In a good interview, the potential hire should speak 80 percent of the time, and you should speak 20 percent of the time. This is how you’ll get to know them.

“You may want to rescue a candidate who is struggling to come up with an answer in order to move on to the next question, but this won’t help you get the answers you need, so let silence fall,” says Andrea Ballard, director of human resources at a Seattle-based accounting firm.

If they fail to answer a question, prod them further. Some candidates just need more time to come up with an example. If they still can’t answer the question, you might have found someone who doesn’t have enough experience or doesn’t possess the traits you’re looking for, says Ballard.

While it’s true you only get one first impression, sometimes the best way to evaluate a potential working relationship is to meet someone a second or third time.

Have other people in your business meet them, think about how your customers would react to them, and maybe even make that second or third meeting over a meal.

“Getting people in a more casual environment can bring out things you may not have seen in a more formal setting,” says Carolyn Powell, an independent human resources consultant in Mendham, N.J.

The best way to find out if a candidate shows initiative is to ask this: Tell me about a time you proposed a new idea to your last boss. Candidates should be able to quickly detail a time when they took the initiative and suggested a solution or improved a process at work.

“Your business won’t grow if you’re the only one pulling the oars of the boat,” says David Lewis of Express Employment Professionals in Oklahoma City.

A receptionist can suggest a new procedure to save time, or a new hire can spot an inefficiency that might have been overlooked by long-term employees locked in a routine. Time is money, and every little bit counts for a small business.

Instead of asking an interviewee if they’re proficient in a certain computer program or if they have good customer service or administrative skills, put them to the test.

“Let’s face it, people often inflate their abilities, and nothing beats a ‘piece of the job’ exercise,” says Jenny Voigt, a human resources generalist at Amplify Credit Union in Austin, Texas.

For example, if an administrative position requires the person to respond to emails or take minutes in meetings, have them draft a response to a real email or take minutes of a recorded meeting.

You’ll get a glimpse of how each candidate performs on the fly and under a bit of pressure, and a clear look at how they’ll perform on the job.