You Need to Ask these Essential Job Interview Questions for the Best Match

You Need to Ask these Essential Job Interview Questions for the Best Match

For employers, the interview is arguably the single most important aspect of the hiring process. Why? On average, it costs a company over $4,000 per hire. That’s why job interview questions should not be taken lightly. It’s easy to ask questions that get the conversation flowing, but are you asking the right questions? You need to ask interview questions that will provide you with insight into the character and the competencies of the candidate. Here are a few ideas:

1. Tell me about yourself.

First, we have the classic ice breaker question to start an interview. This question allows the candidate to open up and share who they are. Be ready for them to share prior experiences and explain to you why they believe they’re a good fit for the position. From there, you can explore their answer to ask more questions about work history or skills.

2. Why do you want to work here?

Next, you should ask candidates why they want to work at your company. The answer to this question will tell you if candidates have prepared themselves for the interview. Did they research the company and the position? Do they seem to have a genuine interest in working at your company or does it appear they’re just fishing around until someone makes them an offer? Don’t offer a position to someone who knows little about the company and position; make an offer to someone who shows he or she actually wants it.

3. Tell me about a time when you…

This behavior-based type of question is a great addition to any interview because it requires candidates to provide specific examples from their prior experience. To take it a step further and ensure they answer it completely, have them answer in the STAR format. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. What was the situation or task? Next, what was the action they took? Finally, what was the result? This question allows you to see their problem-solving thought processes and whether or not they can think on their feet.

4. What motivates you?

If you decide to hire candidates and have to manage them, you should probably know what motivates them to come to the office every day. If you’re hiring for a sales position, maybe the employee is motivated by money. Knowing what motivates your employees will also allow you to see if they will fit into the position they’re interviewing for or if they may fit better in a different one.

5. What is your 5-year career goal?

Then, you should ask about candidates’ goals. Do the candidates’ goals align with those that can be offered by the company? This is what you need to be thinking about when you hire. You may not be inclined to hire the candidate if you discover they want to use this job to leverage their way into a role at another company. Job interview questions like this one will tell you if candidates are worth a long-term investment.

6. What is your experience working with different computer software?

Almost all jobs today require the ability to competently use computers. You don’t necessarily need them to have experience with your current system, although that would be an advantage! You should get an idea of what candidates have worked with. Have they used sales software, a phone system, or even an ERP type system? If they don’t have experience in many software systems, you’ll need to decide if this is a necessary factor in hiring. If you need them to be productive almost immediately, prior experience in these systems is a big bonus.

7. What do you read or watch outside of work related to your field?

With so many changes constantly happening in a variety of fields, you need to educate yourself in order to stay above the competition. Are you hiring someone who hasn’t picked up a book or read an article since college? Or, are you hiring someone who stays on top of best practices, reads, and watches webinars related to his or her field? Hire the candidate who consistently learns and can apply his or her knowledge at your company.

8. How do you handle stress?

Finally, in a world more demanding and faster than ever before, work can be stressful. You need to be aware of how candidates will perform in a stressful situation. How will they cope? What’s their prior experience handling stress? The last thing you need is to hire someone who resigns soon into the job or lashes out in stressful situations.

Be sure to take these job interview questions with you to your next one and click here to schedule a free demo of Blitz Sales Software to learn how you can automate your sales follow-up.