I Need Your Help. I Am Looking For Some Great Interviewing Questions!
I tend to be a creature of habit. I start my day around 6:00 AM, workout about five times a week, try to eat lunch around 11:30 AM and usually interview three to four people every week. My strategy is and has always been you never know when you will need to add staff and if you come across someone who is amazing, a superstar, and be successful within your system, you can always find a spot for them.
I try and ask thought provoking-questions. Here is a sampling of some of them:
- If I called your manager, what are five words they would use to describe you?
- Please describe the last time you weren’t successful at something and what did you learn from the experience.
- Describe a trend that is happening in the research industry right now and what you think companies should do as a result.
- What does client service mean to you?
- I would like to get better at _______ this year.
Some of my questions are ok, but clearly some of them are stale and need to be replaced. So today I need your help! I am in search of NEW interviewing questions!
What questions do you use?
What is the best question you were asked the last time you were interviewed?
I really look forward to reading your comments.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:40 am
How do you respond to failure?
What goals have you set for yourself that were not met and why
It is always easy to get people to claim how successful they are and why they are great hire, but I think it is more important to judge the character of a person when they need to face obstacles, and how they handle it
April 7th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Are you interviewing for salespeople? If so, I’ve been taught it’s always good to ask a question about money. Something like “What was the last big purchase you made? How much was it? How long did you investigate before making a decision?” I really like this question, because you get a chance to gauge a few things: Are the comfortable talking about money? If they are, then that’s a really good sign. If they are NOT, then how do you think they will handle it when dealing with a client who’s telling them about their “limited finds?” Also, it tells you something of their lifestyle, and what they view as a lot of money, which is also good, since it lends itself to an idea regarding the type of money they will need to make (assuming they are willing to work for it). I also like the idea of asking about what sports they may have played in HS and/or College, which lends itself to seeing if they are a competitive individual, which I find to be a key indicator in being a good salesperson.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Merrill,
Having been a writer and a manager, there have been many questions I have posed. Among my staple questions are:
“Does losing hurt more than winning feels good?”
“What makes you stand out above anybody else who I have interviewed?”
“In what way would your previous experiences benefit you here”
“What is one thing you want to change professionally”
“What makes you as good as you are?”
Barry
April 7th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Using the K.I.S.S (Keep it simple stupid) method in mind, I think a really compelling question, that I like, helps uncover their motivation. Are they just after a job or are they really wanting to work for you? I ask the question, “Why Common Knowledge Research?”. It is surprising the answers you get and you’ll also uncover how much they know about your firm (did they do any research). Since I’m generally interviewing sales people, or business development professionals, the hope is that they did some due diligence.
Another question, which I was once asked, “name a negative trait you inherited or learned from your family and how it impacts you in business.” Then follow up with, “name 2 positive traits you inherited or learned from your family and how you APPLY them to business.” These are more personal, but can really uncover some unexpected responses.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I think your first bullet above is great, but I would also add, “What would your clients say about you?”
When interviewed, I’ve been asked how I would handle a specific, challenging situation, such as: “It’s 5:00, and a very important client calls requesting something…etc. How would you handle this situation?” I think this question not only reveals work style, degree of professionalism, and experience, but also shows how the candidate can think on his/her feet (because it’s a tough question to answer on-the-spot).
April 7th, 2008 at 10:32 am
This is very helpful as I’m about to conduct second interviews and needed some fresh questions. My first interviewees get (the first two are particularly interesting)…
“In the past 3 years, what part of your professional skill set have you improved the most?”
“What is your definition of working too hard?”
“Describe a program or initiative that you designed and implemented that you are proud of.”
“Describe a program or initiative that you led that did not go as well as you would have liked and explain why you believe it didn’t.”
“Describe a work environment that is/was positive and productive for you.”
“Describe a boss that you particularly liked or didn’t like and why.”
April 7th, 2008 at 10:49 am
To understand how someone thinks and how they break down challenges, I ask a question such as, “how man stop lights in Manhattan?” I’m not looking for an accurate answer, just how they break it down. For instance, ibn Manhattan is ~ 10 blocks wideand ~100 blocks long with 4 stoplights per intersection which comes to 4,000 stoplights. You can substitue many things in place of stoplights and Manahattan, but anytical thinming is what you are driving towards
April 7th, 2008 at 11:01 am
While I think the ones I use are all probably out-dated as well, I find a couple of them to be very effective. I love to ask what appeals most to a candidate about the position they are applying for, then follow that up with what appeals least to them. Granted, most of the positions I interview for are more entry-level and not of a sales nature, but I have definitely made a decision to NOT hire and TO hire based on the answers to these questions. It’s along the same lines of asking “Why our/this company” in terms of the responses. It lets you know how much homework they did about the company and position. I also love to ask, open-ended, “What best motivates you”; this has always provided a nice glimpse into how the candidate works in a team environment, if they have a positive work style, etc. I think it’s great to come up with new and exciting ways of interviewing but also think there are some questions that are tried and true and that always provide valuable insight.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Here is one I picked up from this blog last Friday:
“Has Carrot Top ever caught you text messaging during one of his performances?”
April 7th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Ed,
Great question - for the record I would hire anyone who was caught doing this and also would admit it!
Thanks for putting a smile on my face and having my entire office laughing hysterically!
Merrill