What Is Your Definition Of Hard Work
Some organizations move at very different paces, and this question is an effective way to tell whether your candidate will be able to keep pace with the rest of the team. It also helps you identify someone who is a “hard worker in disguise,” meaning someone who might currently be at a slow-moving organization or in a role that is not well-suited to them, but wants to work somewhere where they can really get their hands dirty.
A good answer to this question:
A good answer doesn’t have to produce evidence of hard work — it should rather reveal if your candidate knows what it takes to get something done and solve the problems it was designed to solve.
Answers that talk about working hard by working smart are great, as well. Always listen for this — putting in the work to find the best way of doing something is often just as important as the task itself.
What Do You Consider To Be Your Biggest Professional Achievement
Here’s an interview question that definitely requires an answer relevant to the job. If you say your biggest achievement was improving throughput by 18 percent in six months but you’re interviewing for a leadership role in human resources, that answer is interesting but ultimately irrelevant.
Instead, talk about an underperforming employee you “rescued,” or how you overcame infighting between departments, or how so many of your direct reports have been promoted.
The goal is to share achievements that let the interviewer imagine you in the position — and see you succeeding.
How Does The Company Represent Its Core Values
Use this question to learn about the company’s culture, core values, and commitment to them. Be sure to research its values before your interview and consider prefacing this question by sharing what you understand about the company’s culture and values. The answer may help you learn how the company’s actions support its verbal claims and determine if their values align with yours.
Related:What Is Corporate Culture?
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Can You Tell Me More About The Team I Would Be Working In
This will help you understand the way the company is structured, who you’ll report to and the department the role sits within. These are the people you’ll work most closely with, so it’s worth trying to find out about the team dynamic and working methods.
Depending on the response, it may also give you the opportunity to mention any experience or success you’ve had working in similar teams – just to give the employer one final example of how well you’ll fit in if you get the job.
Other useful questions to ask at interview include those about:
- performance appraisals
- opportunities or challenges facing the department/company
- company-specific projects or campaigns.
If the employer doesn’t give an indication of what happens next then a good way to wrap up the interview is by asking about the next steps and when you can expect to hear from them.
Where Do You Think The Company Is Headed In The Next Five Years
The response you receive will give you an insight into the company’s progression plans and its place in the market, while giving you a general idea about job security. You may also get a heads-up on any major upcoming projects.
Asking about future plans shows a real interest in the organisation and reiterates your commitment to the company.
Read Also: How To Ace A Behavioral Interview
Interview Questions About What The Applicant Is Seeking
6. What prompted you to apply for this job? What interested you the most about this position?
What you want to know: You want to know what the prospective employee is most interested in related to your position. The answer will tell you about what motivates the individual and what is important to them. You can then assess whether their needs are congruent with the work environment and opportunities that the position provides.
I applied for this job because the opportunity appeared to fit with the strengths and experience that I would bring to the position. It also offered me a promotion so that I can further develop my skills and face new challenges. I see it as a stretch role in which I can continue to grow my skills. Especially as the job is in a related industry to the one in which I am currently employed, I saw a lot of opportunities to expand my knowledge and network.
7. Why are you leaving your current employer?
What you want to know:The applicant’s response tells you about their values, outlook, goals, and expectations for an employer. You can determine what prompted the job search. Is the interviewee running toward a more successful future or away from a past unsuccessful employment experience? Candidates who tell you about leaving bad bosses may not reveal their own part in the story.
8. What are the first three things you would do on the job if you were hired for this position?
Tell Me A Little About Yourself
If you’re the interviewer, there’s a lot you should already know: The candidate’s resume and cover letter should tell you plenty, and LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook and Google can tell you more.
The goal of an interview is to determine whether the candidate will be outstanding in the job, and that means evaluating the skills and attitude required for that job. Does she need to be an empathetic leader? Ask about that. Does she need to take your company public? Ask about that.
If you’re the candidate, talk about why you took certain jobs. Explain why you left. Explain why you chose a certain school. Share why you decided to go to grad school. Discuss why you took a year off to backpack through Europe, and what you got out of the experience.
When you answer this question, connect the dots on your resume so the interviewer understands not just what you’ve done, but also why.
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Why Is This Job Open
Answering is easy. Either the previous person quit, got promoted or moved laterally, or it’s a new position.
But don’t stop there. If the previous person quit, explain why. Maybe the job provided experience that allowed them to land a higher-level job elsewhere. Or they weren’t a good fit, which gives you the opportunity to describe why the candidate is a good fit.
If the previous person got promoted, use that to talk about opportunities for growth.
And if it’s a new position, definitely provide context. Why the job was created. What the goals are. How the job will create value. How you hope the person hired will shape the job and its duties.
If you’re unprepared, the “Why is this job open?” question could make you feel defensive.
If you’re prepared, it’s an opportunity.
What Is Your Greatest Weakness
The key to nailing this dreaded job interview question is to not let it psych you out. When it comes to your greatest weakness, the hiring manager is not as concerned with what you say as how you say it. Theyre looking for honesty and confidence, so watch your body language and maintain eye contact.
Be sure to avoid clichés and cop-out answers like, Im a perfectionist. Hiring managers want something real. At the same time, dont get overly candid this is still a job interview, not a therapy session. Additionally, stay away from true deficiencies or anything that could impact your ability to do the job well. Practice your answer ahead of time and always give an example of how youre working to improve upon your weakness. For example:
Im an organized person, so I have trouble with last-minute changes and ambiguity. In school, I scheduled out all my work, but in an office environment, deadlines and priorities are always shifting. So, Im working to get more accustomed to those changes. Im taking an online class in project management, and its helped me make room for changing priorities. Now, if a last-minute change crops up, I know how to reprioritize.
> > > Read More:
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Can You Walk Me Through A Typical Day Here At Company X
Having the day laid out for you from beginning to end is a smart way to get a quick overview of what is expected of you outside the job description. I was hired for a job once where all the employees were expected to participate in a group physical activity before starting our day.
Had I not asked about a typical day I would have been completely unprepared for my first day and unable to participate. Not a great way to start out a new job!
Great Example Questions To Ask At The End Of An Interview
Weve prepared 14 solid explanations below for you to help kick start your creative juices as well as included why theyre good questions to ask the interviewer.
Of course, as always, these are example questions meant to help you write your own.
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What Expectations Do You Have For The Successful Candidate Within The First 90 Days
A well-developed onboarding process is vital to the long-term success of a new employee. Asking this question will give you an idea of what you can expect during your first few months if hired for the role regarding onboarding and company integration. The response will also tell you of milestones and expectations that they require a new employee to meet.
Why Do You Think Youd Perform This Job Well
An answer to this question gives you insight into what the candidate has to offer and is essential for making an informed decision.
Asking why they think they would perform well as a manager in your business helps you understand their unique strengths, skills, and level of experience.
Armed with that knowledge, you can choose the best candidate that most closely matches the unique needs of your company.
The valuable thing about this question is that it often elicits a response that, while similar to the biggest management strength question, is different enough that it provides a more complete picture of the individual you are interviewing.
Recommended Reading: What To Email After An Interview
Best Questions To Ask In An Interview
Come to your interview with your questions prepared. Give thought to who you’re interviewing with and what questions would be best suited for them. For example, recruiters will have the best knowledge of company culture, benefits and high-level responsibilities of the job while VPs or CEOs are best equipped for questions about strategy, vision and goals of the company. Beforehand, practice asking at least three questions that demonstrate youve thought seriously about what it would be like to do this job. Here are a few examples of questions you might ask:
What Is A Question I Should Have Asked You But Havent
This gives the candidate an opportunity to showcase anything you may have missed during the interview process so far and gives them one final opportunity to set themselves apart from the competition.
If you need technical talent quickly our engineering and IT staffing company Apollo Technical can help
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If You Had A Million Dollars
If you were given a million dollars to start up a company, what would you do, who would you hire, and how would you make your company different from the competition?
This question allows the interviewee to showcase their abilities for strategic thinking and pushes the interviewee to think on their toes.
Gina Curtis, SHRM-CP, aPHR, Executive Recruiting Manager, JMJ Phillip Group
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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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!
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
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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.
Questions You Should Ask Your Interviewer
Bridge between company and employee | HR champion | Marketing strategist | Possibly your future colleague
When you attend job interviews, you will usually be given the opportunity by the interviewer to ask questions towards the end. Use this opportunity! This will increase your chances of getting the job.
Candidates who do not have any questions, tend to miss the opportunity to understand the company and available job better.
On the other hand, there is the possibility that you are unclear of the right questions to ask wherein you get the information you need while showing your interest in the company to the interviewer.
At LiteBreeze we interview programmers every day and we feel that the below 10 open-ended questions are the most impactful:
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What Is Something I Don’t Want To Know About This Job
No job is perfect.
Maybe priorities regularly shift. Maybe job descriptions are more suggestive than absolute and employees regularly wear different hats. Maybe you know exactly what you want the employee you hire to accomplish, but not how.
Whatever it is, be honest. Not only is being candid the right thing to do, but oddly enough it also might make the person you hire more likely to succeed. Research shows that telling someone that something will be hard — telling them they are likely to face roadblocks and resistance — helps them cope with the mental challenges that naturally occur.
So don’t sugarcoat the effort involved. Great candidates will love the challenge. They’ll embrace the opportunity to show that whatever they need to accomplish won’t be that hard.
At least not for them.
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