15 Best Interview Questions to ask Candidates
All of us at least once took a part in job interviews. It was a stressful situation as we were unaware of the questions that we might face or what is worst some of us even back out of an interview because someone said that the employers ask questions such as "Who killed Kennedy?" or "Is Michel Jackson dead or not?". All the fears of failing the job interview are now in the past, as there is a huge variety of articles and videos about the most common job interview questions and even their answers. They are not only important for the candidates but also for the employers. They will know clearly what questions are up to date, how they can help them to understand the employee's personality traits etc. This article is an example of it. I will present the 15 best job interview questions to ask candidates.
Quick notice, as it is not an easy task to find a tool that can help you make the test you have in your mind, we will check out a WordPress survey tool called Survey Maker. With Survey Maker you can create skip logic surveys and get rid of the time-consuming process of creating several surveys for different candidates.
Why do we need to be prepared for the interviews?
Preparing for the interview today is an easy task because various guidelines for interview questions and answers are spread throughout the internet. For example, some companies hire their employees after passing an IQ Test, there is also a huge variety of them on the internet. And let's be honest, it won't be right if we ignore all the possibilities that the internet gives us and go to the interview without even a little understanding. Getting ready for the interview beforehand helps you to be psychologically ready to show your real potential to employers and to show all the skills that you have. It gives you enough confidence and courage to be ready for all the challenges that you may face during the interview. First of all, you must pay attention to the company's website, learn in detail what they are doing, who are their competitors, etc. It is a way to form an understanding of the position and the background of the company. Also by learning all this stuff, you will be sure about the possible questions, for example, if it is an IT company, they probably won't ask questions such as "Are you a good cook?".
Employers ask job-specific interview questions to the potential candidates and by that, they identify the candidates' skills, personality traits, etc. But we must think from the employers' point of view as well. They also need to be ready for the job interview. It is crucial in this case to be aware of the up-to-date questions and changes in HR management. Imagine an interviewer who himself doesn't know how to start the conversation, automatically the candidates won't feel confident during the interview. As explained in SnackNation’s guide to ATS software, employers use a range of modern tools, including Recruiting CRM Software. Even so, knowing what to expect is key for people on both sides of the table, and having the right questions in your arsenal makes a big difference.
15 Winning Interview Questions
1. Tell me about yourself
It may not be defined as a question but it is an effective way to open the interview. It is actually not a way to make the candidates blurt out their life stories. Remember to be brief, employers don't want to hear about your childhood, no matter how happy you were back then or how popular you were among your peers. The desired answer for this question is something about your education, experience and skills connected with the position you are interviewing for.
2. What do you know about our company and why do you want to work here?
Again, it's time for general questions. This question is mainly asked at the beginning of the interview. The employers want to know whether you are familiar with them or you came here by chance, are you really interested in that particular position, or if it is nothing more than just an interview for you. Besides before mentioned points, employers want to know if their company is well known ( of course, if it's a small company ).
3. Please give me the definition of the position.
To understand your understanding of the position the hiring manager may ask you a question such as "Please give me the definition of ( the position of which you are interviewing )". Don't be surprised by this question, there is a group of candidates who don't even know what position they are applying for. So to be sure that they are not wasting time with someone who has no understanding of the job and its functions they decide that it would be better to ask just one question than continue wasting time.
4. What do you find most attractive about this position?
Ok, we got it. You clearly gave the definition of the position. Now tell us "What do you find most attractive about this position?". This is what will come next. Be sure to not emphasize only your benefits, like "I will earn enough money". You also want to avoid giving answers that emphasize the job's advantages, like health insurance or free lunches, etc. This is an opportunity to talk about what you find appealing about the position, and you should seem positive and eager to take on the role in your response. If you're uncertain whether this role aligns with your goals, consider exploring additional opportunities available at Lensa.
5. What isn't on your CV that is important for me to know?
Of course, many candidates send professional portfolios containing their work, in order to give the employees idea of what they are capable of. Their CVs as well, include their job experiences, education, personality traits etc. But how we can be sure that all that is written in their CV is correspondent to reality? Ask the candidates "What isn't on your CV that is important for me to know?". One of the purposes of this question is to learn more about you and your on-the-job attitude and experience. It's a tricky question, as a simple answer for it can give a complete understanding of you as a person and show the truth behind your CV.
6. What are you most proud of in your professional life so far?
Now that both employees and employers have some kind of understanding about each other, it's time to concentrate generally on the career. "What are you most proud of in your professional life so far?". Do you agree that this question can provide you with a full understanding of the candidates' career, weaknesses and strengths? By answering the question the candidates will have a chance to emphasize the most successful events concerning their careers. For example, if they have taken a digital marketing course previously, they should certainly mention it.
7. What is your greatest weakness?
Even if the candidate still keeps in private his/her weaknesses and talks mainly about their successes, it's the right time to ask them "What is your greatest weakness?". Now there is no way to escape from this undesirable question. All human beings have their weaknesses. none of us is a Super Hero. Our weaknesses are not here to make problems for us during the interview but to make us feel more comfortable and real. The interviewer will have a chance to see the real us and why not maybe you can get the position even with help of your weakness.
8. How do you deal with failure?
Ok. We are on the undesirable side of the interview. When the successful part is known, and you have already talked about your weaknesses it's time to talk about that one particular failure. Obviously, there might be a day in your career when you'll fail. Of course, it's a normal thing, but you will also know how to overcome all the failures and not let down your colleagues, your boss, and finally you. It is important for employers to know whether you are brave enough to face your failures and deal with them.
9. What can you offer us that other candidates can't?
Definitely, you are not the only candidate. It's always a hard decision for employers to find the right one among the dozens. While you are pointing out all the things that you can offer, employers highlight in their minds the ones which no one mentioned before and which are essential for them. Although this job is what you were looking for all your life and it's your last chance to get it, you still want to come across as a team player. Avoid criticizing others. Emphasize your achievements, identify your skills or explain what you can do for a company.
10. What do you value in your work relationships?
Employers want to see good professional and personal relationships between co-workers. As I said being a team player is a crucial point, so the following question "What do you value in your work relationships?" is one of the commonly asked questions during the job interview. Highlight your ability to build a good relationship with your colleagues and balance it with hard teamwork. Your answer must show that while you enjoy working with others you also want to stay productive.
11. How do you influence others to work with you?
In any environment, especially in the workplace influence is a form of power. Motivating others to work with you is not an easy task. "How do you influence others to work with you?". A common question among the interviewers. This question is mainly asked to check whether you are ready to share your knowledge with your co-workers and build good work relationships with them or if you prefer working alone. Here you will have to again highlight your strengths pointing to the ones that are connected with co-workers.
12. How do you deal with conflict with a co-worker?
Even though you have created an absolutely friendly relationship with the team, there can't be a working atmosphere without misunderstandings. That is why most employers ask questions such as "How do you deal with conflict with a co-worker?". They want to know how you can rebuild bridges and restore strong working relationships with others. A candidate must demonstrate strong listening and communication skills. Don't answer this question like you have a fight with your co-worker because he is an Aquarius and you are a Capricorn. You must highlight all the possible ways of solving the problem in a professional manner such as talking privately with your colleague, trying to understand his/her point of view, and taking a collaborative approach to solving the misunderstanding between you.
13. Describe how to make a paper plane with just words
Sometimes, the hiring managers check the candidates' logic as well. It is not technically a question but an instruction, which can show how well the candidates can describe just about anything. While answering this question the candidates must use simple sentences instead of complex ones.
14. What are your salary expectations?
At the end of the interview, there are two questions that are mainly asked. The first one is "What are your salary expectations?". Everyone has their own understanding of this question. The company has its scale concerning the salary and to understand if your and their expectations are the same this question is asked. It's better to clear this up now rather than have misunderstandings when generating a salary pay stub later on.
15. Do you have any questions for me?
And the second one is "Do you have any questions for me?".The hiring manager is not the only one who has questions. The candidates may also have questions concerning their future position. The candidate must respond with a question, otherwise, they will leave an impression of not being fully integrated into the conversation. For example, a candidate can ask "If I were hired for this role, what would you want me to achieve in my first two months?".
Online Job interview
There was a period in our lives when actually everything was online, so we had to adopt such systems as online exams and working from home. Job interviews aren't exceptions. Various zoom plans allow a seamless interviewing experience. But conducting online job interviews are still working, because the practice showed that it saves enough time for employers to find the right candidate for them. Online interviews can be defined as the first level of the interview. The companies now send the online form to the candidates and based on the results decide which of them is more appropriate for them. But how to create an online interview? That's the question.
Survey Maker is the answer. Survey Maker plugin allows you to create unique online WordPress questionnaires as well as conversational surveys. Write the interesting questions and let the candidates answer them. You can collect their names and emails so that you can know who's online questionnaires you are checking. Survey Maker gives you the ability to create multi-page questionnaires. It lets you build unlimited surveys with unlimited sections and questions.
Wrapping Up!
Have you learned a lot from this article? Check out Jooble for job opportunities.
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