You’re back because you read our blog post about where to find great talent and now you are in the thick of it all. By this point you have written your job description, posted it, used a vetting tool for your candidates, and now it is time. Time to interview! But what do you say? What questions do you ask? You might be feeling a lot of pressure to ask the right questions when interviewing. Well don’t stress, we’ve got you! We are excited to bring you 10 great interview questions to help you confidently hire!
Question 1: Tell me about a time you successfully [what you want them to do]
This question can be written to best fit the job you intend to fill. For example, tell me about a time you successfully collaborated with a team to design a social media grid. Or, tell me about a time you successfully launched a new product. This gives you immediate insight into their experience and expertise! It also exposes the areas they may need to learn to fill the role.
Question 2: Explain a time when you didn’t know how to do a task. How did you get the help that you needed?
We love this question because it really causes the candidate to lay it out on the table. Will they seek help from you? Will they lean on a co-worker? Will they scour the internet? Do they firmly believe they never need help (um, red flag)? This question can give you a deep insight into how they will work as a team and the quality of work that they will produce for you.
Question 3: What personality types do you find particularly difficult to work with?
Interviewing using this question really helps you to identify if the candidate will “jive” with your current team or management style. If a candidate notes that Type A personalities stress them out because they are heavily driven by organization and deadlines; they might not be a good fit for you who strives to be the definition of Type A. This doesn’t mean they aren’t a strong candidate…it just means they might not be a great fit for you!
Question 4: What are your non-work hobbies or interests? What can they tell me about you?
When you are interviewing, it is fantastic to ask questions about their life outside of work. More importantly, what do those things tell you about that person? If they are passionate about volunteering, it quickly shows how they have a servant heart! If they are deeply invested in raising their kids, it shows you that they are compassionate and caring. If they are a hiker, camper, biker, you’ll learn that they are adventurous and worldly. It’s good to know the whole person sitting before you in an interview!
Question 5: How do you adapt to change?
Don’t be surprised if your candidate pauses a moment before answering this one. It is a big question with an incredibly valuable answer! If your work environment is ever changing styles, technology, design, SOPs, workflow, etc. and your candidate does not handle change well then…you have your answer.
Question 6: How do you define effective teamwork?
We are crazy about this question! Interviewing a candidate and asking them how they define team work tells you a LOT about them as a team player. If they think effective team work is regular communication, collaboration, and sharing of responsibilities, you’ll learn a lot about their work style. If they say that effective team work is working independently on tasks determined in a meeting, again you’ll learn a lot about their work style. The idea is that you find someone whose idea matches yours and the model of your team.
Question 7: What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?
Bingo! You knew this one was coming, right? We aren’t looking for a candidate that says “My biggest weakness is that I have too many strengths.” HA! We are looking for a candidate that is honest, full of character, and reflective. This might sound like, “I am really organized, enjoy tackling tasks ahead of time, and love to collaborate with a team. However, I lack the skills needed to present to a large group.” The perfect candidate IS going to have weaknesses. We just want to know if they are self-aware of them.
Question 8: How would your past coworkers describe you? Both negative and positive.
This question, much like question 7, really poses an interesting moment. The candidate has to be incredibly reflective and they are given the opportunity to be honest. During this time, you aren’t looking for someone with the perfect answer. You are, instead, looking for someone who can clearly show that they are aware of themselves and how they exist among others.
Question 9: How would your past managers describe you? Both negative and positive.
You might wonder why we are asking this question if we already asked it about coworkers but the truth is that many people have a different relationship with their boss than they do their coworkers. Coworkers are often more like peers or friends where a boss to employee relationship may not look the same. By asking this question, you will not only learn about their past, you will learn a lot about how they will intend to relate to you.
Question 10: Besides compensation, what else do you value in a job?
Money is a critical component to survival in our world. It isn’t bad to seek a job because you want money. In fact most people are seeking a job for that very reason. This question assumes the candidate needs compensation in a job by instead asking what else they value. Look for answers like: personal growth, fulfillment, challenging themselves, learning new things, etc. You want to find a candidate that finds joy and excitement in their work; who wants to always get better and learn as much as they can!
That’s a wrap!
Looking for more? We’ve got 10 MORE amazing questions to ask when interviewing a candidate within our Complete Guide to Hiring! You don’t want to miss out! We even have them formatted in a digital + printable document for you to have in front of you when you’re interviewing. Pretty fantastic!
The Complete Guide to Hiring
Our Complete Guide to Hiring is a 33-page resource with everything you need to get started hiring! Gain access to a worksheets to get you started, a guide with samples on how to write your description, additional places to post your job, vetting tools, interview questions, and 5 templates (including an offer letter!) that are ready for you to take and implement right away!
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
We know that there is a lot to sift through when determining what is best as you are building your team! If you are finding yourself with more questions than answers, please reach out to The Abundance Group! You can find us on Instagram @theabundancegroup.
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