Five Questions To Ask Your Interviewee

We all know that interviews are nerve-wracking, but what is often overlooked is the stress of those on the other side of the table.

Interviewing a candidate for a new position can be a tricky task. You need someone who will fit into the team, who will work well with others and most importantly, who will do their job to your satisfaction.

The interview process is an important part of any hiring decision. It’s not just about finding out whether or not they have the skills required for the role – it’s also about getting to know them as people.

The best way to find out if they’re right for the job is by asking some key questions during the interview. Here are five questions to ask every interviewee.

What Are Your Strengths?

This question gives you insight into how the person sees themselves in relation to other people. By asking this question, you also get a sense of how they see themselves in comparison to the rest of the world.

You can then use this information to help you understand where they might struggle and where they excel.

This also tells you whether the candidate considers themselves to be a good fit for the role. If they are not able to identify their strengths in relation to the role, they may have misunderstood the role, or misinterpreted the job description.

How Do You Plan On Improving Yourself?

By asking this question, you get to find out more about how the candidate plans on improving themselves, and this offers insight into their priorities and plans for progression.

This type of question also helps you to understand what kind of training and development opportunities they would like to take advantage of.

If they don’t plan on taking advantage of these opportunities, you should consider looking elsewhere, as it’s more likely that the candidate will move on quickly rather than stay and grow long-term.

Why Should I Choose You For This Role?

Seek to determine why the candidate chose to apply for the role so that you can better understand their motivations and aspirations. This will offer real insight into how they view not only the job, but the wider company.

Make sure you ask open-ended questions which allow the candidate to talk freely about their reasons for applying for the role. This will give you a much clearer picture of what motivates them and what makes them tick, and will help you get to know them as a candidate.

Tell Me About A Time When…

This is a great question to ask when you’ve already had a conversation about the role and the responsibilities involved. If you haven’t yet discussed the role, this is a great opportunity to start the conversation.

It allows the candidate to tell you about a time when they faced a challenge or problem, and how they overcame it.

This question shows they have the ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to problems.

What Would Be Your Ideal Working Environment?

This is another great question to ask when discussing the role and responsibilities. By asking this question you get a clear idea of what the candidate values in terms of working environment.

This also gives you a chance to gauge how they feel about the culture of your organization, and whether they’d be happy to work there.

Final Thoughts

Asking interview questions isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone. By following our tips above, you’ll soon become a pro at finding out all you need to know about your candidates, ensuring you have the perfect person to join your team.