Interviewing Candidates for Any Role

Recently someone asked me what questions I ask when interviewing candidates. My initial comment was that it is more important to see if there is chemistry and flow between the candidate & I than specific questions.

What is Your Gut Call?

In just a basic “Hello, how are you?” each of us can tell if the person we are meeting has an excitement about the company and product they are looking to become part of. Ya kinda know this quickly, the gut call so to speak.

The more difficult items to learn about in my opinion during this initial meeting time is if the candidate has the ability to motivate others around them and how will they really communicate once they are hired to do the job that is needed.

Look to Hire People That Will Motivate Others Around Them

No one wants to bring in negative influences to a company. So making sure new employees can be a positive influence is important.

How people communicate is key as well. No one likes surprises, not employees certainly not managers. Getting a sense of how people will communicate up and down the chain is very important.

In the end, my goal is to not only find productive new employees but to continually make the company a better place to work with each and every new hire. Everyone should gain when a new person joins the organization.

Make People Feel Comfortable During the Interview

When I do get into “Interview Questions” my goal is to make people feel comfortable. Usually this is a time when both people are on their best behavior anyway.

Meaning, if the manager is a jerk in the interview, well, they will only be worse if you take the job. While there are exceptions, mainly with junior hires, candidates that are not comfortable, prepared, or engaged in the interview will usually continue acting that way once hired.

For me, the interview is not about asking “gotcha” questions, but using time for everyone to learn as much about each other as about themselves.

Have a Few Questions for Each Type of Hire Before Your Meeting

So with that as background, here are a few interview questions by hire type...

Senior Hires

1. Tell me your story? What is important to know about you…?
2. How have you created or improved a work process?

Mid-Level Hires

1. Where have you earned a promotion?
2. How do you work with people in departments other than yours?

Junior Hires

1. What do you think of your previous boss?
2. Why are you leaving your current role?

Interns / Right Out of College Hires

1. What was your first job?
2. What are 3 things you are good at?

For any Seller I Also want to find out:

1. Tell me about your competitiveness and persistence?
2. How have your performed in other sales roles?
3. What sales awards have you earned?

For any Manager level candidate I want to find out:

1. How do you listen to the people around you?
2. How do you motivate the people around you?
3. How do you manage up?

For any Product, Tech or Engineer I want to find out:

1. How do you decide what to create, build & improve?
2. How do you interact with product users & end customers?

And, for everyone I talk with I'll typically also ask:

1. Can you do the job?
2. What do you need to exceed expectations?

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