Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
What can you tell me about yourself that isn't on your CV?
Why do you want to work here?
What can you offer that other candidates can't?
What's the best part of your current job?
What work challenge/challenges have you successfully overcome in the past?
Why do you want to leave your current employer?
Google "interview questions to ask candidates" and the results you'll get are less.
Start-up businesses are usually started by a founder or a couple of co-founders who have probably never had to interview anyone before.
However, if you're a new potential employer and you've stumbled upon this blog post, you're in luck. We've put some interview questions together for you to ask your candidates.
Before the interview begins remember to relax, take some deep breaths and check that your body language is saying that this is going to be a positive experience.
When the candidate arrives welcome them with a smile, first impressions count.
Even if you feel nervous it's your job to reassure and settle your candidate into the interview.
Start with general chit chat because this will put the candidate at ease. Some articles suggest you shouldn't chit chat and you should keep to the interview questions, but here at Jobhop, we disagree. Having a general conversation before you conduct the interview not only helps to put the candidate at ease but it shows that you are human.
Once you have your candidate at ease you can then begin the interview.
What can you tell me about yourself that isn't on your CV?
It's always a good idea to encourage the candidate to talk about themselves first. They might chat about their blog, a podcast, a country they visited, the food they cook, or a charity they support. Did the candidate respond well or did they struggle to talk about themselves?
Why do you want to work here?
Ask this as it will give you an idea of how much research the candidate has put in. Does the candidate talk about the vision, mission or ethics, and how it aligns with what they think? Perhaps they've worked in the industry and now want you to benefit from their knowledge and acquired skills.
What can you offer that other candidates can't?
If the candidate has done their preparation they should be ready for a question like this and have a good answer. The candidate might not have prepared for this question and has to dig deep, but as long as they come up with a good answer. Worry about the candidate who isn't prepared, digs deep and comes up with a terrible answer.
What's the best part of your current job?
Your candidate shouldn't hesitate to say what they love most about their current job, it should be what makes them jump out of bed every day. If they struggle to find anything they like then they're in the wrong career or industry. The exception would be if you were interviewing them knowing that they want a career change and they have some transferable skills.
What work challenge/challenges have you successfully overcome in the past?
The candidate now has the opportunity to tell you how they can operate under pressure when you ask this question. Everyone has challenges during their working life, if a candidate says they have none, you should raise your eyebrow.
Why do you want to leave your current employer?
The candidate should answer professionally, the last thing they should do is start bad-mouthing their current employer or any past employers. The candidate needs to answer this question positively, to talk about making a positive to move, grow, climb the career ladder, gain more experience etc.
These questions should give you an idea as to whether the candidate is the right fit. Sometimes having all the skills just isn't enough, you have to be sure that the candidate is going to be able to work well in the work environment. When you're a start-up business your first employee may have to work alone a big chunk of the time, or from home, are they self-motivated enough to do that? As you grow then each employee you recruit then has to be able to work well with the rest of the team and fit into the company culture well.
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- Expert