Author: Margaret Olatunbosun / Source: Lifehack
The importance of asking great questions cannot be overstated. Great questions help you discover new things, diagnose existing problems, and explore how well solutions are working in your life or business. Whether you work with consultants, executives, or entry-level employees, you cannot skip questions.
Now imagine running a company where sustainability and profitability depends on your ability to determine the brightest minds and skills in the industry in a single conversation:
How do you know they’re the perfect fit for you? How do you assess their communication skills? How do you know they won’t cost your team in the long run?
You know it already; ask great questions!
The concept of asking questions isn’t new but there is a great chance that you’re not taking full advantage of it. A Harvard Business Review article refers to questioning as a powerful tool that unlocks value, fuels innovation and performance improvement.[1] As a hiring manager or recruiter, how to you get this information when you’re meeting a candidate for the first time?
Ask great questions, of course.
Without further ado, here are 15 interview questions to ask employees during an interview:
1. “What are your career goals?”
Another version of this question is “What types of problems do you see yourself solving in the future?”
This question is almost never asked and when it is asked, most questions are geared towards knowing how long the employees intends to stay in the company.
Instead of asking leading questions that would steer employees into declaring undying loyalty for the organization, ask what types of problems they hope to solve in the future.
This does two things:
- It reveals the skills and interest in your employees.
- It lets you know what types of candidates you are attracting in the first place.
With this, you’re able to trend this data to improve how you market your job opening. And if employee retention is pertinent to you, you can use this information to improve the job function so that future employees can see their future selves in this role.
2. “Why do you think you’re a great fit?”
It is important to go beneath the surface to ask questions that make the candidates speak about themselves in their own words. However, a surprising benefit of asking this question is that you’re able to determine how well-versed a candidate really is with the company’s challenges and goals, in addition to their personal attributes.
Instead of listing off accomplishments, an exceptional employee is able to help you see how these previous accomplishment can translate into helping your organization solve its current business problems.
3. “What do you hope to learn from this role?”
The answers to this question can reveal if there is a job-skill match and if a linear career progression is expected.
As you listen carefully and mind these answers from candidates, you begin to see trends in responses that help you refine how you develop roles, responsibilities, how employees see themselves, and what they want their career to look like.
4. “How do you deal with conflict between colleagues?”
Almost every breakdown in relationship is caused by miscommunication or lack of effective interpersonal skills. But a solid indicator of how well a person communicates is how they manage interpersonal conflict.
Conflict management skills is no longer something required only for corporations who wish to settle million-dollar lawsuits. It’s an essential skill that every worker ought to possess and can make or break an organization.
Tip: Ask for a time when they didn’t get along with a co-worker and how they resolved the conflict.
5. “How did you learn about this position?”
Asking how they learned about the position reveals how the brand is perceived by the outside world. This way, you know if your current employees is your biggest source of referrals for qualified applicants.
This also lets you know how effective your current staffing processes are and which channels are worth the effort.
6. “Why are you interested in this position?”
Again, another seemingly basic question. But when you field applications from candidates who are transferring their…
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