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- What’s the best interview question you’ve ever asked?
What’s the best interview question you’ve ever asked?
- By John Wilcox, Moderator
- 6/9/2009 - 2:30pm
- Human Resources , People Management , The HR Specialist Forum , Hiring
John Wilcox, Moderator
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John Wilcox is senior editor of 15 HR Specialist newsletters covering employment law, compensation and benefits, as well as theHRSpecialist.com. A journalist who has covered HR, training, organization development and business management for more than 15 years, John keeps his finger on the pulse of what’s working in HR through daily contact with some of the nation’s top HR pros, business people and employment law attorneys.
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13 Responses to "What’s the best interview question you’ve ever asked?"
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said this on 09 Jun 2009 3:46:36 PM EST
I work for a non-profit organization that works primarily with low-income, inner-city residents. One of the standard interview questions asked when hiring direct service staff is "Why do you think people are poor?" I started asking that question when hiring admin staff as well several years ago. Even if this person is just going to be crunching numbers as an accountant, we still want to make sure they are in tune with the agency's mission and values. The answers to an unexpected question can be very telling.
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said this on 29 Jun 2009 10:43:04 AM EST
Wow. Great question. Although there are no right or wrong answers, the answers given will definitely let the organization know whose thoughts are/are not aligned with the agency's mission and values. To your point, yes, very telling.
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said this on 09 Jun 2009 3:46:46 PM EST
What would your biggest fan say about you? Likewise, who is your biggest critic and what would s/he say about you?
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said this on 09 Jun 2009 3:52:05 PM EST
It's a cliche question, but I like to ask "What accomplishment are you most proud of?"
Parents will often tell you my kids, yadda, yadda, yadda, so you might amend it to what professional accomplishment are you most proud of. Then you can follow up with more detailed questions about how they accomplished that. I look for folks who don't set themselves up as the star (even if they are) and who give credit to the efforts of everyone on the team. I also look for evidence that they can accomplish goals (and care about doing so) through influence and not just hierarchical power. One thing that sets off a red flag for me is when someone tells me (even though its colloquial) something like "I can sell ice to Eskimos." Ignore the condescending tone for a moment and just focus on the fact that it is not very sound business for building relationships to sell someone something that they don't need. Anyhow, that's the way I look at it. |
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said this on 09 Jun 2009 4:36:17 PM EST
What is the biggest work disaster you've been a part of? What role did you play? What did you learn? Looking back on it, what would you do differently.
If I can't get a straight answer I learn a lot. If I can get an honest answer, I learn even more. |
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said this on 29 Jun 2009 10:50:01 AM EST
When recruiting for a bank, I asked this question all the time. Some of the things that I always looked for were 1) accountability; 2) ownership; 3) honesty, and 4) growth. Whether I agreed with the interviewee's approach or not, I was always looking for those 4 things. If it was determined (by asking follow-up questions, for example) that any of the 4 were missing, the hiring manager and I (HR) were not 100% convinced of the person's integrity. And working in any company, especially a bank, integrity was essential and it wasn't something that we were willing to teach.
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said this on 10 Jun 2009 12:00:39 PM EST
I find these two questions to be helpful..
"What, if any, processes did you improve?" this can be very helpful if you seek continuous process improvement in your company. We are a small firm and are always happy to hear how we can do things better. Also "Who was your least favorite (or most favorite) boss...and why" this can really bring out some interesting information. |
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said this on 16 Jun 2009 2:31:31 PM EST
Liz,
I like these questions! It takes the focus off of "sell yourself" mode. I give my "all" at my jobs and the sell yourself questions are not for me. I don't like beating my chest, and this seems like it would be a good way to bring out what you want from the applicant who is not comfortable with the "I'm so great" answers. |
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said this on 12 Jun 2009 12:56:52 PM EST
The best one I've ever heard is:
"Do you smile often?" The answer (and whether the person smiles while doing so) will tell you alot about a person. Most friendly, easy-going people (the kind you want to work with) will unconsiously smile when answering. |
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said this on 16 Jun 2009 4:53:57 PM EST
The one that I get the best feedback from is:
"What is the most useful criticism you have ever received?" It helps me see the growth in people if they answer honestly. |
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said this on 30 Jun 2009 6:45:41 PM EST
whats the best answer you have gotten from that question?
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said this on 29 Jun 2009 10:56:45 AM EST
When were you asked to compromise your integrity? What were the circumstances? How did you respond it?
I asked this question to see how tactful they were in sharing sensitive/delicate information during a critical discussion (interview), to see what they are/are not willing to compromise, to see how they handled the situation in its entirety, and especially to see if they shared with the requestor why they didn't feel comfortable doing XYZ. |
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