abbey
what questions do you ask a potential employee when in an interview setting
to conduct an interview with a potential employer and to get the right information
#interviews
3 answers
Jonathan Lunsford
Jonathan’s Answer
A lot of firms these days are conducting interviews based on behavior as much as skill or experience. The types of questions are structured to understand not only WHAT you can do, but also HOW you have done things in the past and HOW you might choose to do things in the future. A few examples of typical behavioral questions are as follows:- "Tell me about a time when..." and also "What would you do if...".
When asked this type of question, most interviewers will be hoping for you to present your answer in the STAR Answer Format.
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action & Result.
So, it is advisable to think of some instances / examples where you have achieved positive results and present that story as your answer.
These days, transparency is much more prevalent than ever before, on both the interviewer and the interviewee side of things, and getting to know you as a potential candidate is crucially important as while skills can always be trained, the type of person you are, whether you are someone with integrity and a genuine desire to learn and grow every day of your life, is something that will benefit employers to understand about you.
Nicki Cullen
Nicki’s Answer
When conducting interviews I have used a similar method that was stated in another response which is behavioral questions specific to the job type and skills needed. The questions center around how the applicant handles a specific situation and provides the ability to see if they can think on their feet and respond in the format outlined. You are looking for them to explain the specific situation, what actions they took, and what was the outcome. You can use this to identify initiatives the individual took given the situation, what happened, and if they missed the mark what lessons did they learn. When conducting interviews for a specific role you should ask the exact same behavioral questions so you can effectively assess the individual's capabilities and skill set across all candidates. This interview-style works but is only part of the conversation. It's helpful to understand their background information, why they are interested in the role, long term career goals, and how they would handle specifics about key functions or challenges of the job. I also look at the questions the interview asked at the end, are they specific and thoughtful based on the role. Last suggestion is don't hesitate to conduct 2nd round interviews or a panel with multiple folks to get additional feedback on your top candidates. Good Luck!
Lane Robilotto
Lane’s Answer
Hi Abby,
That is great question, and I'm sure you will find very different answers depending on who responds and what industry/position the person is interviewing for. Personally, I use two approaches when conducting interviews.
First - I ask general questions or use general statements about our company and gauge how the interviewee responds to get a feeling as to whether they did any work to understand our company, our business or our values. I have always felt that coming prepared to an interview is equally as important if not more important than any response the interviewee could give. I want to know that this interview was important to them and they took the time to do some general background research into our company and what our values are.
Second - I use questions that allow me to get to know the person I am interviewing. Questions like, "what are your interests outside of work", "do you see yourself as a leader/do others see you as a leader". I try to understand their personality to make sure that they will fit in with our team and the people we have already working for the company. Again, the fit for us is more important than their technical expertise or experience.
Hope this helps!
Lane