When you’re ready to find a new team member, there is no end to online resources to guide decision making for various industries. Job websites provide candidates with lists of questions that most large companies ask, and the answers that interviewers expect. Job candidates who are serious about landing the role will research, practice and learn what responses have worked for past hires.
While this shows a commitment to the job role and a strong desire to join your team, it does not necessarily give you a true gauge of the candidate and their capabilities. Research shows that:
- “brain teaser questions” can contribute to a costly miss-hire
- having a candidate meet more than four interviewers does not increase new-hire quality
- in many jobs, grades, test scores, schools attended and degrees obtained do not predict success in the position.
To ensure your interview process leads to the best candidate to join your team, it is important to focus on questions that pertain to your industry, and the specifics of the job. Rather than using the old model of testing and questioning, it’s time to think about the goals your company has and how filling this role will help you achieve those goals.
Elimination
If you work for a major corporation, most of the interview questions used by hiring managers at your firm are publicly posted on job sites like Glassdoor and they include answers. Restart your questions lists by removing some of the most common questions like;
- “What are your greatest strengths?”
- “Why are you the best candidate?”
- “What’s your dream job?”
- “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Any questions that delve into a person’s active working past are no longer relevant in a fast-paced and dynamic working world. Questions that ask a candidate to describe how they performed in the past, also known as “behavioural interview questions” such as “how did you deal with this [scenario] in the past?” do not apply. According to research, these types of questions used as a deciding factor for hiring a candidate are only 12% better than a coin toss. This is for two main reasons.
- Some people are good storytellers and these questions give them the opportunity to shine.
- Workplaces have different cultures and expectations so how the candidate did something in the past is more an indication of the workplace culture than the performance or even values of the candidate.
Tasks
One of the best ways to judge the capabilities of a candidate is to have them do an actual job task they would be required to perform regularly if hired.
If you were interviewing for a copy editor, you’d give them an article and ask them to edit it. If you were interviewing for a bartender, you’d ask them to mix a cocktail. While some roles are filled based on personality and values, others focus on skills and education. It is important that you understand as an employer what you are looking for and what will compliment your company goals.
- Identify problems on the job. “Please walk me through this standard operating procedure and tell me what strengths or weaknesses you can identify and what changes you would make given the opportunity.”
- Solve a current problem. Problem solving and adaptability is often a predictive factor of job performance. Provide candidates with a description of an actual problem they might face in their role, then ask them how they might solve that problem. Make your own checklist so you can note what they identify, what they add and what they omit, making special note of important details such as research or data gathering, consulting with teams or customers, and what identifying success metrics they would use.
Evolution
In all job roles, new tools and developments mean employees need to remain flexible and open about how their job description might change. Consider asking these questions to assess how well a candidate can adapt to change:
- Outline your plan for this job. Candidates who are committed to the job will have a plan for their career development and progression. Have candidates highlight key elements, including goals, team development and relationships, what data or research is needed, and how they measure success.
- Forecast the evolution of the job or industry. Anticipating change is critical for companies. Candidates should be able to discuss your industry, the forecast for changes, and how the role will change according to the forecast. Employees with an awareness of change and a plan for how to adapt are valuable assets.
Do understand if a candidate can learn, adapt and pivot as your industry shifts, base your interview questions on:
- Learning: “Provide an overview of how you would continue to learn and adapt to ensure you remain an expert in your role.”
- Agility: “How would you manage rapid changes, such as new technology or shifts in customer demands to ensure you remain valuable to the business?”
- Innovation: “How would you respond to increased competition or new technologies, and how could they be used to increase innovation among your team?”
Streamline
When creating your interview questions try and avoid asking excessive questions about education and job responsibilities that the candidate already answered in their resume and job application.
Most of the interview time should be about you selling the job and the company to the candidate. If you can show your enthusiasm for the company and engage the candidate, you are more likely to attract top talent. It is important to remember that you are interviewing the candidate because you want to attract them to your company. Rather than focusing on what they can offer you, tell them all the advantages you can offer them.
- “What makes a company attractive to you?”
- “Can you map a career progression path with our company?”
Research shows that companies that make successful long-term hires spend time preparing for interviews with clear goals for the company well communicated with candidates. Hiring decisions are generally made within 15 seconds and are based on known and unknown bias, so interviewers must try to distance themselves from these early judgments and engage with candidates to make hires that are successful and enhance your company.
Suggested Interview Questions
Adaptability
- Describe a situation where you had to quickly adapt to a significant change at work. How did you handle it?
- Can you give an example of a time when you had to learn a new skill or technology to complete a task? What was your approach?
- How do you typically handle unexpected challenges or obstacles in your work?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work outside of your comfort zone. What did you learn from that experience?
- How do you prioritize tasks when you have multiple deadlines and responsibilities?
- Describe a situation where you had to adjust your work style to fit the needs of a team or project. How did you ensure success?
- How do you stay current with industry trends and changes? Can you provide an example of how you’ve applied this knowledge?
Company Culture
- What aspects of our company culture appeal to you the most and why?
- How do you ensure that you contribute positively to a team environment?
- Describe a time when you had to align with a company’s culture in order to succeed in your role.
- How do you handle working with colleagues who have different work styles or cultural backgrounds?
- What values do you believe are essential to a successful workplace culture?
- Can you give an example of how you’ve helped build or contribute to a positive workplace culture in a previous job?
- How do you typically get to know and integrate with your coworkers?
Long-Term Engagement
- What are your long-term career goals, and how does this position fit into them?
- How do you plan to grow within our company if you are hired?
- Describe a time when you stayed with a project or company for an extended period. What motivated you to remain engaged?
- What do you find most rewarding about your profession, and how do you envision that playing out in our company?
- What kind of support and development opportunities keep you motivated in a long-term role?
- How do you handle career setbacks or periods when your career isn’t progressing as you had hoped?
- What factors do you consider when deciding to stay with a company long-term?
These questions can help you evaluate a candidate’s adaptability, their fit within your company culture, and their potential for long-term engagement, providing a comprehensive understanding of their suitability for the role.