With the end of the year approaching, some small business owners might be looking to hire more employees to prepare for the winter holiday rush. During this time of year, consumers usually come out in droves, requiring more workers to process transactions or help out on the sales floor. Other enterprises could be thinking a little further ahead and want to start vetting a small business accountant to wrap up fourth quarter records on accounting software and plan for tax season.

No matter what position a firm is hiring for, potential candidates almost always need to go through a structured interview process. If an enterprise owner is thinking about hiring someone they've never met, they need to question an applicant about their knowledge and experience in the field.

There are some tips and tricks that can be used on any potential hire for a number of different open positions, to ensure the company has found the best person for the job.

Four key questions
To reveal how an individual would fit in with other employees, handle office conflict and take responsibility, American Express's Open Forum recommended managers asking a few simple questions that can reveal a lot of information.

For example, the "Why should we hire you?" inquiry can allow the person to highlight their best features and show what research they've done regarding the firm. Also, a leader should consider asking about a time when that person exceeded expectations, because it can reveal problem-solving skills and the ability to toe the line between bragging and analyzing a situation in which they performed well.

Undercover interviewer
One of the most important tools companies have in their arsenals is the fact that the potential hire probably isn't familiar with the firm's hierarchy. As such, a worker in a leadership position can, without revealing their title, have a simple conversation with the applicant and garner a lot of information.

According to Inc. Magazine, this strategy is often extremely lucrative. Jeff Haden, a book plant manager explained that his boss once had him take over an applicant's tour of the office, without explaining his role within the business. Because the person thought Haden was a regular employee, he revealed aspects of his personality he hid from the CEO, like the fact that he was asked to resign from two jobs, had a history of dating workers he managed and thought the CEO was a jerk.

Business owners can have a trusted staffer host a tour or act as a secretary and drum up small talk. This strategy can not only result in the manager getting a second opinion, but can reveal more information about someone who could be hired, Inc. detailed.