Whats One Essential Skill You Learned In Your Most Recent Job
When you hear the candidates answer, ask yourself, Will that skill bring value to my company? If youre unsure about their answer, ask follow-up questions about their other skills to see if they can fill a void in your business.
It should also raise a red flag if the candidate cant think of anything they learned in their most recent job.
We should never stop learning. And even something as seemingly mundane as learning how to stay better organized shows that the candidate is always looking for ways to improve.
Whats Your Expected Salary
The last thing you want is to fall in love with a candidate, only to find out you cant afford their asking price. When negotiating a salary, look to see if their answer aligns with the salary you have in mind. If they did their research, theyll likely quote a salary within the average range for your location.
Accurate: From the research Ive done on this position, I think somewhere between $X-$XX is a fair amount.
Optimistic: From the daily tasks youve described and the management responsibilities, I think $XX is an amount Im comfortable with. This is truly a great opportunity, and I believe I can help this business succeed.
Demanding: I think $XX is my number, non negotiable.
It’s A Chance To Learn More
Your interview gives the hiring manager insight into your professional experience, qualifications and accomplishments, but its also a great time for you to learn more about the company and job. Focus on asking questions about topics that werent covered, or topics you would like to discuss in greater detail.
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Refine And Condense Your Questions
Long interviews are fine if the questions are all killer. Long interviews with filler questions and redundancies are not only a waste of everyones precious time , but will also flip the off switch for your guest and your reader. Your guest will get tired and your audience will tune out.
When preparing for your interview, ask yourself: What kind of questions would you want to answer?
When Closing The Interview How Many Questions Should You Ask
At the end of your interview, youll likely be asked by the hiring manager if you have any questions for them. And this is really the best opportunity to ask the most important questions. Sarah recommends having five questions prepared because its likely that some will be answered during the interview.
She explains that If you have no questions ready, it says I didnt do my research. You need to ask one or two thoughtful questions to show youre prepared for this job and are truly interested. If you ask a lot more than two questions though, it says to the hiring manager that youre too high maintenance.
She provides a few example questions that you might ask:
- Who are the people Id work most closely to in this position?
- What skill will I need to use the most in this role?
- What continues to be the biggest challenge in this position?
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Is Your Work Personality Different From Your Home Personality Or Your Social Personality In What Ways
Maferima Touré-Tillery, an assistant professor of marketing at the Kellogg School, posted new research that showed that people who self-identify as having different identities may actually be less ethical than people who are more consistent in their life.
In other words, if an employee views themselves as being totally different at home than at work, they may be more inclined to perform unethical behaviors. This is because theyre more easily able to detach from their work persona .
Genuine: Honestly, Im pretty much the same wherever I go. And I think thats a good thing! I feel like I am an honest, hard worker, and even when at home, I try my best to stay fit and do the chores whenever I can. Im also always learning and reading books, so thats a plus. I manage to find a good work-life balance as well, so I dont think I have to be 2 different people at all.
Unmotivated: I would say yes. When at work, I try my best to get by. But when I go home, sometimes Im just too tired. I dont feel like working anymore!
Pro Tip: Want to know the insider secrets of what a company is looking for? In this interview, I talked with Zach Suchin, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Brand Knew, a creative agency and technology studio. Watch the video below to find out more about company culture and his favorite interview questions:
How Would Your Previous Employer Rate You From 1
Our favorite line of questioning is the following:
This line of questioning has several uses. One, can they even get a reference? If yes, great. If no, why? No usually indicates an issue and definitely something I want to know about before considering hiring someone. I dont care how many HR policies are in place to prevent me from learning something of substance about this candidate if they were a rock star, their previous supervisor would want me to know. Bosses like helping their former superstar employees succeed and do well, so theres really no reason the answer to this question should ever be a no if the candidate is worthy of a second look.
Secondly, probing about what the supervisor would say about their work performance and how they might improve digs into the candidates emotional intelligence and ability to take another persons perspective, which usually translates well on the job in any interpersonal situation. It also challenges them to consider their weaknesses in front of an interviewer whom theyve typically been trained to only speak of their successes and accomplishments.
Founder and CEO of The Hire Talent, Fletcher Wimbush, has interviewed over 8,000 applicants.
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How Would Your Boss Describe You
This may give you a sense of the candidates relationship with previous managers. Reliable? Prompt? Efficient? Keep in mind, though, who youre asking. The answer will be simply their opinion of what the boss might have said. Thats why its still critical to check references. Request a list of contacts and give former employers a call to hear how their impressions align with the candidates.
Questions That Show Personally Relevant Connections Between You And The School
Once youâve let the interviewers talk about themselves, theyâll be much more open to hearing about you.
The interviewers know youâre qualified. Thatâs why youâve been invited. Theyâre more interested in the way you fit into their culture, mission, values, etc.
The questions you ask arenât just a way to find out more information they can also help convey the ways youâre a match for the school.
The best questions in this category will establish personally relevant and specific connections, while also showing that youâve done some thorough research into the schoolâs offerings.
The ideal scenario would be to find some connection through your online research, see where the available information plateaus, and then build your question around that.
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What Kind Of Work Environment Are You Used To
Managing a team is, by no means, an easy position in which to survive and thrive. Most businesses are full of high-pressure situations that can bring out the best in your team members.
Those same high-pressure situations can also reduce the likelihood that a new manager will stay long enough to learn how to function in such a fast-paced environment.
Asking the interviewee what kind of work environment they are used to will help you understand whether they are well-suited to manage your team or not.
If you dont get an informative answer the first time through, you may need to ask follow-up questions such as, Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a high-pressure situation. How did you handle it?
Important Questions To Ask Yourself
After your interview, and after youve carefully asked your lingering questions to the hiring manager, Sarah would also encourage you to ask two important questions of yourself. Maybe you wait until the weekend, or one evening when all is calm to sit and really get clear on these two questions before you proceed with the new job offer.
Can I see myself growing here?
Even if you dont foresee yourself in this position for a long time, you need to be able to grow. As a high achiever and someone who values their work and time, sit and think about whether youll have new experiences, challenges, and lessons that you could take with you into future positions.
Beyond salary, how will this job positively affect my life?
Sarah explains that people may take a position thats not a good fit personally or professionally because they get dollar signs in their eyes. Of course, this is a crucial aspect of the job youre interviewing for, but if its not the right fit, you could be on the fast track to burnout or simply dreading your new job. Either way, see if you can find a few ways that it will positively impact your life.
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Best Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
When you interview a candidate, you have to gather as much information as possible in a short period. Gleaning enough about a candidate to determine whether theyre the best fit for a role is challenging but by asking good interview questions, you will not only get a clearer idea of their skills and experience, but also get a sense for their conversational skills, problem-solving skills, and ability to think quickly. The best way to adequately assess a candidate for both skill fit and culture fit is to ask questions that are specific to the company or role as well as broader questions that give the applicant an opportunity to show their personality and ability to think critically under pressure.
Are you a job seeker? Find Jobs.
Things Phds Can Do Right Now To Get Their Careers Back On Track
One of my earliest grad school memories was at a wine and cheese event. There were grad school, postdocs, and professors at this event. I was talking to someone who had been a postdoc for a few years. Initially, we were talking about their research, but at some point, I remember them telling me I really love wine. The comment started as a kind of joke, but it got serious as they started talking about how, with all of the challenges theyd faced in their postdoc and not getting into a professorship, they had really become a wine connoisseur. That
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How Do You Ask Great Questions To The Interviewer
The key is to ask questions that show the interviewer or hiring manager that you are the perfect candidate. How do you do this? By asking questions that highlight that you have the skills and abilities they have laid out in the job description. Decide what questions youre going to ask based on your analysis of the job description.
Summary: 32 Strategic Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
Well, I hope that was useful if you liked this article or if you have any great questions of your own you would like to share, please leave a comment below.
Lastly, a huge thank you to all of the esteemed contributors to this article.
Now that you have hired the right person, take a look at our 13 Proven Ways To Get Your Employees To Like & Respect You.
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What Kind Of Sound Do You Think Describes You
Our favorite personality question by far is, what kind of sound do you think describes you? The question immediately stumps most applicants at first, and its one where you cant throw out a canned or rehearsed answer. Its open-ended enough for applicants to show their personality but also a strange enough question where people really need to think about their answer.
Can You Tell Me About A Time When You Overcame A Challenge
You know that most job seekers absolutely dread these behavioral interview questions. But, that doesnt change the fact that theyre an effective way for you to gain a better understanding of how that persons experience translates from paper to the real-world.
This specific question is a popular one, and for good reason. Starting a new job isnt a walk in the park. And, even after that new employee is established, hes bound to deal with some roadblocks every now and thenwhether its a conflict within his team or a project he doesnt quite know how to get started on.
Getting a grasp on how that person copes withand, more importantly, tacklesdifficult circumstances will help you zero in on the very best fit for that open role.
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Top Questions To Ask An Interviewee
When conducting interviews to fill critical job vacancies its important to ask the right questions of the interviewee and reveal the best answers ensuring a more informed hiring decision.
These 25 interview questions for interviewees will help the interviewer get to know a candidate better before making a decision to bring them aboard their company.
Top Strategic Behavioral Strategic Questions Interviewers Ask
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work. How did you handle the situation?
This is a great question to ask candidates because everyone makes mistakes. How people handle those mistakes, however, differs from person to person.
Listen closely to the candidates answer. Do they blame someone else for the mistake, or do they own up to it? Did they learn anything from the mistake? How did they ensure that it wouldnt happen again?
Youll want to hire someone that views their mistake as an experience they can learn from and who implements what they learned.
Describe a stressful situation youve faced at work. How were you able to manage it?
Stress is something we all face. Most jobs induce at least a little bit of stress while others are extremely high-stress jobs .
Regardless of the job your candidate is applying for, constructively handling stress is important. You want a candidate that can manage a moved-up deadline or the office being understaffed without completely deteriorating under pressure.
If you are interviewing candidates for a high-stress job, then the way they answer this question is crucial. You want to hire someone that will be able to stick it out when the going gets tough. Pay close attention to determine if they have any concrete strategies that they use to help them get through stressful times.
Tell me about a time when you set a goal for yourself. How were you able to achieve it?
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Strategic Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
32 Business Leaders, HR Managers & Academics Share Their Best Strategic Interview Questions to Ask Candidates + The Mindset Behind The Questions
I reached out to scholars, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and hiring managers to find out what are their favorite and most interesting questions they like to ask interviewees. Not only that, but they have also provided the reasoning and thought behind the questions.
Situational, behavioral, and even lines of disruptive questioning are all included. As this article contains a great depth of knowledge, please use the table of contents below to jump to a question that interests you.
What Is The Average Employee Turnover Rate At The Company And For This Role
Ask this question to understand how often employee turnovers occur at the organization and for the role you’re applying for. If the turnover rate is high, it’s possible that previous employees who held the position were unhappy with the company or role. This could be due to an unpleasant work environment, lack of structure or poor management.
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The 7 Questions You Should Never Ask During An Informational Interview
My postdoc tenure was ending soon but with no possibility of an extension. As a result, the stakes were high and the mere anticipation of the unemployment situation gave me chills. To make matters worse, all I was able to hear from the people around me were unhelpfuladvice, while information and help were all that I needed.
It was frustrating enough to not have a prospective job, but not knowing my industry fit was even more disheartening. Upon scrolling down job postings, I saw that there were several job profiles that I was unaware of.
I knew everything about academic job titles and responsibilities but I had no idea about industry job titles, roles, or expectations. I couldnt differentiate one industry career from another. Consequently, I felt that I had no potential of adding value to any industry. Above all, I desperately needed a job.
I was eventually introduced to the concept of informational interviews,which comprises networking with industry professionals and ranges from a 5-minute call to a zoom meeting or an in-person sit-down. These contacts provide first-hand information about the industry, job title, and your fitness for the role.
Informational interviews provide information about the left over company budgets and industry jobs that have not been posted yet. Having these focussed conversations with other professionals helps me comprehend specifics of the job market and make new contacts, such as the hiring managers at the companies I aspired to join.
