The 8 Questions You Must Ask Candidates

Interview questions have undergone gone some radical changes in recent years, from the totally predictable ‘Why should we hire you?’ through to last decade’s craze for riddle-like questions such as ‘Who would win in a fight: Superman or Batman?’

Today, good interviewers know that the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour, so they ask their candidates open-ended questions that require the candidate to supply real examples from their work and personal history to prove not only their skills, but also their attitude.

As a recruiter sourcing recruiters, your interviewing job is doubly difficult, as you have to get to know your candidates on behalf of a third party so that you can make successful long-term placements. Here are some great questions that you can ask your recruitment candidates to get a real sense of their talents and aspirations.

1. In your last role, what were your targets, what were some of the challenges in reaching them, and how did you ensure that you met them?

You are always looking for proof that the candidate can reach realistic targets, and that star performers weren’t just lucky enough to work in a high-demand sector that attracted top-quality candidates. This question should elicit some of the strategies they employed to ensure they had a good talent pool or could attract new clients over time.

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is an oldie but a goodie, as it requires a candidate to show that they have a plan, and more importantly that that plan coincides with the recruitment industry and specifically, with the roles that are on the table. If the five year plan sees rapid promotion and high-flying recruitment success, then you’ll know to avoid placing them in a company with a ‘rusted-on’ senior hierarchy and minimal training and development.

3. What’s a role that you did well at, but didn’t enjoy (and why)?

When faced with a top-quality candidate, you’re probably looking at their CV with great interest, rapidly thinking of all the clients you could place them with. But there’s little point placing them in a certain sector or a culture if they didn’t enjoy the experience last time. Having excelled in a past role isn’t a great indicator of whether a person wants to repeat that experience. You need to know what it is they didn’t like about it, so that you can find them a better fit.

4. Give me an example of a time when you set a significant goal that you had to strive for. How did you get there? Where did you have to adjust your plan along the way?

This question lends you an insight into what matters to the candidate, how they plan, and how they persevere when faced with setbacks.

5. What kind of workplace culture do you enjoy most?

Finding out what kind of culture the candidate seeks is a very important starting block to making a successful, long-term placement which reflects well on you as a recruiter.

6. What’s one task in particular at work that you look forward to doing, every single day- and can you imagine enjoying it for your whole career?

For a recruiter, this might be meeting with candidates; for others, it might be working on their talent mapping or looking at the latest recruitment trends. Their answer should give you a good indication of what it is about being a recruiter they genuinely love most, and therefore whether you should place them with a client with high-volume recruitment needs, or one in a dynamic market that requires strategising or high-level headhunting.

7. If we met with your past bosses and colleagues, what do you think they’d describe as your most positive and your most negative trait?

Obviously you’re looking for a positive that outweighs the negative here, but the candidate’s choice of ‘negative’ can also be instructive in giving a sense of how self-aware the candidate is of their flaws, and how they’re working to improve them. Be a little wary if a candidate wraps what they think is a positive as a negative, as in ‘I work too hard or I’m a perfectionist’.

8. What motivates you most? Is it money, is it autonomy, or is it getting better at what you do?

You’ll gain some good insight into your candidate with this question. In certain recruiting roles a strong money ethic might be a great advantage, while those that crave high levels of autonomy might be better placed with a hands-off manager. Those that seek the challenge of improving their skills exhibit a growth mindset- which is an extremely attractive quality in a hire.

Have we missed any great questions that you should be asking candidates?  Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,

Cheryl