Interviewing job candidates requires finding the right questions to help probe their abilities and fit. Here are some suggestions by Paul Falcone, vice-president of HR at Nickelodeon, from his book 96 Great Interview Questions to Ask Before You Hire
What was your favourite job position, and what role did your boss play in making it unique?
As with the question we often ask about greatest strength, this query early in the interview allows the person to reflect on positive and comfortable moments. It also sets up the tougher question that should follow, and will change the temperature a bit: "What was your least favourite position and what role did your boss play in your career at that point?"
What have done in your present/last position to increase your organization's revenue?
Any member of an organization should be capable of generating revenue for the firm - and this probes whether the individual has, even if not in sales.
What have you done to reduce your department's operational costs or save time?
This is a more natural question for a non-salesperson to answer, and again probes their bottom-line thinking - time, of course, being money.
What has been your most creative achievement at work?
Mr. Falcone stresses that individuals with a penchant for reframing problems and customizing solutions deserve a special place in your organization. This helps to spot them.
How many hours a week do you find it necessary to work in order to get your job done?
Mr. Falcone feels this will check if the candidate's view of a typical working day and your view are in agreement. If you pride yourself on completing everything by 4:59 p.m., you may not like someone toiling until 8 p.m. every night, and vice versa.
What kind of mentoring and training style do you have? Do you naturally delegate responsibilities or do you expect direct reports to come to you for added responsibilities?
This helps to clarify the candidate's attitude to training and motivation. Some managers enjoy sharing their expertise and helping staff members to grow while other managers have little patience for what they consider "holding people's hands." It helps to know which camp the person is in.
Every company has its own quirks - its "dysfunctionality quotient." How dysfunctional was your last company, and how much tolerance do you have for dealing with a company's shortcomings and inconsistencies?
Again this probes the compatibility of business styles between the candidate and you. As well, Mr. Falcone notes, "with this question, you'll want to assess candidates' insights into the problems they've faced battling bureaucracy as well as the solutions they've provided in attempting to overcome those organizational flaws."
How would you describe the amount of structure, direction and feedback you need in order to excel?
This is again a compatibility issue, but Mr. Falcone warns that most people will say they want a combination of feedback and independence, so you need to probe if they had to choose between one extreme or the other, which would it be?
In terms of managing your staff, do you 'expect' more than you 'inspect'?
Mr. Falcone stresses that both styles can work well, but the question is what does your department need?
How do you approach your work from the standpoint of balancing your career with your personal life?
This question is meant to be the opening for a person-to-person discussion on values.
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