Important Questions To Ask In A Job Interview

Not all interview questions are created equal. Some give insight into a candidate’s abilities, as well as their personality and motivations.

Here are some great and revealing questions to ask the next time you are interviewing potential employees.

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?

Not everyone leaves their place of work due to unhappiness or because they were fired.

Did they quit? Were they let go? Maybe they left because they weren’t feeling challenged enough, or because they had to move. Try to determine whether they left by their own volition and then ask them why.

You’re Looking For: Someone who appreciated their last employer, but is ready for a new challenge.

What Excites You Most About This Position?

Unless you’re hiring for a short contract position, you should always be thinking about your employees in the long term.

You’re not just hiring someone for a job, you’re hiring them for their fit with your team, company culture, and vision. So finding out what motivates someone to work is one of the best ways to make sure they will be happy with their role within your company.

You’re Looking For: Someone motivated by the challenges your company offers them – a team player who wants to grow.

What Most Resonates With You About Our Company’s Mission?

A good interviewee would have spent some time perusing your site and seeking out information about your company, so check to make sure they did their research during the interview.

This is a great question to find out how serious someone is about the position and how well they prepare.

You’re Looking For: Someone who takes initiative and will go the extra mile to impress.

Do You Have An Example Of A Disagreement With A Former Boss?

You always want to know how well a candidate deals with conflict. Pay attention both to what caused the conflict as well as how it was resolved.

While you don’t want to hire a high-conflict person, someone who doesn’t shy away from disagreement completely is always a good person to have on your team.

This question will also give you insight into how they deal with different management styles and approaches.

You’re Looking For: Someone who is a diplomatic problem solver. Someone who respects the decisions of their leaders, but is not afraid to speak up when they see the potential for a different approach.

Tell Me Something About Yourself That’s Not On Your Resume

Open-ended questions allow for a candidate to tell a story are a great way to get to know them during an interview.

Personal stories give you a perspective of a candidate in the real world. It will also help them to relax a bit and more of their personality will shine through.

You might discover a candidate volunteers, is creative or loves travel. With this question, you’ll discover lots of transferable skills!

You’re Looking For: Personality and insight into a candidate’s values, lifestyle, and motivations.

Can You Teach Me Something I Don’t Already Know?

Ask the interviewee to teach you something you don’t already know. This shows how well they think on their feet, and will allow them to be creative and show a bit of their personality.

You’re Looking For: With this question, you are simply looking to see how they react to being put on the spot, assess their comfort level with being thrown a curveball, and see how creative their answer can be. Plus, as a bonus – you might learn something you don’t already know!

Whether the job requires one interview or a round of seven interviews, these questions will help you get the information you need to make the best decision.

Beyond the generic “tell me about yourself”, these questions will create a dialog and give you deeper insights. You want to hire someone who sets themselves apart from their peers, and asking the right questions will allow them to do just that!

If you have questions or would like more information about conducting amazing interviews, I’d be happy to help. Please send us an email, and my team will get in touch with you!