Whats Your Definition Of Hard Work
Some companies move at very different paces: projects that might be allocated one week at a large corporate might be expected in a few days time at a fast-growing startup.
This question is a great way of telling you whether a candidate can keep pace with your team and fit in with your companys definition of hard work.
Look out for the hard worker in disguise: a candidate who is currently operating at half capacity at a slow-moving company and is keen to ramp up.
During The Screening Interview
One of the critical pieces of information you want to know at the earliest possible time is what are the key issues the hiring manager wants to solve. If you know the answer to that question, you have an advantage over all other candidates. Every hiring manager is looking for that special experience or knowledge that will help move the organization forward. The best way to find the answer to that question is to ask the interviewer at the beginning of the screening interview: Just out of curiosity, what was it about my resume that drew your interest to me? The answer will tell you what the interviewer sees in your resume that matches the needs of the organization. If the interviewer is a seasoned professional and defers to answer your question, he or she will understand the power of the question and will see you as a bright and insightful candidate. Either way, you get to move up the list of top candidates.
Bonus Idea: Ask Questions About Topics You Discussed In The Interview
Some of the most interesting and unique questions to ask in an interview will be related to topics discussed earlier. These arent questions you can plan out in advance instead, theyre questions that come to mind as the conversation with the company happens.
For example, you could say:
I have a question to ask. Earlier, you mentioned that I would rotate between a couple of different teams and tasks depending on the week. Is that something that most employees in this department are doing? Or is that something that would be unique to my role?
You May Like: What’s The Best Way To Answer Interview Questions
Top 11 Questions That Employers Should Ask When Interviewing
An owner of a small business reports that, after receiving an unexpected large number of applications in response to an employment ad she ran in the newspaper, she selected 10 candidates to come in for a job interview. She offered the job to the one who seemed to be the best after answering the interviewers questions.
Big mistake. On the first day, the new employee made so many errors and caused so much damage to the business that it was also her last day. The employer blamed herself for not asking the right questions at the interview.
Each industry will have its own set of questions that need to be asked. While a real estate broker may ask how a new agent will handle an open house, and a CPA firm may want to question a candidate about his or her knowledge of the tax code, there are some general questions that any employer should ask.
Asking the right questions will allow you to get a good understanding of the candidates honesty, qualifications for the particular position, and ability to get along with other employees. You will be able to evaluate whether or not the applicant has qualities necessary to succeed in the business world in general and, in particular, with your company. Here are just a few questions that some employers have identified as helpful to them.
Now Consider These Factors To Help You Evaluate Candidates:
Now that you have a complete overview of the best interview questions to ask, theres one last thing to do: be prepared to answer common questions from candidates. Theyre interviewing you too, after all. That way, candidates can also get useful insight on whether your company is a good fit for their skillset and motivations and hopefully, youll get to convince the best among them to join your team. Happy interviewing!
Also Check: How To Prepare For A Nursing Job Interview
What Kind Of Performance Benchmarks Do You Look For
Ask about performance benchmarks for the first 30, 60 and 90 days of your employment. Your potential employer will tell you what they will expect from you during the first three months, including training and onboarding. This will give you an idea of what you can do from the start if you get the job.
Read More: How to Succeed in Your New Job: The First Week, Month and 90 Days
Describe Your Most Challenging Client Or Coworker How Did You Resolve Those Conflicts
Every position involves some level of collaboration, and everybody has dealt with personality conflicts in the workplace at one time or another. Your list of interview questions to ask employees should include one that gives you a sense of how candidates work with difficult individuals and how they respond in high-pressure situations. No matter how talented or experienced a candidate may be, always be sure this is someone who can resolve differences in a professional, respectful manner.
Don’t Miss: How To Ask About Remote Work In An Interview
There Are Some Things You Can Do To Make The Transition Easier:
- Group the questions according to topic. For example, if you want to ask about writing skills, list all these questions together. Then, if a candidate answering one question touches on another question in your list, you can easily say Actually, I was planning to ask you about that. Tell me more about. This applies to similar skills as well for example, list organizational interview questions and leadership interview questions one after the other.
- Ask prompting questions. Candidates will use their experiences, knowledge and thoughts to back up their answers. Most of the time, youll have something to ask about those thats relevant to the role. For instance, you can say something like You mentioned that you did this project with a team of designers. We actually have a great team here that youll be working closely with should you be hired. How would you feel about this?
- React like you would in a social situation. If somebody told you at a party that theyre currently working on a cutting-edge face recognition program, how would you react? You might say something like That sounds fascinating. Tell me more or Whats the program like? Its OK to respond this way during an interview, as long as you make sure the conversation doesnt stray from the job youre hiring for.
Fun Interview Questions To Ask Potential Employees
Fun interview questions are key to reducing tension and often help candidates feel more comfortable in an interview. While many candidates prepare responses for popular questions like, Tell me about your weaknesses, asking funny interview questions will give candidates a break from the formality.
Funny interview questions arent just for entertainment. They can also help you assess a candidates cultural add, problem-solving skills and ability to think quickly. However, its important to ask fun interview questions that are related to a candidates work experience and ability to do the job, not just random questions that may bias a hiring manager.
When growing your business, incorporating these fun interview questions into your hiring process will ensure you find the best addition to your company and team.
Don’t Miss: What Is One Way Video Interview
What Cause Are You Passionate About
What cause are you passionate about, and how do you take action on it?
We want to understand if the candidate is not only a role fit but if theyre a culture fit. As a social enterprise, were not for profit, but for a purpose therefore, if they arent actively passionate about a specific cause, then they will lack the motivation of our bottom line. You can have the strongest salesperson or the most detail-orientated operations manager, but if you dont find the right culture fit, then we know that they wont be interested in going the extra mile.
Lauren Ott, Chief Kits Officer: Kits for a Cause
Top Behavioral Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
Posted April 7th, 2022
According to the society of human resources management, behavioral interview questions are a very effective interview technique working across various types of organizations making them an important part of the hiring process when evaluating a candidates work experience and work style.
These types of interview questions help the interviewer create a structured process by using the same set of standardized questions to compare and evaluate multiple candidates interviewing for the same job opening.
Read Also: A Survey Organization Conducted Telephone Interviews
Does Your Company Have Any Advantages Over Your Competitors In The Market
Asking this in your job interview will show that youre a big-picture thinker and someone who is naturally curious and interested in the overall business.
While most candidates are just asking about the role and day-to-day work , youre ALSO asking about something bigger/broader, to show that youre able to see the bigger picture and think at a higher level.
Thats a trait every hiring manager would like to see in a candidate
Work Experience Questions To Ask Job Candidates:
- What types of jobs have you held in the past?
- What was your title at your current/previous/last job?
- What were your duties in that position?
- What did you like most/least about the position?
- Why are you leaving your present employer?
- Whats the most important thing you learned in school and/or at your last job?
- Why did you choose your major?
- If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
- What is your understanding of the skills necessary to perform this job?
- What special training have you completed that qualifies you for this job?
- What certifications do you hold?
- Can you describe how to _____________ ?
- This job requires the ability to _____________ . Can you give me an example of a time that you have had to _____________ ?
Read Also: How Do You Deal With Conflict Interview
Why Did You Say Yes When The Position You Hold Now Was Offered To You
Its nice to ask at least one question to learn about the interviewer and their personal experience at the company.
Everyone likes to talk about themselves, so most interviewers will be happy to share their experiences here.
Also, since this is an opinion-based question, you can ask the same question to multiple people in the company.
If you meet with three employees from a company, you can ask all three about this topic without looking bad in the interview.
You should go into each interview with at least one opinion-based question like this, so you know you wont run out of things to ask . And always make sure its a creative question like the one above so you stand out.
Is There Anything I Have Said That Makes You Doubt I Would Be A Great Fit For This Position
Asking this question at the end of an interview can feel terrifying. After all, you are asking whether there is any reason why the hiring manager wouldn’t want to extend you an offer. However, if you have the courage to ask this, you stand to gain a better sense of the next steps in the hiring process and an opportunity to address any reservations that the hiring manager might have about your candidacy while you still have his or her attention.
Having considered some of the questions that can put you in the best light and close the interview on a high note, here is a short list of questions that you should never ask in an interview.
Also Check: How Do You Handle Conflict Interview Question
Have Questions Ready To Ask During An Interview
Asking questions is a great way to dig into the company culture and the specific day-to-day responsibilities of the job so that, should you be hired, your first week or so in the position won’t be accompanied by any major surprises.
Asking questions can also give you the opportunity to further highlight some of your qualities, skills, and experience, and show the employer why you’re a terrific match for the job.
Melissa Ling / The Balance
Can You Describe The Working Culture Of The Organisation
Asking this question is a great way to assess the working environment of the company and it gives you the opportunity to discover whether you’ll fit in.
From the recruiters response you’ll learn if and how the organisation prioritises employee happiness, of any benefits on offer and what the work-life balance is like.
You May Like: What Is The Purpose Of An Exit Interview
How Do You Influence Others To Work With You
In this behavioral question, the hiring manager wants to know how collaborative you are and how you influence people to work with you to accomplish common goals. Give examples of what youve done and how you were able to get others to go along with your leadership. If youve never been a lead on a project, discuss specific team activities or examples from leaders youve followed that you would emulate given a chance to lead a team.
Tom McGee Tom McGee, GM/VP Sales & Marketing Division for executive search firm Lucas Group
What Do You Think I Should Know About You Your Qualifications And Your Work History That I Have Not Yet Discovered
This is a variation of the Tell me about yourself question that is commonly asked by many employers at the beginning of the interview as an ice breaker. If asked at this stage of the interview, it gives the interviewee the opportunity to really let you know who they are. You find out how prepared they are for the position and how well their background and qualifications will really fit the position.
You May Like: How To Have A Great Interview
Retention Of More Employees
When a potential employee steps foot inside your organization, extend a warm welcome. Take up too much of your new hires time with paperwork so their first day can be filled with introductions and early learning about their co-workers and any additional duties they need to perform.
Not only will this improve morale, but it will also lead to increased productivity and decreased costs associated with employee turnover.
Related: The Importance of HR in Small Businesses
Whats One Thing Youre Hoping A New Person Can Bring To The Role
This is a creative, interesting question to ask employers, and as a former recruiter, I recommend it for a few reasons.
First, this question shows that youre focused on coming into this companys role and helping them immediately. And it also shows that youre looking to come in and bring a new spark or new ideas, rather than just copying what everyone else is doing.
Asking this question will quickly show the hiring manager or recruiter that youre smart, proactive, and different than the other candidates theyve seen.
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For An Interior Design Interview
Common Behavioral Interview Questions
1. What makes an ideal coworker in your eyes?
2. How do you prioritize projects under pressure?
3. How would handle your schedule when its interrupted?
4. Have you ever bent company policy to satisfy a client?
5. How have you handled setbacks at work?
6. How do you handle job training if its going poorly?
7. Have you ever calmed down an angry client? How?
8. Tell me about some regrets in your previous job?
What Do You Consider Your Weakness
Why should you ask a candidate what his or her weakness is when all you want is someone perfect?
Admitting a weakness shouldnt automatically disqualify a candidate. Rather, it reveals to you how self-aware the candidate is.
Self-awareness is essential to personal and professional development, and this is sometimes a precursor to how self-directed a person is regarding their career goals.
There are arguments about the need to abolish the weakness question from interviews because it reduces candidates accomplishments. I disagree.
Asking employees about weaknesses lets you understand your employees better so you can not only create a work environment that is smart, youre able to design professional development programs that can strengthen these weaknesses.
Read Also: What Are Phone Interviews Like
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 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 benefits your business does offer to customers.
If you are hiring for a customer-facing role, this is also a great way to gauge how theyd deal with the curveballs that customer meetings often produce.
What Three Things Are You Seeking In Your Day To Day Job Environment Or How Can We Insure That We Are Providing A Work Environment That Is Comfortable And Meets Your Needs
Culture Finall, that question of fit. Candidates want to know that their new place of business will feel right, they will belong and enjoy coming to work because they just love being there.
As an aside here, this is an area of my career that took me a very long time to appreciate and understand. There were days when all I cared about was salary, job title or a cool city. It took a couple very poor fit situations before I figured out myself how to ask the questions I needed in order to make a decision, should I be offered a job. Even then it didnt always work.
So we, as the employer, can make this a bit easier on that Top Talent by asking a few of these questions ourselves.
I loved this question explanation from tint.com:
We know that you have choices, so if we make you an offer, we obviously want it to meet your needs. And that requires knowing what factors that you will use to determine if our job is the right job for you. So if you had a choice between two offers for your next job, please list the top five factors that you would use to evaluate and accept the superior job opportunity. Please list them in their descending order of importance to you.
This question set doesnt beat around the bush. Seriously. I wish Id thought of this one myself.
You May Like: How To Answer Hr Interview Questions
