What Are Some Of The Key Financial Metrics That The Company Optimizes For
I don’t think enough candidates ask about the business itself, regardless of the product, says David Nunez, Head of Documentation at Stripe. This question gives great insight into the health of the company, what they prioritize, and also reflects well on you as the candidate youre signaling that you really want to do your homework, he says.
Tell Me About A Mistake You’ve Made On The Job
Look for candidates’ willingness to admit mistakes and learn from them, as well as how they hold themselves accountable for their decisions. Do they blame others for a projects missed deadline, or do they accept responsibility and say what they learned from the failure? You aren’t looking for an employee who doesn’t make mistakes ideal employees recognize their weaknesses and work on them.
What Do You Have To Offer The Company
What They Want to Know: This is a Why should we hire you? question and thus offers you the opportunity to make a successful sales pitch for your qualifications to prove that youre the best candidate for the job.
I can offer you eight years of experience in luxury auto sales, during which I have never failed to exceed my managers quarterly production goals. Ive been told that my enthusiasm for innovative new automotive technologies is contagious, and customers appreciate that I can talk not only about comfort features but also about the advantages of internal mechanical, electrical, and computerized systems.
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Can You Share The Details Of The Companys Stock Offerings For Employees
Were folding together a cluster of questions from both Sean Byrnes of Outlier and Dan Pupius of Range that dive into the financial details you need to know before signing on with an early-stage company:
What is the last 409a valuation?
How often do you do re-evaluations?
Do you think there will be a secondary market for early liquidity? Who will have access to it?
What was the last preferred price?
What is the total number of stock options issued and what are the outstanding shares?
How much of the company do investors own?
Its important to ask details about the company that they should be willing to disclose to help you make a decision about whether or not to join, says Byrnes. Failure to share these things is a warning sign.
In Five Minutes Could You Explain Something To Me That Is Complicated But You Know Well
This is a much better test of intelligence than a college GPA, and it’s also a great gauge of a candidate’s passion and charisma outside of their core job responsibilities. Candidates who are passionate and knowledgeable about something — and can convey that well — are more likely to be enthusiastic and influential at work.
A good answer to this question:
The “something” in this question doesn’t have to be work-related — it can be a hobby, a sports team, something technical … anything, really. Good responses will tell you how well your candidate comprehends complex subjects and that they can articulate that subject to someone who doesn’t know much about it.
Explanations that use analogies also make good answers, especially if it’s a topic that is filled with industry jargon. This shows that the candidate can solve problems by drawing comparisons to things that are more universally understood.
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How Does The Team Deal With Two Urgent Projects With Conflicting Deadlines
This is especially important for candidates interviewing for leadership roles, because resource and time constraints are common in startups, says Todd Sundsted, CTO of Odeko. The answers, and how the interviewer backs it up with experience, help me understand their tactics for balancing conflicting demands. I want to understand how they weigh these priorities or when they push back. It’s almost always an equal-parts entertaining and valuable conversation.
What Talents Interests Or Skills Do You Have That We Havent Made The Most Of
Its possible things at your organization move quickly and some people arent being utilized to their potential. Asking this question could illuminate solutions to problems youre having that also give an employee more fulfilling responsibilities.
For example, maybe you have an employee whos been there for a decade and is overloaded with a dozen different random tasks they take care of every month because when they started, they were the only option.
Its highly likely newer employees could be quickly trained to help lighten tenured employees workloads. By freeing up some of the time they currently spend on repetitive tasks, youll allow them to get more involved in other efforts that better utilize their talents and pique their interests.
The answer to this stay interview question may shed light on areas where employees could be helping you but currently arent.
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Questions To Ask When The Interview Is Being Set Up
Usually the first person you speak with is the recruiter or a member of the Human Resources staff. In some typically small organizations, the hiring manager will be the first person who interviews you.
The best question to ask is Who will be interviewing me, and how does your hiring process work?
Ask for the names and job titles of the people who are interviewing you so that you can do some research about them before the interview. Hopefully they will have LinkedIn Profiles you can review to see if you find any common ground among them or with you to help you understand more about the organization.
Research the interviewers to help you find ways to build rapport with the interviewers during the interview same school or degree, same professional organization, etc.
Dont be surprised if the first interview is a remote interview. The first interview in many organizations is often a phone interview, a Video interview, or a one-way video interview.
During this initial screening interview, employers ask questions to determine if you are a qualified candidate who should be invited to a face-to-face interview. You may not have an opportunity to ask many questions, but do have questions ready to demonstrate your interest in the organization and the job.
Regardless of who that first person is, ask these questions of both the HR/recruiting staff member and the hiring manager to learn important details about the job and to compare the facts presented.
Why Did This Team Struggle To Accomplish The Objective
What They Want to Know: Every project has its challenges, and effective team members know how to evaluate what worked and what didnt so that they can improve their processes in the future. To make the best impression possible, don’t single out any particular team member as the reason for problems. Instead, focus upon how the team as a whole could have done better.
We struggled to settle upon the best process, because none of us has ever worked together before. Newly assembled teams don’t communicate as effectively as established ones who know each members strengths. Given that this is a job interview, we all want to make a great impression, and so each of us was probably more eager to delegate than we were to be assigned tasks. However, we soon realized that we needed to agree upon a team lead. Once we had done that, the planning and execution of the process went smoothly.
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Growth Potential Behavioralinterview Questions
1. Describe a situation when your superior was not around and a problem developed. How did you handle the problem? What were the results?
2. Tell me when the last occasion you asked for direct feedback from your manager and why?
3. Is there something that would motivate you to move from your current position?
4. What is a big career goal that you achieved recently?
5. Was there a time you were passed over for promotion? Was it fair?
What One Skill Would You Like To Improve And Whats Your Plan For Doing So
If youve previously been relying on that cliché what’s your biggest weakness question, give this one a try instead.
Rather than asking an interviewee to point out her flaws and poke holes in her own candidacy, you can turn the tables by focusing on areas of improvement.
Additionally, the second half of this question gives that applicant a chance to redeem herself, so to speak, by explaining what action plan she has for continuing to grow and develop within her own field.
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What Is A Phone Interview Or Screen
In a phone screen meeting, an employer interviews potential employees who appear qualified for the advertised job after the resume and cover letter are reviewed. These meetings, by phone, are conducted by one person, usually the hiring manager or a Human Resources staff member, who ask the same basic questions of each candidate they call.
You ask each candidate the same basic questions during a phone screen to give you a basis for comparison of the skills and responses of each person. It is also likely that during your phone interview, your candidates responses may lead you to ask additional different follow-on questions. This is fine as long as you ask the same list basic of questions to avoid any possibility of unconscious bias or any possibility of discrimination.
While developing a set of customized phone screen questions for each position you are attempting to fill is the recommended approach, use these phone screen best practices to guide you.
B Technical Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
These questions are at the core of technical interviews. If youre the hiring manager or a team member who does a similar job as the position youre hiring for, youll want to ask these questions. Note that technical does not mean tech-related in this case, it means specific and job-related.
To find the best technical interview questions to ask potential employees, search for the role youre hiring for in our vast library of 350+ interview question samples. Here are examples of jobs companies are often looking to fill:
Technical questions are usually part of the second interview questions to ask candidates who have been shortlisted after the initial interview or screening call. In this stage, youre evaluating the candidates ability to actually do the job.
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Think Back On A Really Great Experience That You Had With The Last Person Who Previously Held This Role Why Was It So Great
This might be basic, Jake Fleming, Lead Designer at Labelbox, wrote to us but we think its anything but. It could raise a red flag for the candidate if the interviewers cannot conjure up a great past experience with someone in this particular role. It also gives the candidate a pretty solid idea of what success looks like in this role at this company. Finally, it helps illuminate the company’s ideal view of that particular role and how that compares and contrasts to the candidates own natural abilities and tendencies, he says.
What Would Have Made You Consider Staying At Your Last Position
Candidates may have well-rehearsed answers to interview questions like, “Why did you leave your last job?” By asking them to consider what circumstances they wish had been different at their last company, you’re likely to get more candid feedback. Obviously, the work environment or job responsibilities or possibly the management style were less than ideal. Do the candidates’ reasons for leaving demonstrate career ambition, a desire for a more suitable work environment, or something less desirable? And how do their previous situations compare with the position theyre interviewing for?
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Welcome Questions From The Candidate
Dont forget the welcome questions from the candidate. This is important not only so that the candidate has the chance to ask anything that will help them feel secure about the job that he or she is applying for.
It is also an important opportunity for you to see how invested the candidate is in the company and whether theyll be a good fit. Are they asking about day-to-day tasks? What about the big picture? This is a great opportunity to see if the candidate will be a cultural fit at your company.
Describe Your Career History And Future Goals In 30 Seconds
What They Want to Know: Answering this question isnt difficult if you prepare ahead of time. Touch upon the most significant parts of your education, how youve progressed in your career, and what you hope to do in the future.
I was immediately hired after college graduation to work as a cub reporter at the Big City Times. During my six years there, I advanced to become their beat reporter for local and then state politics, during which time I won awards for breaking the XYZ voting scandal in 2018 and the 2020 revelation of Senator Grafts connection to organized crime. While I love political field reporting, I hope to eventually turn my talents toward editing and writing political commentary.
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Begin With A Friendly Opener
Start the interview with a friendly and light opening topic that will help both you and the candidate feel more relaxed and comfortable. For example, you can open the conversation by making a statement about what a nice day it is or that you hope the candidate could find the office without difficulty. Using a light, friendly opener can set the tone for a more natural conversation throughout the rest of the interview.
Are You On Linkedin
While the answer is likely “yes,” this question can get at a candidate’s network, Hammond said. “All developers are linked to other developers by a few folks,” Hammond said. “Word of mouth is important in this particular business.”
Overall, “you’re looking for technical talent, but also a certain amount of flexibility,” Hammond said. “We’ve got a new front end framework every six months, we got from mobile to IoT, and we’ve got AI and NLP on the horizon. If you can’t hire developers that are flexible and willing to evolve as the technology scene evolves, then you’re hiring for the past, not the future.”
SEE: IT Hiring Kit: Programmer
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What Is Something That The Company Changed At The Request Of Its Employees That Did Not Originate From An Executive
Another one from Outliers Sean Byrnes, who tackles the often broad conversation around employee experience by quickly narrowing the focus to simply employeeimpact. How much do employees have a voice? Is information flowing upward, or is the company stuck in a hierarchical standstill? While particularly valuable for folks interviewing as an individual contributor, even managers may find this question useful to look out for their future teams growth potential.
Study The Candidates Resume Or Cv
Look over the candidates resume. Using a blind resume might offer an opportunity to limit the influence of unconscious bias. You can familiarize yourself with their work history and background. Reviewing the CV in depth ahead of time ensures that you maximize the time you have in the interview. Why?
Many general questions are often easily answered with just a quick scan of someones CV. When you start with this knowledge already in hand, you can take advantage of the interview to really dig deep into the candidates skills and abilities.
You can also take the time to highlight any areas in their resume that may seem vague or unclear, or perhaps that contains something that may be unknown to you, such as a unique hobby. Allow the interviewee the opportunity to expand on those areas as it may reveal possible behaviors or personality traits that will have an impact on effective job performance.
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Preparing & Conducting Interviews
Being well prepared and then conducting an interview methodically will help you make the most of this important recruitment tool.
When interviewing job candidates, you want to determine what sort of people they are, how good their interpersonal skills are, how they might react under stress, whether they have the skills for the job, and whether they have been honest in their resumes.
Expect The Candidate To Have Also Researched You Or The Company
The candidate will probably have done their own research about the company and possibly about you to help them feel more comfortable during the interview. Besides the information your company provided in the original job posting, a candidate may have reviewed the companys website and social media pages extensively looking for information that will help them feel more confident during the interview. During the interview, it should become clear who has dedicated the time to doing this additional research.
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In What Ways Could The Team That I’m Joining Improve To Be More Impactful And Deliver More Value For The Business Its Stakeholders And Its Users
Ideally, the team you may join needs someone of your skill-set, background, experience and unique contributions. With that said, not all managers or leaders have done the work to identify where their team is weak, says Howard Ekundayo . Additionally, the manager may not have the organizational decision-making power to make targeted hiring decisions even if they did do this work. The context around this question may significantly impact your decision to join the company, organization and team overall.
Hiring Process Questions To Ask In An Interview
One of the hardest parts of job searching is the constant unknowns. Hiring process questions are good questions to ask in an interview to give you a sense of whats going to happen next, how quickly they are looking to fill the position, and give you an opportunity to finish the interview as strongly as you started.
17. What are the next steps in the interview process?
This question shows that you are eager to move forward in the process. It will also help you gain important information about the timeline for hiring so that you can follow up appropriately.
18. Do you have an ideal start date in mind?
This is another way to get an understanding of their timeline and when you can expect to hear from them.
19. Are there any further details I can provide that will be helpful?
This question allows your interviewer to circle back to anything that concerns them about your experience or resume without phrasing the question negatively such as asking, is there anything that concerns you about my fit for this role? You dont want them to be thinking of reasons not to hire you, but you do want to have the opportunity to explain yourself if the interviewer has doubts about your qualifications.
20. Do you have any further questions to ask me?
This can be a less-detailed alternative question to the above. It leaves the door open for the interviewer to ask for clarification on one last thing before concluding the interview.
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