Job interviews are never easy — for both the interviewee and the recruiters. They are not only time-consuming but also critical for any company. It is paramount to think beyond the regular to find stellar candidates for your organization.
So, is just having a superior technical ability or an impressive academic track record that suits the job role enough? Well, if you are looking to hire candidates solely based on their academic performance, you might be going wrong.
An interview should entail two-way communication involving healthy discussions. Hence, you may want to focus on a few roughly related questions to your organization. Certain questions may help you understand if the specific candidate will fit into the work culture or feel alien to your company's ideology.
Here are a few recommended interview queries that will make your interview process seamless.
Though it may seem a direct question, this will give a chance to the candidate to state reasons to what makes them stand apart from others. It will also offer them an avenue to discuss their strengths.
The main objective of this question should be to comprehend if the candidate can contribute positively to the company.
This question focuses on getting to know the candidate, even on a personal level. Most candidates tailor their resumes as per the job role. As a recruiter, it would allow you to know something intriguing about the candidate.
Since the question isn't entirely focused on their career, few may share anecdotes about their extra-curricular activities or voluntary contributions. It will give the candidate a chance to display the side they usually would not mention on their CVs.
Encountering challenging situations at the workplace is typical. The main hurdle is how a candidate performs under pressure. Posing this question on your interviewee would help you get a clearer picture of how they manage stress.
Did they face it with grit and practical thinking, or did they cave? Therefore, this interview question would let you analyze how each candidate would handle a difficult situation or people.
A candidate who prefers remote working would undoubtedly prefer working alone or from the comfort of their home. Hence, if the job role requires constant teamwork and collaboration, it probably isn't well-suited for such candidates.
In addition, it would also help you understand if the candidate is flexible working within a team or not.
It is an excellent question for recruiters to involve in their interview procedures. It would let the interviewee discuss why an accomplishment is essential to their career goals.
Did they value the accolades or rewards offered to them or the learnings they attained through those achievements?
Another appropriate question to ask your candidate. It would give them a chance to explain why they are applying for the job.
They could discuss their definitive skills and expertise that make them an ideal candidate for the mentioned job position.
The majority of the candidates may hesitate to answer this directly. However, this is an ideal question to ask potential interviewees. Few may reflect on a work-related situation that led to a conflict. Few may mention areas where they should work on.
Discussing their weaknesses or failure will display their self-awareness of their attributes and efforts to resolve these.
In general, this question is for candidates who plan to switch entirely from their current job profile, whether to pursue the field out of their passion or test the waters.
The more confident the candidate is regarding their career switch, the better clarity you obtain regarding their candidature.
It is a perfect question to ask the candidate to give you a sense of their ambitions and goals. Moreover, with the candidate's response, you can know if their objectives match your company's vision.
In general, you can keep this question at the end of the interview. Since an interview is a two-way street, the candidate should also receive a chance to ask relevant questions related to the organization or the job itself.
Through this query, you would figure if the candidate is genuinely interested in the job profile. Additionally, it would help the candidate get a crystal-clear understanding regarding work hours or clients or their responsibilities.
Endnotes
A job interview is not just crucial and exhausting for the candidate but also for the hiring managers. A blend of technical, professional, and behavioral questions will give a holistic understanding of the candidate's competency.
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