Getting More from Interviews

Too often, employers hire an employee and then seem baffled that the individual doesn’t meet expectations. Most of the time, these surprises could have been uncovered during the job interview process. Is the employee a good fit for your company? Does he or she seem motivated to work there? How well will the employee handle pressure?

Asking the right questions, and then paying attention to honesty and body language can give you much-needed insight of a person beyond the resume. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Can you believe how hot it is out there?
Asking a random ice-breaker question can help put a candidate at ease, plus you’ll see how he or she handles “small talk” in an office setting.

What did you like most and least about your last job?
This allows an employee to discuss achievements and duties, but also reflect on areas that might have been more challenging.

What do you know about our company?
If a job candidate seems to know little about your business, he or she isn’t that interested.

Why are you interested in this position?
Again, this helps define motivation and long-term goals. If a candidate doesn’t know what intrigues him or her about the available job, you might want to look elsewhere.

What’s the most difficult problem you’ve faced and how did you handle it?
No one goes through life without incurring at least one obstacle. This enables you to uncover how a candidate handles stress and applies resourceful solutions.

Why did you decide to become an ‘accountant’?
Obviously, you can fill in the blank here, but the objective is to determine the candidate’s deeper career goals, and how well he or she would fit in your corporate structure.

Do you have any questions about our company?
If the candidate is really interested, the answer should always be yes. But in case someone is nervous, get the ball rolling by asking about a new product, your logo or a new market strategy. You’ll not only learn what the candidate thinks, but will probably get the most valuable ideas and input from the interview that day.