Test drive the car before you buy it. Sample the food before booking the catering hall. Date before you marry.

And put them to work before you hire them.

You could be hiring an employee or a financial advisor or someone to paint your house or design a website. If it’s an important job, have them do something as a test run first.

Do away with the questions from the interview hall of shame.

If you were an animal what animal would you be?
How do you deal with pressure?
What is your worst attribute?
(The answers of course are eagle, exceptionally, and a combination of perfectionism and workaholism.)

The answers may tell you how well someone can read you and articulate what they think you want to hear, but they are no substitute for a real work product.

In my case I am preparing to hire some new employees for my company. They will need, among other things, persuasive writing skills, understanding of my content, and marketing savvy.

So I set the candidates to the task of evaluating my website, reading my blog, and writing a guest post. Tomorrow I will share one of those posts. This person’s writing today tells me more about what I can expect in the future than any interview question I could ask.