Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps you are an emotional interviewer?

An emotional interviewer tends to make judgments on first impressions. In a matter of minutes, an emotional interviewer may decide if someone is competent or not. Not surprisingly, they often make poor hiring decisions.

All hiring managers are susceptible to "emotional" hiring mistakes. Why? Because we are human and we like to hire people that we like or that may mirror ourselves.

First impressions, good or bad, tend to skew the interviewer's evaluation of a candidate. Given the difficulty of overcoming first impressions, what can you do as a hiring manager to avoid making hiring decisions based on emotion?

? First, conduct phone interviews. Phone interviews are an excellent way to avoid first impression mistakes. You will not be influenced by appearance or gestures; allowing you to concentrate on what the candidate actually says.

? Second, ask performance-based interview questions. Performance-based interviewing, commonly known as behavioral based interviewing, is an approach that looks at past behavior as the best predictor of future performance.

? Third, be prepared. Having a structured list of interview questions will keep your interview discussion focused on job skills and past performance.

TIP: Wait at least 30 minutes from initial introduction before you assess a candidate's competency - good or bad.

In summary, don't be too quick to judge. Be prepared and keep emotions at bay by asking job related, performance-based interview questions.

Ann Clifford is the Founder and President of Safari Solutions, an HR consulting firm focused on helping companies hire better. Over the past six years, Ann has worked closely with over 120 business owners in delivering improved hiring results. Ann graduated from Indiana University with an accounting degree and started her career with Price Waterhouse. With over 15 years of entrepreneurship, Ann is an advocate of small business. She is a board member of Entrepreneur Alliance of Indiana, and an active member of the the National Association of Women Business Owners, Network of Women in Business, and Venture Club of Indiana.