overall growth strategy.

Stirling Cox is the managing director of the U.S. offices of AlphaSights. The information services company assists a global client base, including private equity firms, asset managers, strategy consultancies and corporate executives.