We get asked, frequently, what are the best interview questions to ask job candidates. It depends, of course, on the position you are hiring for which effects the level of job seeker you are interviewing. The ones below are generally good for any position in a company as they give you a good overview of the person and an insight into their character.
It’s suggested that you do more than one interview with a candidate so that you can more accurately assess how they might present themselves in different circumstances on a different day. If possible, it can sometimes be helpful to do a group interview, with some of the candidate’s team members to determine a strong culture fit. This can be insightful if team members are first properly prepared for the session by knowing what your expectations are of them.
In a recent interview with Harvard Business Review about their new book, How Google Works, Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg discuss the hiring practices at Google and why they work. Assessments are one way to reveal competencies and talent, which is the science of good hiring practices, as long as you also are skilled at asking great questions during the interview process. It’s a good listen if you have about 15 minutes , just click HERE.
Here are the Top 10 Interview Questions according to About.com:
- What is your biggest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- How do you handle stress and pressure?
- Describe a difficult work situation/project and how you overcame it.
- How do you evaluate success?
- Why are you leaving or have left your job?
- Why do you want this job?
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your goals for the future?
- Tell me about yourself?
In the article, it also gives you the best answers to these questions.
Forbes suggests that the best interview question you can ask to determine if someone will have a passion for your organization and it’s mission is:
When in your life have you been so passionately focused on an activity that you lost track of time and what were you doing?
Another one you might consider that my friend, Ken Cronin, uses is:
Is there anything in your background that you would like to discuss now
before I (we) found out about it later?
Careerbuilder.com suggests a few that might be helpful:
- How would your best friend describe you?
- What type of work environment do you prefer?
- What is your typical way of dealing with conflict?
- What tools or habits do you use to keep organized?
- Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond to get a job done.
- In what ways do you raise the bar for yourself and others around you?
- What unique experience or qualifications separate you from other candidates?
If you are new to hiring or would like to improve your results in this area, CLICK HERE for a complete guide of information from Monster.com.
At Cortex Leadership Consulting we provide benchmarking and a host of great assessments that can help you understand the behavioral style, what motivates an employee, along with how someone might work within your team environment. We also have a brand new Management assessment that will show you the leadership, presentation, futuristic thinking, and a host of other abilities for your team members or a potential one.
