The job interview is the most crucial part of the hiring process. It’s where you’ll get to know more about the candidate and see if they can become part of the team. But conducting the interview can become tough on the employer or the interviewer too. It requires planning and preparation. And one of the most important things to remember is the questions you need to ask.
This article narrows down the top questions to ask. Plus, know how to prepare before you conduct an interview.
How to Prepare for an Interview?
Some small business owners and HR employees may make it look easy. But they undergo a series of preparatory work too. It can be daunting at first, but you can conduct a great interview without fail if you follow these simple tips.
Conduct Your Research
Aside from the CV, you should know the background of the interviewee. This way, you can form questions based on their qualifications and responsibilities.
Other than that, you should also find out about the role they’re applying to as well. Make sure to review this job description and what it entails. When they ask questions about the position, you’re ready to answer anything they throw at you.
Organize an Interview Plan
Before you welcome the prospective hire to your office or wherever you’re conducting the interview, you need to create a plan. Yes, even interviewers need to formulate one. But before creating one, you might need to know which type of interview you’re looking to conduct.
Matthew Podolsky writes in his Forbes article that there are two types:
- Structured
- Unstructured
He suggests that a structured one is much more suitable due to its formality.
Aside from that, you should also plan how long the interview would last. There’s no exact answer but Indeed suggests that you should keep it between 15 to 30 minutes. However, in some instances, it may be longer than 45 minutes, or it would even take the whole day.
That’s why you need to plan. Perhaps, you want to get things done, so you could also tap the senior or the head of the department. This way, you and the potential hire could save time.
Do a Test-Run With a Colleague
It’s always better to ask a colleague for help when conducting an interview such as this. You can ask someone from the same department the potential employee is applying to. This way, you know what to expect from the prospective hire. Plus, you can get tips from your colleague on how you can improve in the actual interview.
Make a Pitch
Most experts would say that the interview isn’t only asking and answering questions. If you’re interviewing a potential hire that may pass this interview and all other requirements, you want to present them with company benefits as well. They may have interviews with your competitors and other companies. So, a pitch is a necessary tool that may entice the hire to consider working for you.
Compose Questions Beforehand
During the interview, you should know what to ask interviewees. You want to think of the interview as a conversation. It needs to flow freely. And if you’re going to squeeze out more substance from the prospective employee, you need to ask the right questions. Make sure they’re not offensive and personal. If you can, try to make them comfortable by giving them a heads-up of the questions you’ll ask, which is what Rebecca Wright wrote in a Harvard Business Review Article.
But which ones should you ask? Check out the questions below, and know why you should never leave them out in an interview.
What Questions Should You Ask in An Interview?
No matter how prepared an interviewee would be, you want to make sure you’re testing them too. This allows you to gauge their confidence and see if they would make a great fit in your business. Plus, it’s a way for you to see if what they’re saying matches what they wrote on the resume. According to Career Builder, 75% of employers found discrepancies in a prospective hire’s resume. So, you want to make sure what they’re saying is true.
Here are the six best interview questions to ask a prospective hire regardless of the type of interview you’ll conduct.
What are you most proud of?
This question demonstrates what type of achievement they’re willing to share. You want to know what motivates them and how they were able to accomplish that.
Why do you think you’re the most qualified to do this job?
This allows the interviewee to show their confidence. Sure, the strengths question may demonstrate that as well. But this one can help you decide how they can become different from other competitors. Plus, you can assess if they’ve also read about the role and what it entails, and how it affects your business overall.
What was the biggest obstacle you overcame this year?
You’ll know what challenges they faced and see how they worked to resolve them by asking this. Plus, it gives you a chance to understand how they handle stress and eventually manage it.
What are your biggest strengths?
You should never forget to ask this golden question. Prospective hires want to present that they’re level-headed. And while you don’t want to undermine them, you also want to know how their strengths could play out in the role and overall company.
What’s the biggest negative about our work culture?
Here’s where you can evaluate if the interviewee did their homework. Plus, it helps you see how your work culture can improve from an outsider’s perspective.
If you had my job, what is the first thing you’d do differently?
This one applies more if you’re interviewing someone who would be a prospective team member. Like the work culture question, a prospective hire can give you an idea of how you can improve your management style. While it may seem like an intrusive question on your part, you want to know how they’ll approach the role and duties attached to it.
By asking the questions above, you can learn more about the interviewee. Plus, it’s how you can assess their character and see if they’re a suitable hire for your company.
