Everyone's worked with -- or managed -- someone who just wasn't a good fit for the position, in personality or skills. Find out how to get a pool of good candidates and figure out which one is your best choice without regrets.

Ask for What You Need

If you want to attract the right person, you need the right job description. Whether you're placing ads yourself or working through an HR department or placement service, making sure the right ad hits the Internet is essential.

Recruiters may want to use a generic job description when they place an ad for the position. Insist on using your own customized description; a generic description will:

• Look and feel generic and bland
• Fail to capture the attributes you need in that specific position
• Indicate that your company isn't putting much effort into the search

A generic description may even miss the point entirely. I've responded to jobs advertised as "technical writing" positions, only to discover in the interview that the actual position focused on managing, editing, computer programming or some other skillset entirely.

Instead, make sure the job description reflects the actual job. Use the Job Description Planner for Employers [PDF] to figure out exactly what skills, abilities and personality traits you need in your new hire, then write the job description around them.

Focus on What You Need

When you're done filling in desired traits in the job description planner, take a hard, practical look at what you've written. Is it really possible for one person to do all those things? Sure, it's reasonable to include some related duties in the description, but far too many hiring managers pack in every duty plus the kitchen sink in the hopes of hiring fewer people.

My favorite: a position listed on a major job site that included in its job duties technical writing, editing for multiple writers, answering phones, planning trips for executives and cleaning the kitchen. You'll likely find someone desperate enough to take this sort of omnibus position, but you'll have more effective employees if you hire for all the positions you really need.

Interview Intelligently

Be prepared. If you've never been in the interviewer's seat, do some research on popular interview questions. Go back to the list you made in the job description planner and come up with some questions related to the traits you really want in an employee.

Also, take a look at the questions you can't legally ask and the types of questions that are, if not illegal, at best shady and insensitive. Check your HR department's rules as well.

Preparation seems like common sense, but it's both important and rarer than you'd think. I once interviewed with a NASA contractor who literally read from a "how to interview" book. (Then accidentally started asking questions from the "these are illegal" list.)

If just the thought of interviewing someone terrifies you, you'll feel better if you're well prepared. Write down the questions you want to ask, and take them with you. You can also ask a colleague to sit in with you and ask some of the questions.

Next up: Keep reading to find out how to test potential employees' abilities and personality, then choose the best candidate. 

This article is part of GovWin.com's jobs and staffing resources. Check out the GovWin staffing section, ask the experts a question or follow @HireGovCon on Twitter for the latest govcon job listings.

Lindley Ashline is the Web editor at GovWin.com, the network that helps government contractors win new business every day. She can be reached at lindleyashline@deltek.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @lindleyashline.