It can be hard to know what to ask candidates at the job interview stage in order to elicit the best and most complete answers, that will show you some of who they are as well as what they are capable of doing. If you have ever struggled with what to ask in an interview you can draw ideas and inspiration from these 13 questions:
- Describe yourself to me in one sentence.
This can be quite a difficult question to answer but can bring out some interesting responses when it catches the interviewees off-guard a little. It isn’t usual in life to be asked something so personal that forces people to look inward.
- What is it about you which you believe makes you suitable for this role?
This allows the candidate the opportunity to tell you about the relevant skills they have that can help them in the job role.
- Tell me about your biggest achievement at work. How did you achieve it? Everyone is the hero in their own story and this gives them the chance to let you know of something they are particularly proud of in their working life.
- What are your strengths and how do you use them to benefit your work?
This can cover some of the “softer” skills such as organisation, exceptional problem solving abilities or the ability to work well as part of a team and to encourage others.
- What would your current employer say the best thing about you is when it comes to work? This is a great way to switch things up and catch the candidate on the hop slightly by mentioning their current/former employer. There is of course the added spice to this question in that the current employer may be a reference so you could be in a position to find this out.
- What would your current employer say the worst thing about you is when it comes to work?
Again, a challenging question and one where their honesty may be tested.
- What personal qualities would you like to improve on?
An example of areas they may be working to improve already and may seek to develop while with your organisation.
- Tell me about a challenging situation that you have faced at work and how you dealt with it.
It would be hoped that they would remember to use the STAR method to tell this story.
- Describe a situation you dealt with that you weren’t fully trained in? How did you cope?
This is a good way to test initiative but also to get a feel for how they work as part of a team.
- What will make this a career to you rather than a job?
This is a chance for them to mention things like training, development and career progression.
- How would you deal with a situation where management made a decision you thought was wrong?
Depending on the work culture, this can test how they deal with authority but also how confident they are in their own judgement.
- Have there been any situations where you have not achieved your goal? What happened? How did you deal with it?
This is an interesting question as it is focused on a perceived failure rather than a victory. It can be quite confronting to be asked something like this.
- Do you have any questions for me?
This is an opportunity to ask questions about the company that show the knowledge they have already accumulated. Questions such as “Following on from the development of the (name of proprietary kit), what is the next step from there?” are good and showcase prior knowledge.
