Interviewing is an art as well as a science. We all want to know if the candidate we are interviewing will be “right” for the position. It is easy to allow the candidates to walk you through their job history point by point, but here are three questions you can ask about each of their previous positions that will get you the answers you’re looking for to know who will be the top candidate for your job opening.
- How did you find out about this job?
It isn’t unusual for candidates to find positions online or through general postings. However, it may be a red flag when it continues to happen throughout their career. It can show that they don’t know what they want to be when they grow up. They might be flailing and not looking for the right job at the right time; just any job will do. Finding candidates who heard about their jobs through referrals is like getting a great reference letter in advance.
- Before you started, what did you like most about the job?
There are a lot of text book answers to this question. People might say it was a great opportunity, or they wanted to advance their skills, or that it was the logical next step in their career. But the right candidate will provide more in depth information. You want to listen for information about the work environment and the way they interact with their team. You want to know about how challenging the new position appeared and why the candidate felt they were up for the task.
- Why did you leave?
There are some reasons beyond an employee’s control. The company may have closed or the job was eliminated. Your candidate may be new in town and left their last position to move. Other times you will get a reading on something more significant than that. Some candidates may tell you about their dissatisfaction with their previous employer or that they didn’t like their coworkers. They may have been dissatisfied with the position itself. These are serious red flags. If you see a pattern of this type of behavior there is no reason to expect that this role will be any different for them.
Are you looking for ways to source the best employees for your current job opening? CornerStone Staffing can help you ask the right questions!
