Recruiting for a New Position? What Every Business Should Ask Every Candidate
When it’s time to fill a vacant position, you want to make sure that you hire someone that’s not only capable of doing the job –but the very best candidate for the role.
But finding the best person for the job isn’t a simple matter of running through a few basic questions to ensure that they have the necessary skills –although, of course, that’s important too. A good interview though will be more thorough and will take things a step further and ensure that the candidate is not only qualified for the tasks at hand, but also a good fit for the company and the workplace culture.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some questions that go beyond the initial, “How do you respond under pressure?” type queries that are often used during interviews. These questions will help to give you a more in-depth look at your candidates, allowing you to discover the best person for the job.
1. Why Are You Really Here?
This questions will help you to determine if your potential employee is seeking out the job because it aligns with their goals, or if they’re “running away” from their current job, and putting out feelers everywhere. A person who is using your company as a reactionary response isn’t the right person for your job. Instead, you want someone who is interested in working for your company –and genuinely passionate about the role. This candidate will be excited to work and able to help you build your company.
2. What Benefits Are You Hoping For?
Asking your candidates what type of perks they’re expecting will give you a realistic look at whether they’re the best fit for the job. Asking this question will help get them thinking about things such as what type of hours they’d like to work, whether or not they’re looking for flexible hours, the amount of vacation time that they’re hoping for, and more. Discovering what’s important to your potential employee will give you an inside look at their priorities and show you whether they’re a good fit for your company.
3. Which Key Decisions Have You Made Independently, Without Consulting With Your Manager?
Asking this question will give you a good idea about how the candidate acts, and how well they can solve problems on their own. Interviewees who outline a specific time when they showed initiative will give you a good idea about how they operate in the workplace.
4. Who Is Involved in Your Decision-Making Process?
This can be a telling question, and it’s one that’s worth asking up front. Most people have another person in their life –whether it’s their spouse, parents, or even their boss, who may have something to say about their decision to work for you. The last thing you want to do is offer your candidate a position only to find out that their spouse wasn’t on board with it, or their current boss offered them a raise. Discovering this after the recruitment process has ended would be a tremendous waste of resources and time. Asking this question up front, though, will give you a good idea about everyone else that’s involved with making this decision –and will also help to jog your applicant’s memory, making them to think about potential issues or concerns about the job. Getting everything out in the open during the interview is the best course of action.
5. How Will Your Current Manager React to Your Resignation?
This is a good question to ask, that will help you to gauge how serious an applicant is. If your candidate mentions that their employer might offer them more money to entice them to stay –watch out. You wouldn’t want to make it through the entire recruitment process, only to have the applicant back out at the last minute because they received a better offer from their boss. If this happens, it’s a good idea to send them back to work, and suggest that they call a meeting to ask for a raise. Inform them that if their request isn’t met, that they’re welcome to come back to you then.
On average, every corporate job opening attracts 250 resumes. Make your process of weeding through applicants easier with a healthy mix of questions that will address not only the candidate’s qualifications, but also verify their soft skills, personality, and aptitude –to ensure that you end up with a worker that’s the best fit –by far, for the job at hand.
What go-to question do you ask candidates when you’re recruiting?
