Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring pharmacy personnel.

A practical approach to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring pharmacy personnel is presented. Recruiting applicants should be an ongoing function, and personnel departments can serve as an important resource. A good pool of applicants can be developed by contacts, referrals, and advertising and through schools of pharmacy and placement services. Federal and state regulations regarding equal employment opportunity and affirmative action are discussed. The first step of the interview process involves comparing the applications with a current job description. A strategy for conducting the interview should be developed before the meeting takes place. Some examples of basic questions and questions that can be used to explore the applicant's work experience, background, and motivational level are presented. Suggestions are made for documenting interviews. Details on making the hiring decision on the basis of the interview are discussed, and the process of actually offering the position is covered. Hiring new employees is a major commitment that demands careful consideration. Each step in the process of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring must be performed diligently to avoid problems later on.