It’s no secret making great hires can help companies reduce costly turnover and increase productivity and team morale. So what can hiring managers do during the hiring process to ensure they are identifying the best possible candidate for their company’s needs? One way is to review the questions they are asking during interviews—and how they are interpreting the answers.
1. Why are you interested in joining our organization?
This is a great starter question because it gives the interviewer the opportunity to see the candidate has done their homework on the organization. A great candidate will have specific reasons why this opportunity with this organization piqued their interest, as opposed to a generalized response about needing a new opportunity.
2. What do you dislike about your current situation?
With a question like this, hiring managers should be looking for two things. First, the candidate should not be negative, complaining about their current company or boss in a way that indicates they will do the same to this organization in the future. Second, they should be looking forward in their careers, identifying shortcomings in their current roles that may not allow them to reach long-term goals.
3. What are your goals in the first 90 to 120 days?
This is one way for interviewers to determine if a candidate has given thought to the difficult transition period and is coming into the interview process with a plan. In addition, it can help hiring authorities understand how the candidate approaches problems and professional goals.
4. What type of impact do you want to have on this company? Where do you want to be in 5 to 10 years?
Not only do these questions reiterate the importance of having a plan, but they also highlight whether a candidate is thinking long term when it comes to their tenure with the new company. In addition, they can help interviewers evaluate whether the candidate has realistic goals given the structure and needs of the company.
5. What has been your greatest professional challenge or mistake? What has been your greatest professional accomplishment?
Here, candidates have an opportunity to discuss mistakes or shortcomings they may have had in the past, but they also have the chance to showcase problem-solving skills and a positive attitude when it comes to meeting challenges head-on.
6. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
This is arguably the most “classic” interview questionfor good reason: It allows interviewers to determine whether a candidate has a strong sense of self-awareness and humility. No one is perfect, and a great candidate will know their own strengths and own up to areas in which they would like to grow and improve.
7. What would your coworkers (peers, superiors and subordinates) say about you?
This question twists the classic version, offering a new angle in which candidates can demonstrate that same self-awareness and humility. This form of the question can also help an interviewer begin to evaluate how a candidate would work as a peer, manager or supporting team member.
8. Describe your management style. How do you deal with under-performers?
These questions dig deeper into a candidate’s performance from a management standpoint, and the answers also showcase a candidate’s potential culture fit, temperament and general attitude.
9. How do you deal with adversity when a project goes south or when a day goes badly?
Everyone has bad days and deals with challenging circumstances. By addressing these inevitable struggles, interviewers can further explore a candidate’s temperament and attitude, in addition to problem-solving and coping skills.
10. How do you deal with scenarios in which you think you’re right and your boss thinks you’re wrong?
There will inevitably be times when there is a disconnect between what managers and subordinates believe is the right thing to do. This question helps interviewers determine a candidate’s conflict resolution strategies, attitude and willingness to be flexible and back up their beliefs.
11. What type of culture would you fit best in? How do you envision work-life balance?
These questions help both parties understand whether the candidate and the company are compatible when it comes to cultural and lifestyle expectations. There is no right or wrong answer here; this is simply a way to determine whether the needs of each party are in alignment.
Interviews are an important time for candidates and hiring managers to exchange information and determine whether a hire would be mutually beneficial. These questions can help interviewers get to the heart of what makes a strong long-term fit between a company and a candidate and will help set everyone up for success in the long run.
