Important Interview Questions.

The interview process is the most commonly used gateway to a new hire, but it’s often highly scripted, insincere and as useful as a coin toss.

Following are important interview questions to be asked from a potential candidate while making hiring decisions;

1. Suitability.

The question: What were the best six months you have spent working in your career?

You want to determine what makes a person tick at work. Does the individual like a collaborative or autonomous environment? Or does he or she prefer thinking, managing or doing? Rarely is anyone good at all three. You need to make sure what the person is happiest doing in his or her career and see if the job description and the work environment aligns with this. Otherwise, there's a problem from Day 1. 

2. Grit.

The question: Would you be willing to tell a joke or sing a song?

Some people think it’s a manager’s job to motivate employees, but self-determination is hardwired into a person. Managers can fuel that motivation or strip it away over time.

Managers can nurture an employee's potential, with full commitment and wholehearted willingness to take risks to get what he or she wants. 

3. Integrity.

The question: What is something in your life that you deeply regret?

This question can catch someone off guard and elicit a raw opportunity to hear what matters deeply to the candidate and affects him or her. The answer tends to reveal a little bit about the person's soul. People with integrity draw others to them because they’re trustworthy and dependable. In addition, they can be counted on to behave in an honorable way even when no one is watching them. 

4. Curiosity.

The question: What are you reading right now?  

Active readers might have the tendency to learn and grow. Being inquisitive is a valuable trait in an employee within a small organization. Many innovations at the company, comes from employees with deep-rooted interests. You want people who are inquisitive and who actively maintain their edge. 

5. Self-awareness.

The question: What was your college major? Why did you choose it?

Some people have their life all mapped out. Of course, most people aren’t like that. Find people who connect the dots from what they wanted to do then to what they're doing now. Look for candidates who see their career as a journey and who are deliberate about their decisions. People who wound up just doing something for the past 10 years that they had no interest in before are often bad hires. 

6. Adaptability to change.

The question: Where did you spend your last three vacations?

The ability to embrace change is critical for an employee in an entrepreneurial work environment. Things rarely go as originally planned, and often staffers must change course. If a candidate has gone to the same place for the last three vacations, chances are there that this person won’t be receptive to the chaos that comes with an entrepreneurial organization. 

7. Inner drive.

The question: What percentage of your life do you control?

While debating with a candidate the answer to this question is not the point. But you can learn whether someone has a strong desire to control his or her own destiny. People who don’t believe they control the lion's share of their own life are more likely to be passive, become overwhelmed and play the victim. In contrast, try to hire people who believe they can change outcomes. If they believe they can, they probably will. 

8. Ability to wisely compromise.

The question: You have two jobs and each takes two hours to complete. Each is important but you only have three hours. What do you do?

This is a typical business problem posed in a new way: How do you balance quality, deadlines and the budget? (The old saying goes, pick any two.)  See the analysis that goes into determining what will be compromised and what factors won't be. Will a deadline be sacrificed for quality? Will projects lose some of their scope for the prospective employee to keep on schedule? This question will lets you see how a person prioritizes tasks. 

No one can afford a bad hire. The experience not only leaves a sour legacy but the person could even cause some good employees to leave. Take time to get to know a candidate beyond his or her degrees and work experiences. Often the skills most highly valued can't be taught on the job.