What’s Your Favourite Non
It’s always important to try and understand what kind of person a candidate is, and finding out what they enjoy outside of work is a great way to dig into this.
While it may not impact their work at all, it can help you understand someone’s character. These kind of interview questions help to relax candidates and encourage them to open up and speak about their life.
It’s also pretty interesting to know that you have a budding kitesurfer or a weekend chess aficionado in your team!
Questions To See If This Is The Right Job For You
Once you know the players in the interview, ask the questions that will help you understand more about the job and whether or not it is a job you would like.
Regardless of who you are asking these questions, the answers to these questions will enable you to focus your answers to best position yourself as the cure for their pain:
- What is a typical in this job?
- What would be my priorites for the first month? First quarter? First year?
- What is the toughest time of for a person in the job? Why?
- How long did the last employee stay in this job? What are they doing now?
- What is the top priority for someone in this job?
- What is the biggest challenge for someone doing this job?
- What is the key to success in this job? Why?
- What are the most important skills of the person who does this job?
- What is the key thing someone does to be successful in this job?
- How is success in this job measured by you? By the organization?
- What is the biggest challenge someone in this job faces on a daily basis?
- If anyone has failed at this job, why did they fail? What mistakes did they make?
- What do you expect the person in this job to accomplish in the first 30, 60, or 90 days?
The answers to these questions will increase your understanding of their problems and whether or not you want to work there.
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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Give Me An Example Of A Time When You Played A Leadership Role In An Event An Activity A Department Or Work Unit Or A Project Describe How You Led The Efforts
It helps to hire someone with leadership experience, especially if the position requires it. Not only do you want to find out if the candidate has had experience in a leadership role, but youll want to find out what their leadership capabilities are. By asking them how they performed their role, youll get a good idea of whether they are good leadership material or if they have the potential to be a good leader.
What Do You Feel Most Proud Of
This is one of the best questions to ask to make people feel you are really interested in them and who they are.
Everyone wants to feel accomplished and proud, and we all want an opportunity to share our successes without looking like a braggart.
The answers give you great insight into what the person values most in life.
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Tell Me About A Time Where You Failed Repeatedly And What It Taught You
This a great question to see the type of character the candidate possesses. Does the potential employee have the confidence to share something personal about themselves?
If they give a short vanilla answer, ask them about a second failure they had, if they cant admit to failing, they may lack self-confidence or it may reveal they have never taken risks.
Did they purposely stay away from challenging themselves? Do they have the resilience to try new approaches to succeed or do they give up too quickly when challenges arise?
What Are Your Best And Worst Days At Work
If you want to know someoneâs perspective and outlook, this is the question to ask. The answer to their best days lets you know what motivates them. As for the worst days, you can learn if someone takes responsibility for their errors, tries to fix problems, or blames others. In short, you will know if they can survive in a collaborative environment.
You can push this question to your top performers and record down the answers. Anyone interviewee that hinges close to those answers will be a steal and worth onboarding.
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Do You Think I Will Be A Good Fit For The Company
Asking this will show an employer that you are eager to succeed in the role and are an individual who strives for success in whatever you set out to do. Its one thing to ask objective questions about your aptitude for a position, but asking for a subjective opinion shows your openness to constructive criticism, especially as the person who interviews you for a position will often end up being the person youre working directly under. Having their opinion of you from the start is useful in forging that relationship down the line, and the question itself also tells the interviewer you are serious about the job and forward thinking in nature. True warriors at work embrace challenges and plan around tackling these challenges.
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Assessing The Candidates Desire Factor
Theres no excuse for candidates not having researched your company, its achievements, competitors, and challenges prior to an interview. Still, some will go out of their way to articulate their understanding of who you are and why theyre so excited about joining your firm.
What youre really trying to get to here is whether the candidate wants a job or whether they want this job. Try questions like these to isolate those who are hungriest for the opportunity that you offer:
- What do you know about our organization?
- Why would you want to work here?
- In your mind, what makes us stand out from our competitors?
- If you were to accept this position with us today, how would you explain that to a prospective employer five years from now?
- How would this role with our company provide a link to your future career progression?
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Why Ask Someone About Their Job
Seeking the wisdom of an industry mentor, leader or long-time professional has tremendous value because not only will you learn about the person’s specific job, but you’ll also learn about the industry as a whole, how this person got where they are in the field, if you would enjoy their work and also get advice from an industry expert on how to structure your own career goals.
To set up an informal interview about someone’s job, send them an email or make a phone call to their office asking for an informational interview. Be flexible and willing to meet at a time that works for them, and keep it casual by meeting for coffee, lunch or in a nearby park.
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What Are Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral Interview questions focus on a candidates past experiences. They help employers gauge a candidates particular behavior in relation to skills, abilities, and knowledge.
An interviewer will have the candidate describe a specific work experience using situational questions revealing how they acted under similar situations.
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Interview Questions To Ask
Always be prepared to ask questions at the end of your interview. Being unprepared to ask questions shows a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the job and the company you are applying to. This is also your opportunity to interview the interviewers so to determine your own fit for the position.
Researching the company ahead of time can help you develop questions and avoid asking questions available on their website or company literature. Be sure to prepare at least 10 questions as some of them may be answered during the interview. Below are some sample questions to ask at the interview.
Position Specific:
Personal Experience:
What Would You Do In A Difficult Work Situation
For my second question, What would you do in a difficult work situation? From the answer, I would expect to learn whether or not they will have patience, wisdom, and leadership skills in handling difficult questions. Some people answer nervously on the spot or might not be able to think of an answer, in which case, I can ask them to give me an example of where this might have happened, so they will be able to answer easier. I can then use that example as the substance for making my final decision. Character is so important.
A lot of people can be trained in certain positions at your workplace, so if their degree doesnt necessarily match what youre hiring for, that shouldnt be as big of a deal, depending on how intricate the job is. When hiring, finding someone with good character is like finding gold. Of course, you obviously want to factor in intelligence, as well. However, everything else, as far as job training, usually can fall into place with someone with good character and moral standards.
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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?
Why Do Interviewers Ask Funny Interview Questions
Interviewers may ask funny interview questions to see if you fit in with the rest of the team. Potential employers ask these questions to get an understanding of your true personality, to gauge your ability to think quickly and to get the conversation flowing. Your answers demonstrate your critical thinking process, creative thinking abilities, problem-solving skills and ability to work under stress.
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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.
Witty Questions To Ask
Thereâs one problem with the questions we have discussed so far they are more of a cut-and-dry type. Any individual who has attended many interviews will spit out answers in an instant because they have practiced. This next section switches things up a bit. Letâs go over some unexpected questions that really let you know some at their core and while still making the interview fun for both of you.
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What Skills And Strengths Can You Bring To This Position
This is an excellent question to ask to find out what the candidate thinks the position requires in terms of both skills and competencies, as well as how they believe that they can contribute. A vague answer here probably means that they just matched their skills to the requirements of the job without even thinking about what the position entails.
What Interests You About Our Industry And Why
This answer should be easy to give if the candidate has done their homework. Great candidates will have researched the industry heavily at this point if they have not already worked in your specific niche.
Do they show genuine interest? Or does it seem they are just telling you what you want to hear?
Hopefully, depending on their answer you will be able to read between the lines and weed out any candidate that is just looking for a paycheck and will move on the first chance they get.
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If I Gave You 50000 To Start Your Own Business What Would You Do
“Hold on a second, I thought we were trying to hire them not invest in them!” Relax, this question is a great way to illustrate business acumen and creativity.
£50,000 is not to be sniffed at, but when it comes to starting a business it’s hardly a king’s ransom. As a result, candidates should think carefully about how they would spend it and what early hires or decisions would give them the best ROI.
The best answers will get specific. They might touch on logistics, hiring, product decisions and services. You’ll also be surprised at how creative candidates can get when you challenge them like this.
If I Were To Poll Everyone You’ve Worked With What Percentage Would Not Be A Fan Of Yours
If theyve enjoyed positive relationships with everyone they worked with, thats great. However, if they give you an actual percentage, that could speak to their honesty. Dig a little deeper to see whether they blame those coworkers for the issues they may have had or whether they have bettered themselves after reflecting on past experiences.
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What Interview Questions Are Illegal
Off-limits interview questions center on unchangeable or highly personal aspects of a candidates identity.
Illegal interview questions include those pertaining to:
- Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation
- Race, Color, or National Origin
- Religion
- Citizenship
If a candidate brings these topics up, then it is advisable to steer the conversation onto other subjects. A candidate may inquire about reasonable accommodations and the inclusivity of your work culture, at which point it may be pertinent to outline your organizations benefits, diversity efforts, and willingness to support underrepresented employees. However, as a rule, you should never pose questions related to these topics, and should defer these discussions if the candidate initiates them.
The legality of asking about criminal background during interviews is more complex. In most places, it is not illegal to ask candidates about criminal records, but employers may not deny applicants based solely on conviction history without conducting an individualized assessment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warns against placing conviction questions on job application forms. Most employers wait to ask about criminal conviction until the late stages of the interview process.
What Are Your Greatest Strengths To A Company
The ability of a candidate to talk about their strengths and still maintain their humility is a strong indicator of a winning personality.
This also gives the interviewee a chance to explain and align their strengths with the position they are interviewing for demonstrating attributes that will contribute to the companys goals.
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How Did You Hear About The Role
While seemingly innocuous, this question serves an important purpose. Your company is probably spending significant budget every year on employer branding, advertising and candidate attraction. It’s important to understand what is working!
You need to know whether the messaging your company is investing in is resonating with the right candidates. Make a note of the answers to see whether specific trends emerge. For example, maybe high quality candidates all come across your brand on Twitter, therefore you should invest more in that medium.
It’s true that you can rely on analytics, providing you have them in place, to tell you where traffic is coming from and that many applications have a ‘how did you hear about us’ section, but sometimes, hearing it directly from the horse’s mouth give you more context.
