Our Top 5 Interview Questions for Hiring Managers

Let’s face it, recruiting and hiring is hard.  Not only are you short-staffed with a full plate, but now have to review resumes, interview, screen and manage hiring and onboarding a new employee.  It can be overwhelming and just plain frustrating. It disrupts your routine, delays important tasks from getting done, and in general, is tough to manage.

At Hire Ventures, our Talent Consultants are experienced in owning the hiring process for our clients. It is our sweet spot! We LOVE sourcing, interviewing and screening potential candidates and being able to take this burden off our client’s plate.  We know what questions to ask, and how to ask them. And we’ve coached many clients on how to improve their interview skills when we present a qualified candidate to them. Best of all, because we are not a fee-based hiring firm, our approach is to give our clients all the advice they need when it comes to hiring – and that includes interview question guidance.

 

ChatGPT Interview Questions

There are a lot of standard questions out there that you can and should incorporate into your interviews. There are so many, in fact, that we decided to give ChatGPT a try and see what it recommended as the top 5 job interview questions, here is what those wizards had to say:

1. Can you tell us about a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge at work?
2. How do you handle constructive criticism?
3. What motivates you in your workplace?
4. Can you tell us about a project or accomplishment you’re proud of?
5. Can you describe your ideal work environment?

Not bad. These are good questions, designed to give insight into how the candidate thinks, problem-solves, and works under adverse circumstances. But, often your candidates know that you are going to ask these questions because they are generally accepted and widely used (hence why they are on ChatGPT). So perhaps your candidates may have practiced the answers they think you want to hear. 

Better than AI – Our Top 5 Questions!

We’re not suggesting you eliminate standard questions. But we think there are 5 others you could weave into your interview process. Questions that provide additional insight into your candidates. Check them out:

1. At the last few companies you’ve worked for, tell me – why did you leave, and when you joined the next company why did you choose it?

We ask the first part of this question because it reveals patterns.

Patterns can be positive. Lots of people pursue very specific career paths and are calculating where they go next and what they want to do when they get there.

Patterns can also be negative. If you hear a candidate consistently talk about challenging co-workers or supervisors, or that they didn’t like the policies, or they were treated unfairly – anything that portrays them as a victim, then you’ve got yourself a big red flag.

But it is the second part of the question that is the most revealing because it tells you what attracted that candidate to that company, that job, and how and why they made the choice they did. It helps reveal their decision-making process and their motivators.

2. What are you not getting to do in your current job that would provide value to your employer?

People leave their jobs for all kinds of reasons, but for Gen Z and Millennials – it is often because they are driven to expand and build their skill set. This question allows you to uncover talents and passions that may not be revealed if you’re just asking questions about their direct experience.

It allows you to evaluate potential, motivation, and longevity.

3. What are you really good at, but don’t like doing?

We all want to provide the kind of environment that allows employees to do their best work. But we also want ‘team players’ who are willing to bite the bullet and get things done. 

While you may be excited to find out someone is really good at something that fills a gap on your team, relying too heavily on that ongoing expertise may be a mistake if it’s something they don’t really like to do. Because if it turns into a steady diet of those tasks, then you’re likely to lose those employees in the long run.

4. Can you tell me a story or an anecdote that helps me to understand your values and who you are as a person?

We all have certain values that are important to us. And if you are like most companies today, you have core values that drive your culture and shape your workplace. So doesn’t it make sense to ensure all those values align?

Don’t hire people whose values are at odds with your organization – period. Because the people you hire today are your culture, now and in the future. 

5. What’s the one question I didn’t ask you that I should have?

Our favorite question! It allows your candidates to address something that you might have missed. Something that makes them stand out as the top choice. Something that demonstrates passion, values or motivators. It is their opportunity to demonstrate why they are special. Or maybe why they aren’t.

Conclusion

An interview is about a lot more than just lining up skill sets against a job description. You should also be evaluating candidates that boost retention and support your existing culture –  which is exactly what our Talent Consultants are trained to do. 

If you’d like to learn more about how you can partner with Hire Ventures to find, hire and keep talent – reach out to request a free Recruiting Consultation today!  And if you’d like a downloaded guide of unique interview questions, you can find an extensive interview guide in our HR Shop!

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