What questions should you ask? To begin with, you might ask candidates about what they consider their most significant accomplishment. You might follow up this question to determine how significant the accomplishment was. Do you need someone with lots of energy? Ask whether handling multiple priorities would represent a problem. Ask about instances in which the applicant had to address tight deadlines. If the job requires making critical decisions, ask candidates about the most important decisions they have made and how they turned out. If you want to learn about their work values, you might try this question: “If you could start all over, what would you do?” If the person has visions of winning the lottery and going into business with the winning funds, you might want to look elsewhere for that steady, reliable employee you need.
Find out about past companies in which the candidates worked. What did they like about these firms? What didn’t they like? Don’t forget to ask about past supervisors, either. Ask the applicant, “Of all the managers you worked for, describe the supervisory methods of the one you enjoyed working for most.” Follow up this question with, “You told me about the managers you best liked to work for. Who were the worst?” If the applicant has had only one former super- visor, ask for a description of that manager’s methods and how the candidate felt about them. Answers to these questions will tell you how the candidate’s style of working fits with your own.
Of course, your questions should also identify candidates’ skills, abilities, knowledge, and attitudes, all of which are critical to their success on the job. However, experience has shown that results-oriented questions are most indicative of an individual’s subsequent behavior in a job. What did they accomplish? How did they go about it? Based on the discussion with you, where would they focus their attention at first?
Ask questions about areas of past jobs that were likely to have caused problems. Find out how the individual handled them. For example:
- What aspects of your previous jobs gave you the most trouble?
- What are some disappointments you had in your last job?
- In what areas did you need help or guidance from your supervisor?
- For what things have your managers complimented you? Criticized you?
- What did you like most about your past jobs? How about the things you liked least?
If you feel that an applicant is holding something back in answer to a question, don’t ask further questions. Rather, be quiet. It is difficult for most people to tolerate silence. If you don’t respond immediately, the candidate may keep talking. After listening to the applicant’s response to the question, wait about five seconds before asking the next question. You will be surprised at how often an applicant fills in the silence with something—positive or negative.