If you are in a management role you probably interview candidates as part of your job but, in a candidate short market, you need to stand out if you are going to appeal to best talent.

Job seekers like to be interviewed. It gives them an opportunity to shine and differentiate themselves. It also allows them to assess you and your business.

If you want to look like an employer of choice, then making sure your interviewing techniques are up to standard is an essential step in separating you from your competitors. It shows you are selective and, if successful, will make the candidate feel like they have reached a high bar in securing an offer.

Yes, you still need to sell the idea of working for your company. Tell the candidate what they can expect, the challenges, the support, the team and the package as part of your interview plan. If you need any advice in this area please Contact Us.  

You might also be interested in our short video clip on Protecting and Enhancing Your Employer Brand through the recruitment process.

However, this article is focused on the interview questions you should have in your mental library so that you can pick the right combination for the role.

Do not try to ask all questions in all interviews!

The Basics

These are low-intensity questions that you might use to get the interview started:

– Tell me about yourself.

– What is most important to you in a work environment?

– What do you know about this company?

– Describe your relationship with your current colleagues.

– What are you most proud of in your professional life so far?

– What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

– How would your managers and co-workers describe you?

– How do you want to be managed?

– Why do you want to work for this company?

– What are your greatest strengths?

– What is your biggest weakness?

– Why do you want to leave your current role or company?

Intermediate Questions

These are a little more challenging, will put the candidate under more pressure and will test their ability to think before answering.

– What is one fact that you haven’t included in your CV, but would love to?

– What is the most recent thing you have learned?

– If somebody asked you to give an impromptu presentation on any topic, what subject would you pick?

– What nonprofessional skill would you most like to learn?

– If the decision was down to you and one other candidate, what would you say to persuade me to hire you?

– Describe a time when you proactively identified and addressed an issue at your company.

– Tell me about a time when you failed to achieve your goals and had to follow a different approach. What happened?

– Walk me through your time management system.

– Imagine you need to implement a new process that you do not have much experience with. What steps do you take to gather information and ensure successful execution?

– Pick five adjectives that best describe you.

Hard Questions

These questions are designed to take the candidate out of their comfort zone and talk about issues that might prefer not to include in an interview:

– What is the most difficult lesson you have had to learn thus far?

– What piece of critical feedback do you receive most often?

– If you could redo your career, what would you change?

– What have been your most positive and negative workplace experiences?

– Talk about a time when you had to work with someone whose personality was very different from yours.

– What is the farthest out of your comfort zone you have been while working?

– How do you deal with failure?

– How do you communicate bad news?

– Share a time when you made a decision that involved great risk. What was the situation, the final verdict, and the result?

– Walk me through a time when you had to adapt to major change within your organisation.

We provide our Clients with a wide variety of services including advice on how to structure interviews and how to include questions that relate to the skills and experience you are looking for.

If you would like any additional support this area please Contact Us for more information.