Q: My manager is the worst interviewer in the world. He just chit-chats with candidates. He doesn’t really interview them. We end up hiring these new employees who are really not qualified and make everyone else miserable. They don’t show up for work, they annoy others because they don’t have basic work skills, and they don’t care about our customers. The original team is very committed to our customers. What should we do?

A: Working with colleagues who are less committed can be de-motivating. Your manager should be asking questions about customer service, after a few “chit-chat’’ questions.

Beginning an interview with a few non-interview questions is fine. Questions like “Did you find us OK?’’ or “When will spring really begin?’’ are all ways to warm up a candidate and set the tone. However, it sounds like customer service skills are critical. Some questions your manager might want to ask are:

1. Tell me about your customer service experience.

2. Describe to me a time when you had to interact with a very challenging customer.

3. What has been your favorite role of your career? If the candidate does not mention one with customer interaction, this might be a yellow flag. Least favorite role? Again, if the candidate includes a role with heavy customer interaction, this could be a concern.

4. How would you describe a strong co-worker?

5. How would your former co-workers describe you?

6. Describe to me the last piece of negative feedback a supervisor shared with you.

Notice I focused on customer service skills and interaction with co-workers. We have all worked with colleagues who are helpful and will chip in when a co-worker is harried or overwhelmed. When they are able, they assist a colleague. Then, some look the other way when a co-worker is struggling. Or they volunteer for a project and you find them surfing the Net, picking out new shoes.

Every hire is a risk. An interviewer has to assess factors including skill (can the candidate do the job?), cultural fit (can they add to the work environment?), and co-worker relations (can they work well with others?). In our firm, we help clients terminate more employees for cultural fit and how well (or not well!) they work with others. If colleagues can contribute to your work environment or positive co-worker relations, they are usually keepers!

Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton.