Logical Reasoning Interview Questions
If you are interviewing for a math-based role, like a business analyst or accountant, youll want to include some logical reasoning questions. However, they can also be useful for project manager positions or other roles that require problem solving on a constant basis. A nice thing to add to any of these questions is to say, Walk me through how you got to your answer, for even more insight.
Austin Ries of Zohos recruiting blog also makes a great point that, when interviewing analytical candidates, you should ask them to summarize what happened in the interview since that is a necessary skill for an analytical role.
What is a quarter of a half?
I ask this question because math is a fundamental skill that employees need when it comes to analyzing the success of advertising campaigns. The best response is when they answer the question confidently and correctly. The worst is when they say Im not very good at math or take wild guesses at the answer.Bob Bentz, President, Advanced Telecom Services
A bat and ball cost $1.10 IN TOTAL The bat costs $1 more than the ball How much does the ball cost?
Hint: the answer is not 10 cents! The answer is that the bat costs $1.05 and the ball costs $0.05.Kevin Robson, Managing Director, Capable Consultants
Here are 3 more logical reasoning interview questions from my experience as a recruiter:
How many people do you think are online on Facebook in Chicago right now?
How would you weigh an airplane, like a Boeing 747, without a scale?
How Do You Keep Your Technology Skills Current
Tech professionals work hard to keep their knowledge base current by reading blogs and forums, taking online courses, joining hackathons and plugging away at personal IT projects. This tech interview question can help you gauge the candidates enthusiasm for the profession, as well as open a conversation about professional development.
Best Interview Question Ideas For Sales Candidates
Recruiting a good salesperson becomes harder every year as much of our brains move online but sales is still an in-person and communicative industry.
HR Virtuoso blog writes an interesting article on looking for certain traits in your sales hires that match those of the late boxer, Muhammad Ali. The author says your interview questions for a sales person should revolve around the following traits :
1. Confidence ask them about their proudest achievements.
2. Preparation ask them how they prepare for a sales meeting, or for this very interview you are hosting.
3. Authenticity ask them about their true self, or a time they had to stay true to their own values.
4. Value ask them about their value to your company and what kind of sales numbers you can expect from them.
5. Conviction ask the potential salesperson if they believe in your product, and why.
6. Legacy ask the candidate about their record and legacy at past companies or with past clients.
She says these traits are that of successful salespeople, and the candidates answers should speak volumes over just looking at their resume.
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What Do You Like About Working Here
Use this question to learn positive things about working for the organization that you may not find while researching the company. This may help you consider intangible factors you may not have previously considered or heard about, such as unique company policies, employee rewards, or how employees treat each other. The interviewer’s answer may help you better determine if this company is the right choice for you.
Bonus Interview Questions To Ask
- How long is the average tenure of an employee?
- Where would the company like to be in five years?
- Am I going to be a mentor or will I be mentored?
- How will you judge my success? What will have happened six months from now that will demonstrate that I have met your expectations?
- This job sounds like something Id really like to dois there a fit here?
- Now that weve talked about my qualifications and the job, do you have any concerns about my being successful in this position?
- What is the next step in the hiring process?
- When can I expect to hear back?
- By when do you hope to make someone an offer?
- When is the anticipated starting date for this position?
- Whom should I reach out to if I have any further questions?
Use these questions to ask during an interview as prototypes for questions based on the particulars of the position for which you are being considered. Make them your own and polish them until their shine reflects on you. Asking questions like these is not for the faint of heart but, then again, neither is succeeding in a competitive job market.
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What Are Your Salary Expectations
Good: “Your ad said the salary range for this job was between $45,000 and $55,000. Based on my experience and qualifications I expect a salary at the top end of your range.” An employer might want a specific answer. Do your research and find out what other people get paid to do the job.
Bad: Don’t ask for a salary that’s too high or too low
Out Of All The Candidates Why Should We Hire You
Since a candidate cannot compare himself with people he doesn’t know, all he can do is describe his incredible passion and desire and commitment and … well, basically beg for the job.
And you learn nothing of substance.
Here’s a better question: “What do you feel I need to know that we haven’t discussed?” Or even “If you could get a do-over on one of my questions, how would you answer it now?”
Rarely do candidates come to the end of an interview feeling they’ve done their best. Maybe the conversation went in an unexpected direction. Maybe the interviewer focused on one aspect of their skills and totally ignored other key attributes. Or maybe candidates started the interview nervous and hesitant, and now wish they could go back and better describe their qualifications and experience.
Plus, think of it this way: Your goal as an interviewer is to learn as much as you possibly can about every candidate, so don’t you want to give them the chance to ensure you do?
Just make sure to turn this part of the interview into a conversation, not a soliloquy. Don’t just passively listen and then say, “Thanks. We’ll be in touch.” Ask follow-up questions. Ask for examples.
And of course if you’re asked this question, use it as a chance to highlight things you haven’t been able to touch on.
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Is There Anything About This Interview Process That You Would Change
This is a question that no candidate can prepare for and it takes some by surprise .
It will give you an indication of how candidates are feeling about the process and forces them to think on their feet.
If you’re hiring for a management position it can also show you how a candidate thinks about process efficiency and illustrate the thinking style that they may apply to other areas of your business if hired.
This can also be a great way to get constructive criticism and improve your interviewing process and boost candidate experience.
Tell Me About A Time You Screwed Up
An oldie but goodie. This is a tried-and-true test for self-awareness. Someone who takes ownership of their mess-up and learns something from it is usually humble and mindful. Candidates who blame others or give a “fake” screw-up are red flags.
A good answer to this question:
A good answer to this question will do two things well:
- Admit to a genuine mistake. Often candidates will dress up a mistake with a self-compliment or excuse to avoid looking weak. For example, “I was so committed to X that I overlooked Y.” On the contrary, good answers will just show that they miscalculated, plain and simple.
- Explain what they learned from it. It’s one thing to screw up, but it’s another thing to take that screw-up as an opportunity to improve. Great companies learn more from failure than they do from success — candidates who do too are exactly what you need to grow.
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Good Questions To Ask During An Interview
There are different types of good questions to ask during your interview that may help you learn more about the organization or build your relationship with the interviewer. For example, you may ask questions about the specific role to determine if you have the experience required or if it’s something you would enjoy. You may ask questions about company culture to gauge how well you would fit within the organization. Asking questions about your interviewer’s interests and experience may help you make a better impression.
Here are some examples of good interview questions to ask:
Do You Have Any Concerns About My Resume Or Background That I Can Address
Use this question as an opportunity to welcome the interviewer to bring up concerns they may have unsure how to address. This presents your willingness to answer any questions about your past and share information you may not have included on your resume or in your application. An interviewer may appreciate your transparency, and this may prevent misunderstandings or assumptions.
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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.
The Bottom Line On How To Answer Do You Have Any Questions During An Interview
Gather as much information as you can in the job interview. Decide if you really want this job in this organization working with these people. Then, be prepared for the whole process to take too much time. NEVER stop your job search and wait for a job offer to come. You are probably one of at least three other candidates for any job, and they may well choose someone else or not fill this job.
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Who Is The Smartest Person You Know Personally Why
These questions test what the candidate values and aspires to by forcing them to think of a real person they know, and then articulate what makes that person smart.
A good answer to this question:
Ideal answers vary, but could include specific examples of the person they’ve chosen’s ability to think ahead several steps and execute. They could also touch on the person’s decision-making skills, ability to connect, desire for learning, or application of the things they learned.
Pitch To Me As If I Were Buying Your Product Or Service
This is a slightly different, and more challenging, alternative to our earlier “What do you know about the Company?” question. Not only does it make candidates to reference material from their research, but it forces them to come up with a compelling message on the fly.
Focus less on the delivery here. Sales and marketing candidates have an unfair advantage as they should be accustomed to this kind of task. The key to a good answer is thorough research and clear articulation of your business.
If you are hiring for a customer facing role though this is also a great way to gauge how they’d deal with the curveballs that customer meetings often produce.
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B Illegal Interview Questions
This goes without saying. Using one of these illegal interview questions to ask the interviewee can damage your employer brand at best and, at worst, you might actually run afoul of the law or even get sued.
The problem with illegal questions is that they often crop up in an interview without the interviewer being aware that theyre illegal. But, often, these questions are also personal and not job-related, so its easy to learn to steer clear of them. Here are some examples of illegal questions:
- How old are you?
- Are you a native English speaker?
- Do you plan to have children?
- Are you married or plan to get married soon?
- Have you ever been arrested?
- Have you ever used any drugs?
- When did you graduate?
These interview questions have the potential of illegally disadvantaging a protected group. For example, in the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warns against making decisions based on arrest records because this may cause you to unwittingly discriminate against protected groups. Similarly, in the UK, age is one of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. This means that a direct question about age, or even an indirect one might get you in trouble.
Asking Good Questions Is Hard In Most Interviews Ive Done And Read I Tend To Hear A Lot Of The Same Questions It Seems That People Either Dont Research Their Guest Before Interviewing Them Or They Do Light Research And Repeat What We All Know In An Effort To Prove They Did Light Research
Both approaches result in a boring experience for the person being interviewed and a boring read for the audience. Its why , even though someone asking to interview you is a great honor, many people who are often interviewed come to dread it.
Im no pro at interviewing people, but between my NTMY podcast and the ongoing interview series we do on this blog, Ive learned what separates forgettable interviews from memorable ones.
“Get as much context as you can and then think about what you still want to know.”
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Prepare Your Questions To Ask During An Interview In Advance
Read through the list below to get ideas about questions that are typically asked and choose the ones that seem to be most important to you. Choose at least 10 good questions that are the most important to you and relevant to the opportunity. Write your questions on a list you take with you to the interview.
You will likely not ask even half of the questions listed below, but they are a good starting point for developing your own, depending on what is most important to you.
The best way to avoid taking a job you will hate is to learn as much as you can about the job, the organization, your boss, your coworkers, and the environment before you accept the job offer.
What Are The Traits Of Your Ideal Manager Or Boss
This is a great question to ask any up-and-coming employee because it shows how good of a fit they would be in the company. If youre the hiring manager or someone whos going to be their future boss, their answer can spell out your future boss-employee relationship.
This question also shows how much guidance a potential employee might want. If their ideal manager is someone who gives detailed instructions and keeps constant watch over the team, they might need a lot of guidance. If their ideal manager is someone who is laid back and hands off, they might not be a good fit if your company culture is more high stress and deadline oriented.
Relating: A great boss, to me, is someone who is clear in their direction and asks a lot of questions from their employeesjust like youve been doing. I believe my ideal boss is someone who takes their employees opinions into account, although we might have disagreements, and thats OK and expected at times. Oh, and a great sense of humor certainly helps!
Unrealistic: My ideal boss is someone who doesnt back down. Theyre always courageous and willing to lead. They never take no for an answer. And they do things the right way 100% of the time.
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Describe A Situation In Which You Led A Team
Is the candidate a team player or a leader? In this case, were asking the candidate to show leadership. Some candidates may come off as overcontrolling or lacking in leadership qualitieslook for the ones that showcase effective management and leadership skills.
Ideally, youll want to hear about a success story and not a big flop, and one from the workplace rather than in high school.
Successful: Oh! Great question. The last project I spearheaded was about half a year ago at my last job position. Our goal was to create a soundtrack for the upcoming game. This project was pretty big because we had 30 members all dedicated to the sound team, with me leading the project. After successfully laying out a plan, I delegated the appropriate tasks to showcase everyones strengths. We ran into slight trouble as a couple of our teammates had to re-record a couple songs due to technical difficulties, but I managed to find replacement musicians who could help fill in that lost time. In the end, the project was a success, and we managed to deliver the soundtrack with a couple days to spare!
Nostalgic: Oh, back in my high school years, I was assigned a PowerPoint on World War II. My teammates pretty much did nothing, so I guess I was the leader?
What Are Good Random Questions
65 Random Questions to Ask Anyone
- If You Had Three Wishes, What Would You Wish For?
- What Would You Rather Throw Away: Love Or Money?
- Whats The Most Beautiful Place Youve Ever Seen?
- What Was Your Fondest Memory Of High School?
- Whats Your Favorite TV Show?
- Whats The Strangest Thing In Your Refrigerator?
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