What Questions To Ask Someone You Are Interviewing

Ask Questions To Close The Sale Or Uncover Objections

Use your judgement about the interviewer and the situation. Some interviewers will like this approach and the confidence you are demonstrating by asking these questions, but others may not.

Do what feels comfortable and appropriate to you.

• If you had to choose your finalists for this position today, would I be included?

• Based on our conversation today, do you believe I can excel in this position or do you have areas of concern?

OR, the least challenging, but still useful

• Do you have any other questions for me?

These can be tough questions to ask, but hearing their responses allows you to respond and overcome any objections they might have. If you do not do this, and they do have objections, then you will be one of those who gets the rejection letter.

If they answer these questions , those answers will give you an indication of how well you did in the interview and perhaps an opportunity to clarify a question they might have about your qualifications to do the job.

Alternatives To Classic Interview Questions

‘What are your weaknesses?, What motivates you to succeed?, Where do you see yourself in five years time? are the standard tried-and-tested questions that crop up in nearly every job interview.

The problem with these questions is that your candidates will have likely heard them a hundred times.

Resulting in the same tired answers that have either been rehearsed meticulously or copied from the internet.

The catch 22 is that these questions are classics for good reason.

As an employer, you need to know the info that these questions should illicit e.g. where your potential employee sees themselves in five years, and whether their weaknesses are likely to affect their performance in your job etc.

We have some examples of good job interview questions to ask candidates below.

What Are You Most Afraid Of

This is a very probing and enlightening query. Everyone has fears, and our fears reveal our vulnerabilities and pain.

When someone shares this with you, you must respond with care, kindness, and trustworthiness. You must treat their fears with dignity so they feel safe connecting with you on this more intimate level.

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Ethics And Integrity Behavioralinterview Questions

1. Is their a time when a teammate or client questioned your honesty? How did you react?

2. Tell me about a time when it was difficult to be honest because of the situation. What was your thought process?

3. Can you describe a time when you followed a rule that you didnt agree with?Why did you follow it? Explain how you felt.

4. Tell me about a time when a co-worker was doing something wrong. What did you do?

5. Have you ever been in a challenging situation at work where you were dishonest? What happened?

Instead Of How Would You Describe Yourself

Ask: How would colleagues describe you, and what has shaped their opinions?

Why?

Most people in an interview situation will describe themselves as a hard-working, perfectionist- no one is ever going to say that they are a mediocre candidate who hates overtime and will be unwilling to go the extra mile!

Asking your interviewee what other people think of them wont single-handedly deliver a more candid answer.

Candidates can just as easily lie about what others say about them e.g. My boss used to say I was the best employee hes ever had the pleasure of working with!

So, asking what shaped their colleagues opinions will help provide more detail to their answer.

The candidate has to back up their answers with evidence, which is more difficult to concoct on the spot – e.g. rather than just stating that people think they are articulate, they have to say why people think that

i.e. My line manager thought that I was articulate I had to deliver weekly presentations to senior members of staff who complemented him about how I communicated complex business ideas.

In graduate recruitment, it’s important for employers to know the best interview questions to ask candidates. If employers want to ensure that they make the right hire, this includes both general interview questions and more role / sector-specific interview questions for employers to ask.

If you’re looking to hire a graduate, we can help.

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Choosing The Best Questions To Ask During An Interview

Right questions?

Absolutely. You want to make sure the questions youre asking are targeted and fall into specific categories.

Like favorite animals and if they were stranded on an island, who would they want to be stranded with?

No. Serious job related questionsquestions that can ultimately make or break your desire to accept the job should it be offered.

Questions that cover every aspect of both the job and the companyand help to ensure that the decision you make to take or leave the position is a 100% educated one.

What if you are offered the job but dont realize until you start that its awful? Nobody wants to do a job they hate or work in a place where theyre miserableand the fastest way to make sure you end up in work hell is to NOT ask questions.

Nooo!

Remember, this is a lot like dating and you need to know what youre getting yourself into. So, put on your thinking cap and sharpen your pencilits time to get started.

If Hired What Would You Do In The First 30

This is a good question to ask to get a sense of how well the candidate understands the responsibilities of a manager.

The successful candidate will explain what they need to get started and what parts of the company they would need to get familiar with. They might even give a specific example of where they would start .

In the end, you, the interviewer, might do things differently and the candidate, if hired, might as well but being prepared to answer this question reveals that the prospective manager knows your business, knows their job, is able to get to work on day one, and is excited to start.

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Interview Questions To Get The Right Person In The Right Job

Have you ever hired someone who, despite a great resume and interview, lacked passion or just couldnt do the work? You probably had a square peg in a round hole.

Its all about having the right person in the right job. With a few tweaks of your interview style, you may not have such a hard time finding your next great employee.

Step 1: What are you looking for?

Determine the top three or four competencies that are needed in the person you hire. When you know what youre looking for rather than relying on gut feeling youll have an easier time determining who is the best fit for the job.

To figure out the ideal competencies, look at your high performers. What do they have in common? What is it about their work that shows you theyre a good fit?

Step 2: Questions that mean something

With top competencies in mind, develop interview questions that speak to them.

Behavioral questions, where you ask, Tell me about a time when, are very effective. The job candidate wont be able to prepare beforehand, so youll likely get a genuine answer thats not coached.

During the answer, you can tell a lot about the person: What does their body language say? Are they searching for an answer? Do they look you in the eye? Are they earnest and leaning in or are they fidgety and nervous?

Step 3: Be consistent

Step 4: But go with the flow

But dont get so far off course that you dont get the answers you need to make a good decision.

10 questions to get you started

Career Goal Interview Questions

Finally, get a sense of where your job candidate sees him or herself going in life. What is their required salary for the current position, and tentative career trajectory? What are their big-picture dreams?

Answers to these questions will reveal a lot about your interviewees longevity as an employee, and their long-range goals. If they mention that theyd like to move up within the company, that could signify that theyre ready to work hard and could potentially be built into your business as an integral, foundational memberbut what if you dont have a vacancy for them to grow into?

Again, the right answers will depend on your business and the role you are hiring for, so keep that in mind and have a sense beforehand of what the deal breakers arefor example, if you know youd rather hire someone for the long haul, and they tell you that their five-year plan involves starting up their own company within the next few years.

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How Would You Explain Your Career To Your Parents

There are two things Im looking for in this answer:

Lisa Barrow is the founder of Kada Recruiting, a digital and creative recruitment agency. Also former Director of Client Adoption at Monster.com

What Challenges Do You See Impacting The Industry

If the candidate has experience within your industry, then hopefully they can demonstrate some interest and awareness of it. This question will reveal just how much they are paying attention. If theyre coming over from a different industry, they should have done some research to be able to provide some kind of an answer. Either way, the ability to answer shows that they care about the industry and see a potential long-term fit working within it.

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Culture Fit Questions To Ask Job Candidates:

• 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?

Questions To Ask In An Interview: Final Thoughts

When you are thinking about questions to ask in an interview, remember that your goal is to appear like someone who has done their research on the company, is enthusiastic about the position, and eager to get started.

You dont want to raise any red flags or sow seeds of doubt or negativity about your qualifications or professionalism.

To help avoid this, when it comes to questions to ask in an interview, you should not ask about salary and benefits just yet.

Wait until you are in the final steps of the interview process to negotiate your compensation package with the hiring manager or HR representative.

Now that you are prepared with strong questions to ask in an interview, dont forget to practice aloud to help build confidence when the big day rolls around.

We are passionate about helping you ace your interview and land the job you have been dreaming of. This is why we created Big Interview, the best interview preparation system on the market, to offer job seekers like you expert advice and first-rate AI practice for job interviews. Join us at Big Interview and start preparing for your upcoming job interview today!

Pamela Skillings

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Questions To Ask: Networking For Opportunities

• What do you like most about working at this organization?

• What kinds of projects do interns and entry level hires get involved in?

• What is the profile of the person most recently hired at my level?

• How long do people tend to stay at the organization?

• What do you/hiring managers look for in candidates?

• What skills and experience are most important?

• Can you tell me about the hiring process you went through? OR Can you tell me about the hiring process — what does it involve?

• Do you anticipate any openings coming up?

• What are the most effective strategies for seeking a position in this field?

• Can you recommend anyone else here or elsewhere to contact for insights or advice for the internship/job search?

What To Ask When Youre Interviewing Someone

When youre interviewing someone for a position, asking the right questions is just as important as recruiting the right candidates. Weve talked a lot recently about what to do when youre being interviewed, but here are the best questions to ask and the best way to ask them when youre the one doing the interview. Where will you spend your time building the right team? Up front, selecting the right people? Or later, trying to transform the wrong ones? Here are the best questions to ask when youre interviewing someone.

How to Ask the Questions

First off, while it can be tempting to ask very specific questions to the job candidate, its always better to ask open-ended questions and wait for him or her to give you the answer that youre looking for. Know your questions and your listen fors in advance, and dont let the candidate coerce you into leading them in a certain direction.

The Three Best Questions to Ask in Any Interview

Plus one freebie, because youre probably already asking it: at the beginning of the interview, ask them to tell you about their previous work and then just let them talk. Then your next question should be

The most important thing you can do in an interview is to ask open-ended questions but the second most important thing you can do is simply listen to the candidates answer for clues about their personality and their past behavior.

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Essential Questions To Ask When Interviewing Candidates For A Leadership Role

An interview is a great opportunity to get to know a candidate, so you want to make sure you ask the right questions. This is especially vital when youre interviewing someone for a leadership position. You want to determine that persons management skills and as well as their readiness to take on an important role with the company.

Members of Forbes Business Council know how to spot the best qualities in management-level job candidates. Below, they share 13 questions you should ask when interviewing a potential leadership hire.

Members discuss a few things to remember when hiring leaders.

1. How do you build and maintain trust with your team?

Trust is the foundation of all successful relationships and a leader’s ability to build and maintain trust is critical to their success. It can be very telling when you ask a leadership candidate to explain their approach to building trust, how they measure it, how they maintain it in times of stress or conflict and what specifically they do to nurture it in their first 90 days. – Dee Hutchinson, Dee is for Digital

2. What steps will you take to learn about the current team?

So many new leaders fail because they only focus on their executive stakeholders. This question will help you to see how quickly and how well your new leader will be able to blend their style with a new team. Any answers that don’t include time with the team are a huge red flag. – Amanda Daering, Newance

Do You Have Any Questions For Me

This question typically wraps up the interview. Most candidates who are interested in the job will be prepared with a few relevant questions for a hiring manager. However, if the discussion was long and detailed, the candidate may have already asked their questions. In a case like this, its OK if a candidate doesnt have a list of questions at the end of the interview.

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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.

Why Do You Want To Work With Us

This question is an ideal follow-up to, What do you know about our business? because it goes directly to the candidates motivation for applying for the job.

Asking this question and the answer the individual provides gives you insight into the benefits they perceive theyll gain by working for your company.

If they reply with something about your stellar customer service or your business strategy, thats a good sign. If they indicate that their interest is because your business pays the highest wage of all your competitors, thats a bad sign.

If the candidates answer is vague, ask a follow-up question or two to get to the heart of the matter.

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