Hiring and firing are the two worst parts of a supervisory position in my opinion. I never really liked doing either for all the reasons pointed out in the post. Some people have an amazing ability to interview really well and then not live up to the impression they gave in the interview. I think it is kind of like people that test well in school but don't really know how it applys in real life. I was also intrigued by the comments about wanting the senior person to point out mistakes and help with decisions. Especially liked the support when I choose to continue to make bad decisions. I am that person, I will tell you that you are making a mistake in a heart beat however I have found that a lot if not most people don't appreciate that and it is a quick road to getting fired or put in a position of very little influence. So that being said I think you need to tell the person up front that you expect that from them and that the results won't be disasterous to them. Most may have experienced bad results in the past and have made the decision to keep their head down. It could even be the reason they are available for you to interview them. Communication of expectations and truth are required when interviewing and ultimately hiring someone so that neither of you are disappointed.

.02,

DG