Spinoff from @gladyscf; opposite question!

novella1186 · October 2014

So I just found out I have to interview someone next week for a position in my group. I've never interviewed someone before. What are some good questions that I should ask besides the obvious, and besides the position-specific ones?

I'm going to avoid the nonsense cliched questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years." What else should I avoid? (Obviously can't ask anything that's not PC, that seems discriminatory, etc).

Also while we're on the subject, have you ever interviewed anyone and gotten some bizarre responses to questions? I've heard stories from an HR professor...

loveislouder · October 2014

I had an interview once where the guy asked me what I would do if I found an elephant in my fridge. I was just like "... how does that relate to the position I applied for?" He said they use that question as a way to gauge how we respond in intense, pressured situations.

theartistformerlyknownas · October 2014

I like to ask what they like and dislike about their current/last position, what they like/dislike in a management style, the type of work atmosphere they're looking for. I don't like to lead them with things like "are you able to manage your own time if you have a manager with a more hands-off style?" or "do you work well in open, loud work environments" because they'll just usually say "oh yeah, great!"

If they say "I really hate that I have to do a lot of data governance" well sorry bud, you'd have to do that here.

I also ask what they understand the parameters of the job to be and what makes them feel they'd be a great fit, because sometimes our recruiters completely misrepresent the job.

Heffalump · October 2014

Do you know a lot about behavioral interviewing? (LINK) That has always been really useful for me and yielded better results than "If you were a tree..."

Nothing too bizarre, luckily, but I used to work for an animal health company, and I can't tell you how many people didn't have the requisite experience but would compensate by telling me how much they "really, really love animals." That's great, but we need someone with formulation experience and a PhD in chemistry, not a petsitter.
ETF: words

novella1186 · October 2014

loveislouder said:

I had an interview once where the guy asked me what I would do if I found an elephant in my fridge. I was just like "... how does that relate to the position I applied for?" He said they use that question as a way to gauge how we respond in intense, pressured situations.

um... ? I don't get why people play stupid games like that in interviews. I have a friend who was asked a question like that. Seems like a waste of everyone's time. Makes for a good story, though!

levioosa · October 2014

loveislouder said:

I had an interview once where the guy asked me what I would do if I found an elephant in my fridge. I was just like "... how does that relate to the position I applied for?" He said they use that question as a way to gauge how we respond in intense, pressured situations.

"I'd sell it to science and get rich because I've never seen a dwarf elephant before."

ShellD13 · October 2014

I second @Heffalump - Behavioral interviewing is the way to go. The last company I worked for sent out a 90+ page interview guide organized by behavioral traits that you were looking for in the successful candidate. Each trait had like 5 questions assigned that would help the interviewer determine if the candidate had/displayed that trait. So if organization, detail oriented, technical abilities were important to that particular role you'd go to those traits and pick 1 to 2 questions from each section to ask during the interview. I thought I took a copy of that guide with me when I left - I was bummed when I realized I didn't have it because it was amazing. I've been very lucky with hiring as a result of using the techniques.

These are a few of my favorites...

1. Think about a time you made a mistake at work? Can you tell me a specific example and how you worked to correct it?

2. When you are working on multiple projects and with tight deadlines how do you prioritize?

3. Have you ever been faced with a difficult situation with a co-worker? What happened and how was it resolved?

But you'll be surprised by what you learn just by how the person presents themselves - are they on time, well dressed and in line with company standards), did they do some research on your company before hand so they can ask well informed questions, etc...

As for oddities....I'll never forget getting a resume with the email badbadfirstname@yahoo.com - really guy they are free get an email to use for your work related/job search purposes because that does not make me want to hire you. Or there was the interview for an admin and the job description CLEARLY stated that organizational skills were a neccesity - when asked about her weaknesses said "Well I'm not very organized..." Really then you are wasting my time.

melbenso · October 2014

The interview question I hate and thus never ask when interviewing someone: "What would your [supervisor/coworker/neighbor/garbage man] say is your best/worst quality?" How the fuck should I know? I'm not a mind reader.

One question string I find helpful for getting at office dynamic issues, work ethic issues, and how the person tackles problems: Tell me about one challenge or roadblock you have faced at work. How did you handle the situation? What was the result? What would you do differently if you had to do it over again?

You get a lot of insight not only into how someone handles a challenge or problem, but what kinds of things they find challenging and how well they cope.

novella1186 · October 2014

I just read through her resume and it is really bad. REALLY bad. I won't go into details cuz of privacy issues, but just one general thing: It's over two pages long, single-spaced, in like 5 pt font (seriously too little to read) with HUGE long rambling paragraphs that contain very irrelevant/ nonsensical things. i don't even know what some of them mean due to bad grammar. I am really wondering how HR let this one through...

I really want to go into this interview with an open mind, despite the bad resume, but this has me really bummed out right now. I sincerely hope there's other candidates for me to talk to.

steph861 · October 2014

I sat on my first interview panel a few weeks ago. It was actually a really good experience. I wouldn't say there were any weird responses to questions.

All of our questions are competency-based. Off the top of my head, here are some of the common ones:

"Tell us about a time when you worked effectively on a team."

"Tell us about a time when you had competing deadlines. How did you handle this?"

"Tell us about a time when you went above and beyond to help a co-worker."

"Tell us about a time when you experienced conflict with a co-worker. How did you handle this?"

"Tell us about a time when you improved a business process in your workplace."

"Tell us about a time when you demonstrated initiative."

If there's one piece of advice I have, it's to always have follow-up questions at the ready. Not everybody will give the required detail upfront, but that doesn't mean they're not a worthwhile candidate. Some people just need a little nudge.

Good luck!

[Deleted User] · October 2014

Long rambling resumes are the WORST. A lot of people are really terrible at resume writing. I've talked to some awesome people with downright awful resumes before.

Good advice from PP, Behavioral interviewing is the way to go! And I agree, if you don't get the details you're looking for, ask some follow up probing questions.

I like to allow the candidate to ask any up front questions before I have them go over their background and why they're interested. I find this helps them relax a bit, and also address any questions they had that might help them frame their responses to your more in depth questions.

I can't tell you how many resumes I've seen that basically have a selfie or glamour shot style picture on it...

SmileDamnit · October 2014

Heffalump said:

Do you know a lot about behavioral interviewing? (LINK) That has always been really useful for me and yielded better results than "If you were a tree..."

Nothing too bizarre, luckily, but I used to work for an animal health company, and I can't tell you how many people didn't have the requisite experience but would compensate by telling me how much they "really, really love animals." That's great, but we need someone with formulation experience and a PhD in chemistry, not a petsitter.
ETF: words

OMG right now! I currently work in animal health related field and because the word "veterinary" is in the name of our organization, people feel the need to automatically talk about how much they love animals. I'm still shocked by the amount of people who go so are as to include pictures of their pets in their cover letter &/or RESUME!! I will automatically nix that person from even a phone interview when they pull that shit.

You've gotten some good questions so far. Additional ones I like to ask include:

* Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it.

* How would we know when you are stressed?

* What were 5 qualities you found in your favorite supervisor/leader/boss?

charlottesmom0626 · October 2014

@SmileDamnit‌ I work at a zoo and we always ask "if you were an animal what would you be"

paperpusher · October 2014

SmileDamnit said:

OMG right now! I currently work in animal health related field and because the word "veterinary" is in the name of our organization, people feel the need to automatically talk about how much they love animals. I'm still shocked by the amount of people who go so are as to include pictures of their pets in their cover letter &/or RESUME!! I will automatically nix that person from even a phone interview when they pull that shit.

You've gotten some good questions so far. Additional ones I like to ask include:
* Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
* How would we know when you are stressed?
* What were 5 qualities you found in your favorite supervisor/leader/boss?

@SmileDamnit what are you looking for when asking the bolded?
Are you looking for someone who says they don't get stressed?
I try to fake being happy and hide how pissed/stressed I am.

SmileDamnit · October 2014

paperpusher said:

SmileDamnit said:

OMG right now! I currently work in animal health related field and because the word "veterinary" is in the name of our organization, people feel the need to automatically talk about how much they love animals. I'm still shocked by the amount of people who go so are as to include pictures of their pets in their cover letter &/or RESUME!! I will automatically nix that person from even a phone interview when they pull that shit.

You've gotten some good questions so far. Additional ones I like to ask include:
* Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
* How would we know when you are stressed?
* What were 5 qualities you found in your favorite supervisor/leader/boss?

@SmileDamnit what are you looking for when asking the bolded?
Are you looking for someone who says they don't get stressed?
I try to fake being happy and hide how pissed/stressed I am.

Actually the opposite. I think people will inevitably get stressed at a job and I like to see if they are in tune with that and have an appropriate outlet for handling it. Also, I don't think stress always has to be a negative thing either, rather it can be a motivator for some people and I like to hear that, too.

huskypuppy14 · October 2014

I always start the interview by introducing myself, and my role at the company.

The best interviews are ones where you can have a conservation and the questions come naturally throughout the interview. The worst are when the candidate is hard to talk to and you end up just asking question after question. Those candidates usually don't get hired.

I always end by letting them ask me any questions.

I always ask why they are leaving or have left their last job.

I ask about conflict and how they got a long with their last manager.

gladyscf · October 2014

I had my interview today and I think it went well.

I'm not sure what type of business you're in but I was applying for a position in the Clerk of Courts office. A question they asked me was if I was at a picnic and a family member approached me about a recent murder in our town, how would I respond. I thought this was a good way to get someone to address confidentiality and it was posed in a way that that I'd never been asked before.

Spinoff from @gladyscf; opposite question!

Re: Spinoff from @gladyscf; opposite question!

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