The thing about job interviews is that they can get dull as soon as the interviewer starts asking overused questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “Can you list down your strengths and weakness?”Right off the bat, hiring managers can expect to receive equally boring responses from job-seekers. They have seen these questions coming and they have rehearsed them beforehand. They have probably answered the exact same thing in other interviews. Not much will set the candidates apart from each other. When interviewing, your goal should be to squeeze out the best in these candidates.
It’s 2015 — interviews should be organic conversations between a job-seeker and interviewer. Hiring managers easily forget that they are out to fish for the best talent and not just in the lookout for a run-of-the-mill employee to fill a job post.
To do so, they should give out intelligent interview questions to separate the wheat from the chaff. Forbes.com provided excellent alternatives to classic interview questions. Here are a few.
Based on what you’ve heard and read about our company so far, what do you think it would be like to work here? How would this place be similar or different from the other jobs you’ve held?
This will reveal if the interviewee has researched well on the company and that he or she has already made a vivid picture of what it would be like to work there. That shows promise.
How do you see this job fitting into your career plans? What could you learn here that you haven’t already mastered?
Asking for specific professional goals can establish the values of the person and will determine if his expectations can be met by working in the company.
Do you have any further questions about the position and the company in general?
A question like this will show if the interviewee has read the job description thoroughly that he or she is already willing to learn more about the tasks at hand. This will also lead to a realization that the job is cut out for him/her.
What would make you sign a job offer? What are the top factors you consider before taking a position?
A revealing question like this can make the interviewee rationalize how much his or her skills and experiences are worth and will help the interviewer determine if he or she is in the presence of a potential asset to the company.
Hiring managers should be aware that it is very easy for job-seekers to find interview questions they can rehearse beforehand and a hire from those is the last thing they would want to add in their roster of talents. Obviously, good questions can only receive good answers, especially from the right people. Spontaneity in interviews is crucial because it promotes critical thinking. This is how hiring managers get top performers as they can see the candidates’ thought process, instead of asking job-seekers to tell something about themselves.
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