interview questions

valentine

Hi

We are looking to change our interview questions when screening applicants. Does anyone in the forum use them and if so, would you be willing to share your copy?

Thanks for your help.

Valentine

jmpmo

Are you talking about prescreening on the phone or the actual interview?

valentine

the actual interview. We are a retirement community and we do have standard questions we use but they don't really give us a good feedback. We're looking to get at more character type questions for the best fit. The DH can fill in the questions that relate to their specific departments.

jmpmo

>the actual interview. We are a retirement community and we do have
>standard questions we use but they don't really give us a good
>feedback. We're looking to get at more character type questions for
>the best fit. The DH can fill in the questions that relate to their
>specific departments.

Here are a few we like. Of course, it depends on exactly what you are looking for, but here is my .02 worth.

1. "Describe the qualities of a person who you might have difficulty working with." This is good becaus whatever they say, they are probably the opposite of. For example, if they say the don't like people who slack on work, they are probably hard workers, etc.

2. "If you were able to do so, what changes would you have made in your last job that would have provided you a greater opportunity for achievement?" This shows attitude towards last job/company and maybe their goals.

3. "What ways to dyou find to tolerate people who have different backgrounds and values from yours?"

4. "How do you take direction?"

5. "If we called your previous employers, what would they say about you?"

Hope these help. I have a whole book if you need more.


"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

HRsage

The above are good examples. I do a lot of presceening interviews and I always try to probe deeper by asking for examples from them. When I ask what their previous employers would say about them, I always ask for an example of WHY they would say that about them. That's important because anyone can say what you want to hear, but the need to come up with an example can sometimes throw them off if they don't have anything to back it up with.

valentine

We do use a similar question but it is generic.

What would someone who doesn't like you say about you?

This question 9 out of 10 times throws the applicant. I've had applicants say gee I don't know. I don't know anyone who doesn't like me. BRRP - Wrong Answer

HRsage

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-01-03 AT 12:05PM (CST)[/font][p]I think that question would even throw me for a loop. I really don't know what someone who doesn't like me would say. I typically don't spend a lot of time with people that don't like me. A similar question I like to use is what are your strengths and weaknesses and why? People are easy to talk about their strengths, but sometimes have trouble coming up with weaknesses.

valentine

we've used that one too. I like it when the applicant says
"Gee I don't have any weaknesses."

valentine

These are reallly good. Thank you. I'm curious about the book. Can it be purchased?

jmpmo

I actually just have copies from the book, but would be happy to fax those to you if you want to send your fax number. Some of the questions came from an interviewing seminar I went too.

Sage: I used to ask the strength and weakness question, but we like the "What don't you like about coworkers question." It is the same response you are trying to get, but in a more open ended way w/out putting someone on the spot. I also prefer, "What qualities about yourself should make me worry about hiring you?" Same question about weaknesses, just gives them a chance to give them a more open answer.

Cindy Hanna

There is a book out there called 96 Great Interview Questions To Ask Before You Hire by Paul Falcone.

Hope this helps.

Have a geat day x:-)

valentine

Thanks Cindy. I'm going to check it out.

valentine

my e-mail address is [email]godfrey@lcsnet.com[/email]

Thank you so much. Those questions you have sound terrific.

Crout

Just one thing: for God's sake don't ask anything about pants!!!

jmpmo

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-01-03 AT 01:31PM (CST)[/font][p] >Just one thing: for God's sake don't ask anything about pants!!!


Pants???? I am sure there is a really good story just waiting to be told here.

valentine

Go to the harrassment post on the forum. It will tell you all you need to know and then some.

:-)

jmpmo

And right you were. Now here I sit with more information then I truly needed about one situation. xflash






"I know God only gives us what we can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much." Sister Therese

valentine

You never know what lurks in the hearts of men -- especially on this forum.


:-)

valentine

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-01-03 AT 02:12PM (CST)[/font][p]Huh?? can't you interview in pants especially if they are in a wad???
:-)

I haven't figured out how to use the emoticons yet. The instructions say to use the short cut and when I do nothing happens. Guess I am technically illeterate.

Don D

Here's one I intend to use going forward. A psychologist used this one on me in my round of interviews for this job in Feb-Mar. "If I were to spend some time with two or three of your coworkers, your peers, tell me this; What might they answer if I ask them, considering Don, what are two things you would like for him to KEEP DOING, STOP DOING, AND START DOING?" "Now, suppose I ask those questions of your current supervisor; what would her/his responses be to the same questions?"

It's a rambling question as I presented it, but with a little polish and practice, you can lay it out in a more workable fashion. It does force the interviewee to self-examine, reveal a bit about his relationships with co-workers, show whether he is capable of self-criticism and perhaps gives clues as to how open he is to improving weaknesses. Now the guy who has none, I don't know what his answers might be.

I think our chief obligation with questions is to (1) Have a real reason for asking the question, (2) Have a clue as to how we will use the answer; does it have any utility?, (3) not just come up with senseless trick questions or ones which we feel will really stump people.

Interviewing is certainly a learned art and we all know it is never assembling mandatory questions and reciting them by rote without a meaningful interractive process. Good luck, I know you'll do well.

valentine

Thanks for the great question Don. You can change it around to get a variety of answers. It is definitely a thought provoking question and one any applicant would have to stop and think about.

I am curious. Did it stump you? I'm not sure I'd be able to answer the three parts.

Don D

I can't afford to let anything stump me. My chemical makeup won't allow that.

valentine

aah!! a true competitor.

Margaret Morford

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-03-03 AT 07:54AM (CST)[/font][p]I have a few favorites:

1) What was the last piece of criticism you received about your work? Did you agree with it?

2) Tell me about a time in your career when you thought it was appropriate to be less than honest with a boss or co-worker.

3) Tell me about the last time you had to tell your boss something you knew he/she didn't want to hear.

4) Tell me about the last you broke the rules.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

valentine

Thank you Margaret. I especially like the last one. I wonder how many would answer that one truthfully.

WOCO Frank

I ask the same ones, Margaret! Great minds truly do think alike...

Here's one I asked in a mock interview once, just for the heck of it. I can't decide whether it was an excellent question, or a horrible one - nothing in-between. I've never asked it in a real interview, though. The question: "If you were working for me, and I wanted to make you quit, what would be the easiest way to get you to leave?"

On one hand, I thought it could tell me a lot about what the applicant can tolerate in terms of working conditions, corporate culture and management style - that's what I was going for in the mock interview. In real life, though, I think I might be afraid that certain actions or directives might be interpreted by that employee as trying to get them to quit, even if it wasn't my intent.

Don D

I'm wondering though, with Margaret's questions, what does she intend to do with the answers and does she have a pre-set evaluation of each potential answer? For example, with most 'test' questions like this, the test includes something like, "People who answer thus and so, usually.....", or "An answer of so and so, generally indicates a propensity to.....". Margaret?

Margaret Morford

No pre-answers in mind. I will ask follow-up questions if necessary.

I never use "What would you do if" or speculative questions because really good interviewers (those that can pile it on deep) can make up an answer that will blow you away and it's no indication that they are a good employee. I always ask about past performance because there's about a 96% correlation between what you've done in the past and what you'll do in the future when faced with the same situation. It gives me pretty good insight into what kind of employee they will be.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

HS

I always love to ask the question,

"Your supervisors and coworkers are throwing you a retirement party. What do you think they'd (or what would you like them to) say about you and your years of service?"

It gets a candidate to think ahead to the future as well as what kind of worker they are, or hope to be.

WOCO Frank

I find most of my store managers use one question as the supreme litmus test when interviewing:

"When can you start?"

A potential variation asked by some managers:

"Can you work a double today?"

sonny

Those are great Woco. . from the "I must have a warm body" grouping.

You all have put forth some great ones..which I have printed and added to my collection. A couple of my favorites already put out. .tell about a job related critisicm (sp) you have received, did you agree with it? what did you do with the information?

Here are a couple more:


Can you describe a time where you had to make a difficult work decision that had serious consequences, regardless of the choice? What facts did you consider and how did you arrive at the decision you made?

Tell us about a situation where in order to accomplish your objectives, it required working across organizational or departmental boundaries where a great deal of resistance was encountered. How did you handle the situation and what, if anything did you learn from it?