Interview Questions to Really Find Out About Your Candidate

When recruiting, there are many companies who prefer to rely more heavily on the history, experience and references of a candidate, rather than their interview technique. Such an approach is easy to understand given the fact that some poor candidates can shine in an interview situation whereas a genius could struggle with a social situation which requires them to talk about themselves. Interviews however do form a very important part of hiring new team members and there are some questions which you should be asking that will tell you all you need to know about the type of person they are. A team is a perfect blend of characters, and through asking the following questions, you can get right to the heart of the person before you.

Why Are You Here?

Many will ask things like “What makes you want to work for us?” but a more direct and pertinent question would be to ask why they are here. The question implies the journey that the candidate has taken prior to sitting here for the job, be it positive or negative, it is also slightly accusatory which immediately puts the candidate in either attack or defend mode. Questions like these are far better when trying to draw the person out, rather than asking a question like their motivation for working with you, a question which does nothing more than invite plaudits about the company.

Are You Able To Tell Me A Joke?

Some recruitment experts suggest that as an ice breaker, you should ask your candidate to tell you a joke, and it works very effectively. Three outcomes will arrive from this question, the first being that they say no, they can’t, the second would be that they can, and the third would be that they can’t, but they will try anyway. The key is to look at the situational awareness of the candidate and push them to a point where they may feel uncomfortable, to see how they react.

Tell Me About What You Do In Your Free Time?

You probably already know everything about the candidate from a work and educational perspective, so this is your chance to dig a bit deeper into their personality. Asking about someone’s free time gives you a window into their life, which you can then use to make an analysis on their suitability for the job. The more quirky or exciting the pastimes of your candidate, the more creative and potentially well rounded they could be to you.

Could a Giraffe Beat a Tiger in a Fight?

Curveballs like this one really prod the candidate and puts them in a position where they may not feel all too comfortable. At first they may think the question is a trick and that they shouldn’t answer, then they may jump to a conclusion, but it is those who delve deeper into the question that you should be looking out for. A simple question like this may sound humorous but the way in which it is answered can tell you a lot about their problem solving abilities.

Don’t stick to the same formula during interviews, scratch beneath the surface and get creative to really see what a person is like.