Interviewing prospective candidates is a key part of the hiring process. It helps you to narrow down applicants by engaging in conversation with them and asking appropriate questions to see who would best fit the vacancy. It is important that you are asking the right questions in an interview to ensure you gather all the information you need before making a formal decision to hire or not. Depending on your business, there are different questions you may want to ask however, we have created a guideline to put you on the right track.
Customary Questions
Begin your interview with the standard questions we usually expect to hear. These include questions like:
· How did you hear about the role?
· Why would you like to work for us?
· What can you bring to the business?
Whilst most candidates will have prepared for these questions already; those make a great starting point to test an applicant’s current knowledge on the business. These kinds of questions allow you to gauge how much research a person has done on your business, which will show how enthusiastic they are about the role. Candidates who are keen to join the team will be well researched and able to answer with ease. It also doubles as constructive feedback to see how hopeful employees view your business.
Investigative Questions
Once you have gone through the initial questions, now you can divulge deeper. Investigative quizzing makes a great pathway to revealing an applicant’s attitude and attributes. Ensure to ask probing questions that will draw out their experience, motivation and skills. Below are some examples that help to extract valuable information:
· Tell me something about yourself that is not on your CV – The ambiguity allows the candidate to decide how they wish to answer. They can go down different routes, such as discussing previous work experiences, or they may speak about something completely unrelated to work. The content of their answer will help you to determine what they are like as a person and in turn, what sort of employee they will be.
· What is one of your biggest accomplishments in your career so far? – Asking a question like this allows an insight into what the candidate deems an accomplishment and prompts their passionate side. Whether the achievement is big or small, the way they express themselves will give a big indication into how much pride they put into their work.
· What has been one of the biggest challenges you have had to face in your career? – Challenges in a job are inevitable. With any business, problems will arise at some point and it is important that your employees are well prepared to handle them. The way your candidate answers this question will help you to draw out their experience and evaluate how they deal with more trying situations. You may wish to be even more specific and ask: When has a customer ever made a complaint about you and how did you deal with it?
· Why are you leaving your current role? – It is always good practice to establish why a candidate is leaving/ has left their latest workplace for multiple reasons. When considering the applicant for the role, be sure that your organisation fulfils what they were missing from their last job. This could be anything from competence to job progression. If you are unable to satisfy the candidate’s expectations then you are risking a short employment period from them. The question also tests their professionalism. People that openly slander their previous place of work often do not possess the right attitude you want in your business, therefore pay close attention to how they speak about formal employers.
· Do you have any questions for me? – This makes a nice way to conclude the interview. A keen candidate may have many questions about the role and the business in general to get a better feel for the company. If the interview already involved a lengthy and detailed conversation, then you might have already answered all their questions. Be mindful of this and therefore do not be deterred if the candidate has no further questions.
ABL Recruitment team
