Interviewing a new potential employee can be a tedious process, especially once you get to determining if they’re the right fit for the position and the company. Making sure you ask great questions that give you insight into how the candidate can fill the role and whether they have the skills you need will save time, energy, and stress – and help you find the perfect person who will smash the job. Here are five questions you should ask in the interview to determine who is the perfect person for the job.
- What is one accomplishment at work that you’re most proud of?
This sets the tone at a positive note and allows the employee to really engage and discuss something they feel they did of great merit and value. This also informs you of various skills they may possess that fit your position, or ones you feel could be utilized at your workplace. How they describe the accomplishment can also give little clues to how they work with others and what work environment they may be wanting to leave.
- What skills do you possess that you believe are needed for this position?
This takes parts of the answer to question one and gives you detail and insight into what they specifically bring to the table as far as skill set. This also allows the interviewee to explain parts of their resume and how it has given them the necessary experience that you might not have noticed at first glance. If someone trained other employees at work, even in a different field, that’s a skill set that could come in handy and could be one you are looking for. This is knowledge they have acquired and practiced and it’s a list of boxes you can easily check.
- What is a problem or obstacle you have faced professionally and how did you solve it/overcome it/ grow from it?
This gives you insider knowledge into the candidate’s working style and how they think on their feet, as well as how they have possibly developed professionally. It also clues you into what might be some of their weaknesses without asking the awkward, “what are your greatest weaknesses,” question and getting a faux negative response like, “I’m always too early.” Something happened and it could have been their fault or their reaction could be telling of areas they lack strength and if they were able to overcome it, that’s a great sign.
- When you begin, what is something you’d want to do with this role right away?
This question shows you how much time and effort they’ve put into researching the role and the company itself. It lets you know if they’ve done any at all and what their true professional goals are. They could answer in a way that you were hoping, or in a way that might surprise and excite you. It’s a preview of what they could do and their own ingenuity. This also gives an easy foray into, “why do you want this job?” which can tell you so much about their expectations and goals.
- Why are you leaving your current employer?
Without having to ask about their preferred management style, this question opens a door to a conversation about that and gives you insight into what their current working environment is. If it’s similar to yours, discuss it. It could be a pay issue or other differences that you don’t have to worry about. This also gives the interviewee the opportunity to explain themselves if they were fired or let go. It can tell you if they’ll mesh well with the current energy of the workplace.
Of course, there are many, many questions to consider when giving an interview and many of them are repetitive and have expected, practiced answers. But these five base questions plus follow-up questions can help alleviate the scripted feeling, while still getting you the information you need to find a stellar employee.
This post was written by Carly Naaktgeboren.
Nexxt is a recruitment media company that uses today’s most effective marketing tactics to reach the full spectrum of talent – from active to passive, and everything in between. Learn more about hiring with Nexxt.