Do you have an interview for an open position coming up? As you’re preparing to fill the role with the best candidate, you’re likely examining your interview process, including the strategic interview questions you’ll ask and how you’ll structure the conversation.
The best interview questions to ask a candidate go beyond “tell me about yourself,” and give you real information on an applicant’s personality, passion, creativity, and initiative.
In this post, I’ll walk you through eight of the best interview questions to ask a candidate, and I’ll explain why these are good interview questions to ask potential employees. In the end, you’ll be ready to sift through your applicant pool and identify who will shine as the newest team member, someone who aligns and contributes to your company’s goals.
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The interview questions you ask are pivotal in uncovering a candidate's past experiences, assessing their problem-solving skills, and determining their alignment with your company culture. These inquiries not only aid in selecting the most qualified and passionate candidates for the role but also play a crucial role in enhancing team dynamics and reducing turnover. Effective questioning ensures a fair, unbiased hiring process and sets the foundation for long-term success and employee retention within the organization.
These questions help uncover a candidate’s values and how they operate outside their comfort zone.
Let’s explore eight questions that help you go beyond the basics and find the best candidate for the role.
For many small businesses, growth and innovation are essential. Asking situational interview questions like this helps assess a candidate’s approach to future planning and their strategic vision. This question also reveals the candidate’s ability to think long-term, adapt to evolving challenges, take initiative, and demonstrate their passion for continued learning.
This question offers insight into a candidate’s problem-solving approach and how they manage ambiguity early in the job. It helps assess their organizational skills, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.
Pay attention to whether they describe the need to gather data from multiple sources, consult with team members, and seek to understand your company’s culture and methods.
This question presents a great alternative for the tired “What do you like about this industry?” or “Why do you want to work here?” questions. Asking candidates how they stay up to date in the field allows you to measure their actual commitment to and interest in their work.
While any candidate can say they have a passion for their job, an ideal candidate who stays on top of industry news is typically one with active and genuine interests. Candidates who seek out certifications or workshops are likely building both technical expertise and soft skills, which are essential in today’s evolving work environment.
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Good interview questions to ask employees involve a mix of skills-based questions and questions that offer a window into who the candidate is as a person. Enquiring about what the candidate finds interesting or exciting about the role gives them a chance to show their passion, and lets you know how you might be able to put their experiences and talents to their best use.
Your candidate may be coming from a role in which they had lots of autonomy to innovate, or they be job searching in part because they weren’t given room to cultivate their ideas. This question provides space for a candidate to either explain the impact of an idea or if they didn’t get to implement their ideas, what they would have done if given the chance.
Answers to this question can provide strong insight into an applicant’s creativity, problem-solving skills, and a tendency toward leadership skills.
Understanding how a potential employee communicates helps you evaluate whether they’ll adapt smoothly to your work environment. It’s also a strong indicator of their effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Differences in communication or collaboration habits don’t have to be deal breakers, but knowing about them can help the hiring manager plan onboarding and training for better integration.
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Your candidate’s resume will tell you a lot about what they’ve done in previous roles, but it won’t necessarily reveal where their passions are or where they’ve shone. Asking about the joys of an applicant’s prior position allows them to expand upon the skills they’ve picked up in the past and elaborate on how they may be transferrable to your organization.
Before you wrap up your interview, it’s important to ask candidates if they have follow-up questions of their own. An interview is a chance for both parties to determine if the employment relationship will be a good fit long-term.
The answers you provide to the candidate’s questions allow you to showcase the most attractive aspects of the role, your company, and its culture.
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Are you looking to attract and retain potential candidates who align with your mission and values? When you partner with Axcet HR Solutions, you’ll gain access to all of the tools that you need to help locate, interview, and hire valuable candidates.
With Axcet, you’ll be able to tap into our state-of-the-art applicant tracking system. You’ll also have access to our experienced HR experts’ ability to craft strong and compliant job descriptions, tailor recruiting strategies to your organization, and develop sustainable retention initiatives.
Recruitment and retention are just the beginning of what we bring to the table at Axcet. To learn more, schedule a consultation with our HR experts.