If you google “questions to ask job candidates during an interview,” you’ll get hundreds of results. The suggested questions range from “Sell me this pen” to questions you should never ask in an interview.
But even if a question is legal, it isn’t always helpful. For example, asking someone what animal they would be is too subjective and unlikely to tell you much about their professional experience. Interviews are only so long, so you want to ask strategic interview questions that yield valuable insights.
Strategic Questions to Ask Candidates
There are numerous questions you can ask during an interview. But how do you ensure you ask questions that help assess someone’s qualifications for the position? Below are five strategic questions to ask job candidates.
1. How do you handle stress?
Whether you’re a divorce lawyer or a customer service professional working during the holiday season, all jobs have occasional stressors. It’s essential to have employees that manage their stress well. Employees who can manage stress tend to be more productive and happier team members.
2. How do you seek to understand colleagues from different backgrounds?
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If you’re an employer that prides yourself on your commitments to diversity and inclusion, you want to foster an environment where everyone feels safe. Therefore, it’s essential that you choose to add members of the team who share these values.
Say you have 500 employees. It’s unlikely that all of them will agree on everything, so it’s important to know that team members can respect one another’s differences and appreciate how the diversity of backgrounds contributes to the company.
3. Tell me about your ideal manager.
To assess if someone is the right fit for your team, you want to ensure that your company leadership’s management style is compatible with their needs.
For instance, they may not flourish on a highly collaborative team if they’re a lone wolf. On the other hand, if they need a lot of nudging to get work done, they may be incompatible with a manager who trusts that—barring questions or routine help they may need with work—their employees can handle the tasks at hand.
4. Why do you think you’re the best candidate for this position?
This is the candidate’s opportunity to sell themselves on their unique experiences and skills and how they make them the best person for the job. This question can help clarify their qualifications.
It’s also helpful in assessing career changers’ past experiences, especially when their qualifications for the role may not be obvious. For example, a flight attendant’s experience handling difficult passengers may make them a good fit for your customer service job.
5. How do you handle competing priorities?
Inevitably, we all have to balance competing projects in our jobs. This question helps you understand how a job candidate prioritizes tasks and how they manage their time to get things done.
Find the Right Candidate for the Job
Finding the right candidate for the job can be challenging. You want to ensure they’re the right fit for their team members and that they align with company values. You can better understand interviewees and how they might fit within your organization by asking a few strategic questions.
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