The 3 Questions You Need to Ask Candidates During an Interview

Woman sitting in an interview

As an employer, you want to make the most of an interview with a job candidate. Thus, you need to know the right interview questions to ask to get the most value out of this opportunity.  

An interview enables you to learn about a candidate’s skills and experience, along with their ability to contribute to your business. But, if you fail to ask the right questions during an interview, you risk missing out on identifying the right candidate for a role with your company. Perhaps even worse, you risk making a poor hiring decision that could harm your company now and in the future.  

Ultimately, if you ask the right interview questions, you can find out if a candidate is the right fit for a particular role with your company. Yet, figuring out which questions to ask can be difficult, particularly for those who want to learn as much as possible about a candidate in a short period of time.  

When it comes to an interview, there are three key questions you need to ask a candidate:  

1. What Is Your Dream Job and Why? 

A candidate may show lots of enthusiasm when describing their dream job. Meanwhile, analyze the candidate’s response closely, and you can see if he or she is enthusiastic about the responsibilities associated with a particular role with your company.  

If a candidate explains how a dream job fulfills their career goals, he or she may be a great fit with your business. This candidate understands the importance of a rewarding career, and as such, will likely commit the time, energy, and resources to achieve their career aspirations.  

On the other hand, there may be candidates who focus on finding a dream job in which they earn a high salary and work as little as possible. If you encounter these candidates, they may be poor choices for your business.  

2. What Has Been Your Biggest Career Challenge to Date, and How Have You Addressed This Challenge? 

A candidate has been successful in their career thus far, but he or she may have also faced many challenges along the way. If you learn about a candidate’s biggest career challenge to date, you can find out how he or she deals with adversity.  

Give a candidate plenty of time to explain their biggest career challenge. Encourage the candidate to discuss the challenge in detail and explain how he or she overcame this difficulty.   

3. What Interests You Most About This Position?  

Find out why a candidate is interested in a specific position with your company. Once you know why a candidate wants to join your business, you can evaluate their fit for a particular role. 

A candidate who fulfills the requirements of a specific role with your company understands what is expected from the position, and this is reflected in their response to your question. Plus, this candidate’s response may show that he or she has learned about your company and wants to do everything possible to help your business thrive.  

Pursue Top Talent with Help from Ascend Staffing 

Ascend Staffing makes it easy to attract top talent to your business. Contact us today to learn how we connect employers to skilled professionals.  

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