Great Interview Questions to ask
If you are the hiring manager who is going to interview your potential candidate or just a job seeker who wants to prepare for the common interview questions, here is the list of great interview questions to ask!
"Tell me something about yourself that is not in the resume"
This question is used to know more about the candidates because job seekers carefully craft their resume to provide the best summary of their professional experience, but you can't learn everything about a candidate from what they put down on paper.
This question is purposefully vague and allows the interviewee to decide whether they want to share something job-related or not.
"What career accomplishment make you proud" /"What career accomplishment makes you proud?"
While it's important to hire someone who can do a job well, you also want to hire an employee who takes pride in their work.
By asking the candidate to share their favorite career accomplishments, you allow them to share a career highlight — but this will also help you better understand the type of work that makes them feel fulfilled and determine whether it's aligned with what the role entails.
"What is your definition of hard work"
Some organizations move at very different paces, and this question is an effective way to tell whether your candidate will be able to keep pace with the rest of the team. It also helps you identify someone who is a "hard worker in disguise," meaning someone who might currently be at a slow-moving organization or in a role that is not well-suited to them but wants to work somewhere where they can get their hands dirty.
"What are you most passionate about in your job?"
You might get a ‘flat' or plain response but if you do, that says a lot. If you hear a passionate response that truly aligns with your values e.g.: the company's attitude towards diversity and inclusion or the company's commitment to employees and respect for the individual, take it as a sign that you're onto a good thing.
"Tell me about your difficult work situation and how to overcome it?"
Everyone has experienced challenging circumstances at work, and often it's in these moments that professionals grow the most. This question allows the candidate to tell you about how they perform under pressure and also discuss their problem-solving skills and ability to manage stress.
"What is your greatest weakness?"
This question is one of the most popular interview questions for a reason: it helps you quickly learn a lot about a candidate. This question enables you to deduce three things:
- Whether the candidate's weaknesses could conflict with job requirements or hamper their ability to excel in the role
- Whether or not the candidate is self-aware enough to know their weaknesses without having to think for too long
- How a candidate is working to improve on their shortcomings
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Like addressing weaknesses, when a candidate talks about their strengths, it shows their level of self-awareness and humility. This also gives the applicant a chance to discuss how their best qualities align with the needs of the role and even demonstrate how they will use their strengths to help the company reach its goals.
"What is something you'd be happy doing every single day for the rest of your career?"
While it's important to hire for skill, it's also important to hire someone likely to be happy in the job for which you're hiring. A question like this one will help uncover what makes each candidate happy at work -- which is a great way to gauge whether they'd enjoy their role and stay at the company for a long time.
