Top Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates

Top Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates

While it may feel like summer has just begun, we’re already starting to see Back-to-School advertising infiltrating our lives. Now that we’re less than two months shy of Labor Day, it’s time to start thinking about hiring for the fall, when your summer staff of kids off from school all but disappears. Let us discuss those top interview questions to ask job candidates.

Interview questions, like all things, go through phases. What was once a great interview question may be out-of-touch these days (“How many words-per-minute can you type?” comes to mind). Here, we’re going through the top interview questions you should ask prospective employees to help you land the strongest candidate.

Tell me something about you that may surprise others.

Job applicants are armed and ready for the ever-present “tell me about yourself” question. But having them come up with a personal trait that other folks may not know? Now that’s interesting—and could spark follow-up questions you never thought you’d ask.

What are some of your strengths?

Candidates are going to be expecting this question, but that’s okay. It will usually illicit a genuine response, one which is generally easy enough to verify through the all-important reference-check process.

What are some of your weaknesses (or “areas of opportunity”)?

We prefer to use the word “opportunity” in lieu of “weakness,” but that’s personal preference: one is clearly more “glass half full,” and that can put interviewees at ease. This question is posed by employers often because it truly forces the creativity out of candidates. It’s always interesting to see how a job applicant can spin a negative into a positive, but it’s equally interesting to learn the real-deal if a candidate opts to be truly transparent. For instance, a candidate who claims they are too “chatty” might be a great addition to your waitstaff, whose job it is to literally temporarily befriend your customers.

Have you had a chance to look at our website? What would you say is the “voice” of our company?

Clearly this one is two-fold: you’re going to find out first if the candidate did his or her due diligence and took an interest in researching your company beforehand. Regardless of the stature of the position for which you’re hiring, it’s critical that your candidates have at least a minimal understanding of your business. Take this a step further by asking how they’d characterize the “voice” of your company. Is it formal? Friendly? Approachable? Sophisticated? It’s important for your employees to be able to communicate with customers by carrying out the vision you’ve already determined. And if they can see that vision on their own, you’ve got a good apple.

Tip: This “voice” question is also great to help you gauge the effectiveness of your marketing and whether it’s difficult for an outsider to tell the type of message you’re trying to relay.

What did you like the least about your last job?

This question gives interviewers a good idea of how a prospect might handle working for you. Candidates have no idea what it’s like to work at your business. If one of the items they detested about their old job is something they’ll frequently encounter in your company, you now have the opportunity to make them aware of this and caution they might not enjoy working for you any more than they enjoyed their previous workplace.

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to work with a challenging colleague? How did you handle this?

With this, you’re going to learn how a potential employee would interact with someone they don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with, and the ways in which they attempted to resolve conflict. One of the most important ways to create a workplace in which employees feel safe, happy, and content is to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s important to understand that the addition of a new employee might upset the balance, and it’s equally important to know how this potential newbie would handle conflict.

As hiring season begins to ramp up, you may want to consider having some extra cash on hand to bring on new employees. At ARF Financial, we can walk you through the loan process and help you build a loan product that’s tailored for your business. Our Flex Pay Loan lets you defer up to 50% of your principal into the future for the lowest payments now, making it a great resource when hiring on new staff. As an added bonus, all of our loans come with fixed rates, transparent terms, and no need for collateral. Stop by today and see how much you qualify for!