Improve your interviewing

By Erica-Jayne Barnes | Jan 09, 10 10:00 AM

The company is hiring, the interviews have been set, and it’s time to pull out the trusty old favourite questions.

If you struggle to come up with interview questions that solicit the types of answers you're looking for, you might find a few new ones here ...

  1. What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of so far?  What level is this accomplishment at? Is it big or small? Does it show skill, focus, hard work or luck?
  2. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss? How was it resolved? Do they start complaining about an old boss or professor? Is it a case of sour grapes, or constructive criticism? A good answer is to discuss the conflict, and what the candidate did to resolve it.
  3. What risks did you take in your last position? Studies have shown risk takers to be generally more successful than those who play it safe. A discussion on this can be revealing. Did the risks pay off?
  4. What have been the biggest failures/frustrations in your career to date? This shows the candidates attitude towards failure and responsibility. Do they just blame others? How did they pick themselves up, and what did they learn?
  5. Imagine we’ve just hired you. What's the first thing you'll do on your first day of work? This gives you an insight into the candidate's judgment and decision-making skills. 
  6. What are the things you do not like to do/do not want to work on? This is a less threatening way to ask a candidate what their weaknesses are. It’s also a good test for honesty – will they admit where they might need help?
  7. Can you tell me about your last performance review and the feedback you got from your manager? Did the candidate take the advice on? Did they implement anything and improve from the feedback?

Happy interviewing!



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Comments (3) | Add a comment

1.
Debbie Levien
By Debbie Levien NSW | Apr 29, 2011, 10:08 AM

Well worth the read with some valuable interviewing tips. Thanks!Reply

2.
By | Dec 01, 2010, 05:12 PM

Thanks again for the tips!Reply

3.
By | Dec 01, 2010, 05:11 PM

Great article!Reply

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