Jobseekers are always the ones who get nervous about the so-called big day – a job interview. However, they aren’t the only ones who should be prepared for the interview. As an employer or a recruiter, you should make a short list of questions that can tell you what you need to know about an applicant as quickly as possible.
An interview is your chance as an employer to decide whether or not the applicant is a good fit for the role, your team and your company culture in general. However, you can only get these important information by asking the right questions.
Here are some of the best interview questions we collected and compiled from a few experienced recruiters on Bossjob:
1. What’s your most significant career achievement so far?
The answer to this question shows the applicant’s values and what his or her priorities are. Here, the applicant’s humility and pride can be seen in a nutshell. How does he tell the success? Does he value team work or more on personal achievement? This would also show if he cares about the company’s success.
2. Tell us more about yourself.
This has been the most commonly asked question for years, and yet, not all applicants know how to answer this. This question would help you to know if the candidate is well-prepared and actually took the effort to craft an introduction. If he or she can’t even bother to prepare the most commonly asked question, it tells a lot about the person’s personality.
3. Have you experienced any major obstacles and how did you approach them?
As an employer, you should be eyeing for applicants who are results-driven and goal-oriented. Hence, this is such an important question to ask. The goal for this question is to get a clear overview of the applicant’s past performance. Try to get more detailed information to find out if his or her critical thinking and problem solving skills are good enough. You may also learn about his or her working style with other people.
4. What’s your view on continuous development and improvement of your skills and knowledge?
You want to have employees who will constantly improve their professional skills and knowledge. Pay attention to whether or not the applicant expects the employer to provide development opportunities. Try to identify the weaker areas that the job applicant wants to improve and see if the company can provide such guidance or mentorship.
5. What made you decide to apply for this job?
It’s important to know what interests the potential employee most in related to the position. The answer will show his or her intention to get this job and what motivates this person. You can then determine whether or not the intention is pure and if the position is suitable for them.
6. Why are you leaving your current job? (if the applicant is still under employment)
The applicant’s answer tells you about his or her personal values, career goals, and expectations of an employer. By knowing why someone decided to hunt for a new job, you can tell if your company can fulfill his or her needs in terms of career development and personal growth.
Be careful with those who badmouthed about their current or previous employer. It’s hard to know the truth since there are always two sides to every story. And most likely they won’t tell you the whole story.
7. What are the three most valuable traits or skills that you can bring to our company?
The applicant’s response tells you what his or her strengths are and what this person is good at. You also find out about how this applicant views the position and if he or she is a good fit for this role.
8. How would your current/former colleagues describe your relationship with them?
You want to find out the applicant’s perception about the interaction with his or her colleagues. You can also know about the applicant’s working style through the way he or she interacts with people. Is the applicant more of a lone wolf or teamwork is something he or she prefers? These questions can draw a clear picture of how well someone work with others and how would it affects his or her performance at work.
9. How do you define hard work?
Knowing your applicant’s definition of hard work allows you to gauge how much effort he or she is willing to put in at work. You can also tell if he or she is the type who will only do the bare minimum or willing to go the extra miles for the company.
10. Do you have any questions for us?
An interview should be an interactive conversation and the applicant should be given a chance to ask questions as well. Based on the questions the applicant asked, you can tell how much he or she knows about the company and the open position. Also, you will know what are the things they prioritize. Is it money? Is it work-life balance or career growth? Be honest with your answers as it would affect the applicant’s decision.
Find these tips useful? We have more career advice, workplace tips, and job search tips on our blog. Don’t forget to check them out!
