Every company – no matter the size, looks for the best employees possible. It’s not just about the company functioning better, it’s about the costs as well. Engagement, recruitment, induction processes and other employee expenses require investments. In most cases, an investment in a new employee is recovered only after a couple of months. That’s when the new team member usually starts performing, therefore selecting the right man for the right job is essential.
An important part of any recruitment is the interview. With so many guides and tips available, it’s nearly impossible to get it wrong, but some companies still do. It’s because there is so much information available that professionals are tempted not to think for themselves, and just use ideas from the first results in their searches. But isn’t that information (or even the answers to it) available for the candidates as well? What value will the answers truly have if they are just responses rehearsed the day before?
The element of surprise
It’s nice to see that an applicant actually prepared for the interview, but if he isn’t caught off-guard, you’re actually getting the version he thinks your company needs. His real self will be revealed in the more stressful scenarios, probably after you’ve already dedicated some resources to integrate him into the company, and you might find out that he wasn’t a good fit. This is why it’s so important to build your own interview questions. You will need to build some of them anyway – mostly the ones specific for the job opening, but why not go all the way and build all of them? Sincere, on the spot reactions can tell you much more about a candidate than answers prepared in advance.
How to build your interview questions
By the time you start the draft of your interview, you should already have a comprehensive profile of the candidate you’re looking for. Separate the skills/requirements/characteristics and start building original questions. Steer clear of clichés like: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What book are you reading now? The candidate probably answered to the same questions in other interviews as well, and knows by now what answers companies look for.
Let’s go over some examples. We’ll focus on the general questions, not the ones that are specific for a job.
Possible question: “Sell me this product/service” – and of course, select one of your products or services.
What you’re looking for: the candidate’s knowledge about your company, and (optional) sales/public speaking skills.
– You will be able to tell immediately if the applicant researched information about your company.
Possible question: “What will your former supervisor tell me about your teamwork abilities?”
What you’re looking for: honesty, team interaction.
– Any time you feel that the most honest answer would be hard to get, throw in the former supervisor in the question. If the candidate thinks you will contact his former employer – which you probably should anyway, most of the times he will be very honest.
Possible question: “What were the most difficult goals you’ve ever set, and how did you achieve them?”
What you’re looking for: ambition, goal-orientation, work quality.
– Employees should strive for excellence in their work, therefore they will face ambitious goals at one time or another. It’s important to observe how their mindset is in these scenarios. Generally there will be two kinds of goal setters: the realistic ones – set achievable goals based on their calculations, and the enthusiastic-resourceful ones – set the goals that will impress everyone and do whatever it takes along the way to make them happen. Both types can have success, but you might want to consider a more realistic type of goal setter for an opening in Accounting.
Possible question: “What’s your greatest professional accomplishment? Describe the entire process.”
What you’re looking for: confidence, ownership, ambition.
– Some HR professionals value this question above all the others. Most candidates don’t know what this actually says about them, so even if they rehearsed the answer beforehand, you will still find out valuable information like: Do they take ownership for the success? Are they humble and give credit to others where credit is due? Are they sincere and present the difficulties/screw-ups as well?
Possible question: “Tell me about someone who inspires you? Why have you chosen him/her?”
What you’re looking for: behavior, goals.
– This might not look like such a special question, but it’s one of the cases where a candidate will be tempted to be sincere almost every time. From the answer you can deduce what the candidate aspires to, what are his values, and even his behavioral patterns.
The list of questions could go on, the point is to build questions that put the candidate in a position where he has to give his most honest answer. You’re trying to find out what the candidate is like in real life, not just at an interview. This can be achieved either through the element of surprise – ask completely new questions that trigger sincere answers on the spot, or through well-thought questions (most of the ones above) that will give you valuable information about the candidate even if he prepared for them in advance.
