What are your favourite questions to ask in an interview? Have you got your favourite ones documented?

Finding the right person to join your Company and team can be confronting and time consuming. Most interviewers will make 50% of the call within the first 30 seconds of meeting someone in relation to whether the candidate may be successful or not.

We have heaps of different questions that we have for different types of interviews however here are some of my favourite basic questions to ask to further explore whether the candidate will love the job, can do the job and will fit into your team.

Will they love the job?

1. Tell us a little about yourself relevant to this position?
2. Why are you applying for this position with our Company? What has interested you most as part of your research on us?
3. If you could do one job/task continuously, what would it be? If you could give one task normally related to this job away, what would that be?
4. What factors will keep you interested in this position / company for the next 3 years?

Can they do the job?

5. If you were recruiting for this position, what would be the top 5 things you would be looking for and how do you rank yourself against these qualities? Please share examples where you have previously demonstrated these skills/attributes successfully (and/or not successfully and what lessons have you learnt)?
6. What are the 3 most important attributes or skills you believe you would bring to our company if we hired you?
7. How will your previous reporting manager/s describe their relationship with you when we conduct your references? What would be the best and what could be the worst things we could hear about you?
8. Scenario based question relevant to the position…tell us about a time when……What did you do, what was the result and what did you learn?

Will they fit into the team/culture?

9. What are your top 3-5 values in order (sometimes I will have a list in front of them that they can choose from to assist)?
10. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your current/previous employer?
11. Tell us about an occasion when you believe that you delighted management, a customer, either an internal or an external customer (or developed a business improvement.
12. How would co-workers describe the role that you play on a team and your contribution?

What are your favourite questions? Have you got any left field ones that have worked for you in the past that give great insights to someone?