What are the tops questions to ask when hiring a new employee?
It's easy to determine someone's experience, but how do you determine whether someone will fit into your culture? What are some good questions to ask?
Expert Answers
Sort by Date
Sort by Votes
Mar 29, 2014
I like to ask If money were not an issue what career would you choose. It tells me a lot about their motivations and character.
Jan 9, 2014
This is a great question and something every employer would love to know. If you are still looking for excellent information you should definitely check out this article from career profiles, it is an amazing read. http://www.careerprofiles.com/industry-opinions/blogauthenticity-in-the-hiring-process/
Oct 31, 2013
This website has some really great tips on weeding out the wrong candidates, and FAST! --> http://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/interview-questions-weed-out-wrong-hires-fast.html
Sep 6, 2013
It's important to visit more then once with a potential employee. People tend to put their best foot forward and hold back when interviewing. Make the second interview more casual to encourage the people to loosen up and show their real self, then you can see if they fit your culture.
Ask the people what they would do in real situations, exactly what they would do. You want them to talk as much as they like, encourage more to get to know them.
Good luck
Aug 17, 2013
What are your goals?
This would help you assess if the candidate is capable and confident
as well as how dedicated he could be with your company ...
these could give you an idea of his adaptability, too.
Jun 29, 2013
I totally agree with David Cohen.... you have to use strategic interviewing tactics in order to gather information that will ensure they the strong team player, contributor, and results oriented individual you are looking for.
Open ended questions, scenario based, and behavioral questions are effective in really understanding the person and the qualities they possess.
Some companies expect that the people they hire will provide them a return on the investment they make on that person, i.e. if they make $100,000, they should be contributing to the results of the company X times their salary.
You can ask questions pertaining to how they will drive quantifiable results into the company to achieve this.
Apr 5, 2013
Rule one of building a successful team is not necessarily to hire the best qualified person, but the person who have the skills and the chemistry with the team. I would based on my previous experience running teams up to 70 people say that I most of the time moved out of my office and worked with the team.
That was the only way to understand the team and how they function together. At the same time I gathered all the information I could about my team, what sport they like, hobbies, if they have kids etc.
So I would say that there is your start, if you know the finer mechanics of your team you should not have any problems finding the person that would fit in.
Having a very good Team Lead that should join you in a interview who can give you feedback on what they think. There is right or wrong questions in an interview, I assume that when you have a person in for an interview you know he/she have the technical skills the job require.
So, get them talking, the best teams I have ever built has been using the interview as a conversation, get a feel for their social skills etc.
And throw in some typical interview questions to see how fast they can switch. Get them relaxed, and you will know how they will fit in.
It is very simple really, you can have the best ppl in the world, but if they cannot work together.. it will end bad. It is also proven that people stay longer and have loyalty towards the team and the company stay longer and have a lot less sick days.
There is a reason that some of the top companies in the world have what you would call the strangest "interviews" that actually do not feel like an interview.
Apr 5, 2013
What is the most important thing you do when you first arrive in the morning? This will indicate their priorities and give a good steer as to what they feel is the most important task required to kick start their day in the role they are applying for, giving you an idea of their values and whether they tie-in with you and your company.
Mar 19, 2013
"What would your friends say about you?" The answer would require a true search for words, and honesty, which would get the subject to reflect on his or her feet quite fast. The answers would reveal a lot, with unexpected surprises no doubt.
Mar 16, 2013
Why do you want to work for this company? What do you hope to achieve as the possible successful candidate? And based on their answer - how do you intend to do that?
Mar 15, 2013
Carrie, I find that the best approach is to ask a very open-ended question like, "I've read your resume, but please tell me about yourself." Then, just let the person talk and don't interrupt them. It's amazing how much comes out!
Mar 16, 2013
John, this is one of the best parts of an interview: Let them talk. It's also important not to step in when they stop talking. Let the fill in the silence. Those are the moments of truth.
Mar 14, 2013
Carrie, it's not about which question but also how and when. look at this for 3 1/2 minute and you know it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Ftu3NbivE, for me it's necessary to take the candidate out of his theaterrole into his personal comfortzone
Mar 13, 2013
I am always stunned at the crickets in reply to "Why do you want to work here?" and "What do you know about our company?"
Mar 22, 2013
I agree! Why come to a job interview if you're not familiar with the company that you can identify what you have to offer or how you'll fit into the company or position.
Mar 13, 2013
It is always a good idea to ask a candidate to describe their previous role, how they executed their responsibilities and to outline their major successes. Ensure they identify hurdles, collaborative experiences and lessons learned from that experience.
Mar 16, 2013
Joseph, I agree it's nice to hear about there previous role, but the want leave there. So you will never get an objective or even subjective subscription. In my opinion the best you can get with this question is an insight in there acting skills. If you would ask something about there current job, ask what they don't like, why they want to quit, go for the "not foreseen questions", all the others they practised at home.
Mar 13, 2013
Knowing what your culture is based on the values of the organization and the behaviours that define the values is the first step. After that you need to develop a behaviour question specific to your values and culture. It is about fit.
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that was either for quality or quantity.
Share with me a time when you felt that others on the team were making the wrong decisions.
Note behavioural questions do not have question marks on the end. As soon as you ask the 'probing' questions of What did you do, How did you react, Who was involved. you begin leading the answers. For example by asking What measures did you take you are telling them they have to answer you by saying they did something when in reality perhaps they did nothing. Ask the outcome AFTER they answered the question.
But first you have to define the answer you are looking for otherwise you will be mislead by hearing something you like, even if it doesn't fit your culture.
By asking the how would or how should you will get an intellectually correct answer without actually know how the person acting in that situation or even if they have had experience in that situation. Situational interview questions are not effective in getting to know the real person.
Mar 12, 2013
I recommend reading the "2 Question Interview." | Read more:
http://www.ere.net/2012/02/24/the-2-question-performance-based-interview-part-1/
Mar 12, 2013
Carrie, one of the questions I ask is based on creating a simulated task that requires the new hire to determine how they would resolve the issue. i have used team building situations that have come from my own personal experience with teams or within a corporate culture. Make it simple to determine how the potential candidate thinks. The response is indicative of how he processes and creates resolutions.
One question I ask is "Could you please describe a challenge you have encountered during your work experience. What measure did you take to find a resolution? What was the outcome?
Mar 12, 2013
one of the best questions that I use, is
"tell me about your last boss "
Whatever the issues they had with their last employer will soon be your problems too.
Mar 14, 2013
Sometimes I ask "what's the question your partner never should ask". just look at the bodylanguage not the verbal reaction
Thanks Tabitha, that was an interesting article- I love INC!