If you had a staff member whose employment had to be terminated, how would you handle the situation?

"Unfortunately, with my years of experience, there have been more than a few times I have had to terminate a staff member's employment contract. Although I always try to be cool-headed and calm, the reason for termination often sets the tone for the meeting. I like to make sure I have appropriate paperwork ready before calling the employee in, including a copy of the employment contract. I like to give a detailed explanation of why the choice to terminate was made and give the employee an opportunity to make a statement, preferably in writing, and give him copies of the appropriate paperwork."

Anyone working in a supervisory/management position knows that one of the dreaded parts of that job is having to terminate employment. The interviewer wants to know that you are comfortable performing the difficult parts of management.

"Terminating employment is one of the dreaded parts of being a manager, but sometimes it just has to be done. Whenever I am faced with having to terminate employment, I like to look at the whole situation, what led up to this point, and make sure I have documentation ready before calling an employee in. I like to talk to the employee and go through the reasons a decision was made for termination, give the employee an opportunity to ask questions/give feedback, and have all appropriate paperwork signed."