A job interview is a lot like speed dating. In just a short hour or two you’re expected to get to know a person and see if they’re a good fit for your open position and your organization (yes folks, it should be both).
That’s a tough task.
Whether your interview process includes one or three interviews – unless you’re asking some direct questions – you’re not really doing your due diligence to hire the right candidate.
Far too often employers focus on just skills to try to determine whether someone is qualified to do the job. Yes – skills are very important. But what about a culture fit for your organization? And what about discovering what motivates them? Or even how they prefer to get their job done? All important things in determining candidate fit and new hire success.
Feeling overwhelmed? Dont’! It’s the candidates’ job to sell themselves. It’s your job to ask the probing questions.
Ask these 7 questions to help hire the right candidate:
Why should we hire you?
Well, why? Tell us what you bring to the table that will help you be a success here and help us be a success. The right candidate will be able to clearly communicate their personal value proposition. They’ll also be able to tell you how it aligns to your organization. You may need or want to dig deeper – asking for examples, data points, or even more specific details. However – this will give you a snapshot into how they think, how prepared they are for the interview, and if they’re a fit for not just the open position – but the organization.
What is your biggest hot button?
What frustrates the heck out of you? Why really ticks you off in the context of a work environment? Let’s get real – everyone has hot buttons at work. Some are just more obvious about it than others. The right candidate will be able to articulate what frustrates them (which can inhibit productivity!) and why. A good candidate will also be able to tell you how they manage these hot buttons. Ask for examples here. You don’t just want to know if their hot buttons will be pushed at your organization, you also want to know – can they manage them if they are pushed.
From your research on our company – how would you describe our culture and what makes you a fit?
Culture is king. Being a skill-set fit is just as important as being a culture fit. Culture is how work gets done around here. If your organization is fast-paced – will they fit in or be frustrated? If your organization has a limited hierarchy – can they mesh with the rest of the team and get work done across departments with limited direction – or do they need more structure for success? You have an idea of your culture. You want to find out what they see and feel about your culture. Look for inconsistencies. Take note of a mismatch. A candidate can have the best skill set in the world, but, if they aren’t a fit for your culture they aren’t likely to reach maximum performance.
What was the worst work environment you’ve ever been in and why?
Let’s face it – we’ve all worked places that sucked the life out of us. What you want to know from the candidate is what made them feel that the work environment was so terrible – and how did they cope. You don’t want someone to come onboard if your organization has some of the similar traits they’ve considered to be toxic. Some candidates will be afraid to answer this question in fear that they’ll turn off the interviewer. Try your hardest to make them feel comfortable answering this question honestly. This question will give you insight into their dealbreakers. You don’t want to hire someone and then 90-days later they quit! It also provides insights into how they cope with certain curveballs.
What do you want to get out of this role?
What are you looking to achieve? What do you expect to learn? This is very important. A job is a give and take. As an employer, you expect certain things from an employee. Well, guess what – they expect certain things from you as well. It’s important these are aligned. Can you both provide each other with what you each need? Whether it’s an entry-level role or a leadership position – this question helps you understand what they want to accomplish – can they make good on accomplishing what you’re expecting of them in this role and can you make good on what they’re expecting?
Why are you successful?
Positive spin. We all view success in different ways. You not only want to know how they define success, you also want to know what they think helps them be successful, and see if this aligns with the open position and the organization. This question also gives you insight into how they accomplish their job. Are they reading the latest trends, research, and data reports to better understand their role and how to achieve success? Perhaps they learned traits that make them successful from a mentor? Understanding why a candidate feels they are successful – and what behaviors and traits they use to define success – gives you a snapshot of how they think and how that aligns to the role and the culture of your organization.
What motivates you?
If you’re not offering rewards to your people – start immediately! Though there’s more to motivation than rewards. A paycheck is often not enough anymore – although it doesn’t hurt! Understand what personally motivates the candidate – does it align with the other team members’ motivations? Can you provide these things to them? Knowing what motivates them will help you determine if they will be satisfied – and perform.
#Talentacquisition isn’t easy. It doesn’t stop with a good resume. As you lead the interview process – focus on finding the nuggets of information that will really help you determine mutual fit and success. These questions are some good starting points to understand who the candidate is, how they get the job done, what makes them tick – and does it all align to your needs. Having these answers allows you to make a better-informed decision – for both the candidate and your organization.
About Scott Span, MSOD, CSM: is CEO at Tolero Solutions. As a people strategist, leadership coach, and change and transformation specialist, his work is focused on people. Through his consulting and training work he supports clients to survive and thrive through change and transition and create people-focused cultures and a great employee experience. Through his coaching work, he supports people willing to dig deeper to identify and overcome what’s holding them back, change behaviors, accelerate performance and achieve their goals.
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