5 Interview Questions to Help You Hire the Best

Palmer Group
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

During the interview process, you have one goal: get to know your candidates. It is essential to find out as much information as possible in this short amount of time to determine whether the candidate will be a good fit in your organization. Standard interview questions are a great way to start. Questions like tell me a little bit about yourself, list your strengths and weaknesses, and share how you heard about the position are all great ways to open the conversation. As common as they are in all interviews, these questions provide an important foundation. However, answers can be structured and rehearsed as many candidates have prepared for them. By expanding on these questions, you gain a genuine understanding of their personality and professional background.

The best way to accomplish this is by asking more in-depth questions. If you ask a candidate to give examples about experiences in past positions, it requires them to dive deeper and put more thought into their explanations. You get to see both their professional abilities and individual character.

Here are a few examples of more in-depth questions:

  • Describe your experience working with teams. Have you ever worked with a team that failed to meet its goals? What happened and what did you learn?
  • What is the best career advice you have been given, and why do you believe that advice to be so important?
  • When have you ever encountered a serious interpersonal conflict in the workplace? How did you respond?
  • Describe the most challenging and/or unpleasant aspect of your last position. Did you cope with this aspect on a regular basis? How did you do so?
  • Describe the proudest moment of your professional life.

These kinds of questions encourage applicants to pause and reflect on important aspects of their relationship with work, ambitions, goal setting and interpersonal communication. They also open the floor for interesting conversations and may help you to develop more in-depth rapport with the candidate, ensuring you hire the best individual for your position.

If you have additional questions about the best way to conduct interviews or need guidance with any other aspect of your employment needs, please contact Palmer Group today.

Written by

Central Iowa’s Employment Solution thepalmergroup.com

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