Sunday, March 24, 2024

List Of Interview Questions For Employers

Don't Miss

Culture Fit Questions To Ask Job Candidates:

10 Interview Questions Employers ASK… Here’s why…
  • What does your ideal company look like?
  • What attracted you to this company?
  • What do you know about this industry?
  • What do you know about our company?
  • What is your ideal working environment?
  • What kind of personalities do you work best with and why?
  • What do you look for in terms of culture?
  • What do you think of your previous boss?
  • What will you miss about your present/last job?
  • What are five things you disliked most about your last job?
  • What are you ideal top qualities in a co-worker?
  • If you could open a business, what would it be and why?
  • What personality traits do you butt heads with?
  • Describe your ideal company culture. What five characteristics does it have?
  • Why do you want to work at this company and what are your expectations?
  • Who inspires you and why?
  • Whats your superpower?
  • What motivates you to come into work every day?
  • How do you rely on others to make you better?
  • Do you have any questions for me?

A Snail Is At The Bottom Of A 30

Questions like these are now among the most popular interview questions in recent years. As the interviewer, you’re not necessarily looking for the right answer, but instead a little insight into the job candidate’s reasoning abilities.

Listen carefully as they talk through their logic as they try to solve the problem. Who cares if people get it wrong? The best candidates will laugh at themselves. Assess how the interviewee deals with failure. Moreover, do they know how to be a good communicator?

What Are Your Goals

This is your chance to show the recruiter that you’re ambitious and professionally determined. Talk enthusiastically about your realistic short and long-term targets, basing your answers on the employer, the industry and your skills and experiences.

Outline the various steps to your ideal job, but only in relation to the position that you’re applying for and the company’s career development offering. It’s vital that you explain how your goals make you valuable to the organisation. You could mention your knowledge of relevant professional bodies and qualifications, or reveal that you’ve researched the career paths followed by other graduates.

A similar question is ‘What do you expect to be doing in five years’ time?’

Also Check: How To Crack A Google Interview

Describe How To Make A Paper Plane With Just Words

Though not technically a question, this instruction reveals how well acandidate can describe just about anything to either a fellow professional or a layman. This is a skill that also comes in handy for sales executives and installers of our products.

When answering this question, a candidate must display the ability to explain complex procedures using simple sentences.

Joe Flanagan is the Lead Project Engineer and hiring manager at Tacuna Systems.

How Would You Describe Yourself In 5 Words

5 Reasons behind Interview questions

The words someone chooses to describe themselves can reveal a lot about their personality. Using adjectives listed in the job description would be a sharp and strategic tactic. However, whatever words they offer up as an answer are likely to provide a sneak peek into what aspects of their personality theyre most proud of, and what they think is most relevant to the available position.

Answer example:

Thats a great question! Id say that Im honest, independent, curious, responsible, and competitive. I actually think those personality traits have contributed to my success in sales. Its the perfect career path for someone who is driven and comfortable with themselves and others.

Don’t Miss: How To Ace Video Conference Interview

Tell Me About A Time You Failed To Reach Your Goal

I like to ask questions that uncover people with high potential, which is very important for our line of work.

What this question does is show whether the candidate is working from a victim mentality or whether they will do whatever needs to be done to keep going, even when things seem incredibly challenging.

Some examples of poor answers:

  • It wasnt my fault
  • I had to quit because family/life/job got in the way.
  • I couldnt do it because of XYZ

All of these answers to me say that given enough obstacles, the person will quit before even attempting to find a new path.

Good answers are:

  • Although I hit the wall, I still kept trying to find a solution.
  • Everyone told me it couldnt be done, but I kept on going.
  • I dont give up easily, and I am certain I will find a solution one day.

What Im really looking for when I ask this question is to see if the person is visibly uncomfortable, but they never resort to blaming other elements for the failure. This is a great indicator of high potential. These individuals also frequently never admit defeat but rather see the failure as a temporary obstacle that will be resolved at some point in the future.

Tell Me About The Last Time A Co

Conflict is inevitable when a company works hard to get things done. Mistakes happen. Sure, strengths come to the fore, but weaknesses also rear their heads. And that’s OK. No one is perfect.

But a person who tends to push the blame — and the responsibility for rectifying the situation — onto someone else is a candidate to avoid. Hiring managers would much rather choose candidates who focus not on blame but on addressing and fixing the problem.

Every business needs employees who willingly admit when they are wrong, step up to take ownership for fixing the problem, and, most important, learn from the experience.

Also Check: What Are The Most Frequent Questions Asked In An Interview

Whats One Fact Thats Not On Your Linkedin Profile

Heres another open-ended question to ask an interviewee that can help you uncover some interesting insights. Similar to asking, What do you think I need to know that we havent discussed? it could spark some conversation about a hobby outside of their 9-to-5 life or even a compelling story that reveals more of their strengths and motivations. This question can help you understand not just what a job candidate has done, but why.

Why Are You Leaving Or Have Left Your Job

Top 10 Job Interview Questions in English

What They Want to Know: There are many different reasons for leaving a job. You could be moving on because you want more opportunities for growth, you may be looking for a salary increase, perhaps you’re relocating, or you have another reason you’re leaving your job. Be consistent in your answer when meeting with representatives of a prospective employer, because they may compare notes.

You May Like: What Are Star Interview Questions

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

Why Were You Fired

Now this is a tough one.

Getting fired is pretty much never good.

Keep in mind that were talking about getting fired, not getting laid off. Theres a huge difference between the two:

  • Getting laid off means that you got let go for something that had nothing to do with your competence. I.e. budget cuts, company down-sizing, etc.
  • Getting fired, on the other hand, means that you got let go for a reasonable cause. And chances are, its probably your fault.

If you got fired and the interviewer asks you about it, you should be honest. After all, they can easily check-in with your previous employer.

Your best shot here is to be critical about your mistakes, and explain what youve done to improve.

None of it was my fault. My boss is a total tool, and he hates me for no real reason. He yelled at me for no real reason!

In the example above, the interviewee gets defensive. Thats a pretty huge red flag for the HR manager.

Instead, try saying something that shows that youre aware of your mistakes.

The main fault was in miscommunication. The interviewer was unclear about the job responsibilities – from what I understood, they were looking for a senior-level marketer to oversee their email marketing operations.

At the end of the day, though, it turned out that the company was looking to experiment with email marketing, and specifically for someone to set it up from scratch.

You May Like: What Questions To Ask Hr During Interview

Tell Me About A Time You Messed Up

This one pops up in many of the most popular interview playbooks and guides, and its a great test of humility and self awareness. No one is perfect everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is what happens next.

Does the candidate learn a valuable lesson and use it as a motivation for self improvement? Or do they point the finger and blame colleagues? Could they see what went wrong? Did they try again?

The answer to this question should show whether a person is willing to take ownership of their work or will be quick to shirk responsibility when the going gets tough.

Question No : Why Did You Leave Your Last Job / Why Are You Planning To Leave Your Present Job

Interview Checklist

Hint: Changing a job, or even a career, is completely normal. Nevertheless, employers want to understand why you plan to make a change, or why you were forced to make your move. They try to understand whether they can count with you in a long run, and how it will feel to work with you. Do you look for good things, or for bad things in a job? Do you demand a lot from your colleagues, or do you demand a lot from yourself?

Regardless of your past experience, you should focus on good things. Even if they fired you in your last job , try to speak nicely about your former colleagues and employers. Nobody wants to hire an employee who will complain about everything, a person who always looks for the worst

I had my job in a restaurant for four years. I enjoyed the company of my colleagues, and believe that I helped the guests to enjoy the place. But I needed a change. The duties were repetitive, and I felt I was not moving forward anymore. Thats why I left, and decided to apply for your offer, as I really see a potential for learning and growing in your company.

They fired me because I had a different opinion than the director of the company. Nothing wrong with himwe just had a different philosophy of leadership, and how things should be done. Maybe he was right, maybe I wasonly time will tell. But I do not want to live in the past. Now I am here, looking for a new challenge, and an opportunity to help your company to prosper.

Don’t Miss: Mla Citation For An Interview

Whats Your Management Style

Obviously this question is only applicable to people that you are interviewing for senior or management roles.

Bad management techniques can kill company culture and employee happiness in the blink of an eye, you need to know that anyone you hire isn’t going to really mess up the culture.

Ask candidates about specific examples of times when they feel like they displayed a positive management style, as well as times when they got things wrong.

Good traits to look out for include a willingness to take feedback and make time for employees. A clear indicator of this would be a manager running monthly or weekly one-on-one sessions with their team.

What Did You Like Most About Your Last Position

Knowing what you enjoyed about your last position can offer employers insight to your motivations, personality and whether you will enjoy the position available. To answer this question, focus on positives, speak to work rather than people, explain how it prepared you for this new position and reasons why moving to this role is the right choice.

Example answer:It was a great entry-level position at a start-up agency. Not only was I learning more about marketing, but management was also very transparent, teaching us a great deal about owning a business. It was a very collaborative atmosphere, and the team and I worked together on almost every project. Everyone’s weak point was countered by another’s strong point. I learned more working there than I ever did in college, and I’m excited to apply these skills to a new position.

Read more: Interview Question: “What Did You Like Most About Your Job?”

Recommended Reading: How To Ace System Design Interview

Question No 1: When Can You Start

Hint: Most employers prefer to see their new hires on board as soon as possible. If you can start immediately, say it, and stress that you are not waiting for any other interviews. And if you can not start immediately , explain it clearly.

You can even turn this answer to your advantage. You can show you right attitude to work, saying that it would be irresponsible to leave your current employer without finishing the work you have started.

I am eager to start as soon as possible. I have applied also for two other job offers, but this one is my first choice. If you need me tomorrow, I can be here in the morning.

I could possibly start tomorrow, but I want to finish the project I currently work on with my employer. It would be unprofessional if I just left. I need two or three weeks at least to finish it, and then I can start working here. But I am ready to sign the contract today, and you can be sure that I wont change my mind about your offer.

What Percentage Of Employees Was Brought In By Current Employees

Top 10 Questions YOU Want To Ask In a Job Interview | Indeed Career Tips

Employees who love their jobs naturally recommend their company to their friends and peers. The same is true for people in leadership positions — people naturally try to bring on board talented people they previously worked with. They’ve built relationships, developed trust, and shown a level of competence that made someone go out of their way to follow them to a new organization.

And all of that speaks incredibly well to the quality of the workplace and the culture.

Recommended Reading: How To Have The Best Interview

Question No : Why Should We Hire You

Hint: If someone hires you for a job, they will pay you a monthly salary, and they will also pay money to the governmentjust for having you onboard. Will you become a great investment, an asset for their team, or will they just lose money hiring you? HR managers try to find the answer.

This is arguably one of the most difficult questions. You should focus on something unique, a value you can bring to their team. Sample answers should give you some inspiration. And when you can not find anything special, you can at least list relevant skills and abilities that make from you a great candidate for the job.

I had the very same job with one of your competitors, and I can bring a new perspective to your team. We can talk about things they did better, and I believe my feedback and experience will help to improve your own results.

I am young, eager to learn, and motivated to work hard. I have passion for numbers, and I would really enjoy having this job. Of course I havent met the other applicants for the job, and it is hard to tell whether I am the best one.

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.

You May Like: How To Prepare For A Modeling Interview

Experiment With A Different Interview Format

Unstructured interviews that flow like friendly conversations make the process pleasant for both candidates and interviewers. But, they arent the most effective way to hire the best candidate.

Structured interviews are better predictors of job performance, more legally defensible and better for record-keeping. During structured interviews, you ask the same questions to all candidates in a specific order and score them with a predetermined rating scale. Your Applicant Tracking System may have built-in checklists or interview scorecards to help you rate candidates this way.

Related: The pros & cons of interview scorecards

How Do You Prioritise Your Work

10 Second Interview Questions and Answers

The employer wants to know whether you’re organised, can meet deadlines and are able to handle multiple projects at the same time. The best way to answer this question is to provide examples of times when you’ve juggled a number of different tasks and still delivered them to a high quality and on time. These examples can come from previous jobs, university study or your extra-curricular activities. Give some detail about what methods you use to keep track of your progress and productivity.

Also Check: How To Conduct An Effective Job Interview

More articles

Popular Articles