What job interview questions to ask the candidates?
Topic: HR Consulting for Startups
Interviews tend to be really stressful for both parties. Even though there are many articles that help a nervous candidate to answer possible questions of a job interview, who will help you – the CEO, the manager, or the hiring employee – to create those very interview questions? This blogpost is dedicated to easing the frustration related to conducting an interview by this quick and easy template that will make the candidate want to stay! Choose the most suitable interview questions and plan ahead, in order to give the best first impression.
BRAND YOUR COMPANY…
Before you conduct the interview with a potential candidate, you should be prepared to brand your company, since the candidates might have many other offers on the table. Keep in mind what are the benefits your company has to offer, and how to present it in a convincing way. Some of those could be fringe benefits, informal events, team buildings, training courses, flexibility (home office, flexible working hours), good work-life-balance, office location, free parking lot, dog-friendly environment, traveling opportunities, shared values and so on. Just imagine yourself in the applicants’ shoes: what would convince you?
…TO THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Moreover, you should have a clear idea of the ideal applicant you want to win over. Appropriate work experience or thirst to learn? Years of experience or convincing skills? Hobbies or the design of the CV? First, this might seem confusing, but the more you meet new faces, the more sophisticated your expectations will be. Here are some skills worth examining:
- communication, teamwork, commitment, analytical and problem-solving skills, integrity, flexibility, adaptability, self-motivation, technical literacy, decision-making, time management, interpersonal skills, positive attitude.
And now the questions! The vast majority of the interview consists of these crucial elements, therefore precise preparation is needed. Keep track of how the answers shaped the overall profile, what they revealed and make notes about the most constructive ones.
The questions could be
Warm-up questions
Tell me a little about yourself!
What describes you best?
How do you think your friends see you?
Wha are the channels you read / watch / listen to, in order to stay professionally updated?
What are the two most important things for you in a job?
What qualities do you think define a good colleague / boss?
Company related questions
Why our company?
What do you know about our company?
Why this job? What was appealing?
What makes you want to work for us in particular?
How do you think you can contribute to the company’s success?
Professional experience
Guide me through your CV!
Highlight one experience you want to share more in detail!
What is your accomplishment in ‹this› role you’re most proud of?
What was your unique contribution to ‹this› project?
Which job was the most challenging and why?
Was there any job that you have regretted? If yes, why?
Situational questions
Describe a situation where you weren’t satisfied with your job. What would have solved the frustration?
Describe a situation where you saw a problem and took steps to fix it.
Tell me about a time your workload was very heavy. What did you do to mitigate it?
Describe a situation where you needed information from a co-worker who was slow to respond. What did you do?
What was your biggest mistake you made, and how did you try to fix it?
Unexpected questions
One day you accidentally find a lottery ticket and you end up winning $10 million. What would you do with the money?
Which trait of yours was the most present already in your childhood?
In which historical era would you prefer the most to live in?
Who is your hero and why?
If you could meet one famous person, who would it be and why?
Which animal would you compare yourself with and why?
After the questions, explain the position’s duties & responsibilities and back them up with real-life examples so you can provide the candidate with a clear picture of the position. Wrap up the whole process by asking the candidate whether he/she has any further questions regarding the position and explain the follow-up procedure regarding the temporal proximity of the hiring decision, the potential conduction of reference calls & the start date.
Now obviously you don’t have to use the structure and all the questions mentioned above. You can mix and match or decide to talk about fewer answers and elaborate on them more in detail. The sky is the limit! The process ought to be customized to your needs and what you want to explore during the interview.
If you want to avoid the struggle of conducting many interviews, Heroes is here for you! Check out our services and build the best team!
Karin Levy, Marketing Analyst