Finding talented people who are the right fit for your company can be a great challenge — especially as competition in the job market grows stronger. The ultimate goal is to seek well-rounded candidates who have a great mix of skills and personality. But how can you make sure a potential employee is the right fit? Our advice is to think outside the interview box.
Here are a few insider tips on how to hire top talent who will add lasting value to your organization.
1. Identify Goals and Motivation
Start with a conversation that’s goal-oriented. For example:
Tell me about a time you set a difficult goal for yourself. What did you do to achieve this goal? What might you do differently next time?
This line of questioning can help you verify that candidates can handle the goals you set for them, and walk you through the process of how they go about overcoming challenges. If they answer well, you’ll have some insight into what you can expect should you offer them the position.
What motivates you to do your best work? Tell me about a project that made you really excited.
Here, you’ll learn about what makes the candidate tick. This is important because as an employer, you want to know how to best encourage your employees to do their best work. These questions also allow you to see how hard-working and dedicated the candidate might be.
What is something you’ve done in your career where you’ve been successful, but wouldn’t want to do again, and why?
This question will help you learn the candidate’s philosophy about doing something he or she didn’t want to do, and/or working with a team. Does the candidate understand the value of working on a project even if he or she doesn’t agree with the strategy? The answers to these questions will likely show you whether the candidate will be a good fit for your team.
2. Discover Communication and Organization Habits
Hiring top candidates who are organized and have strong communication skills will make your teams stronger. Here are some interview questions that will help you get a good feel for how the candidate communicates best and where there may be some shortcomings.
How do you prefer to communicate with co-workers and bosses? How important is communication and interaction with others on your team?
It’s important to make sure the candidate is comfortable communicating on many platforms, including face-to-face. Someone may be great at email communication, but if they won’t speak up in a meeting, at a job site or during a discussion on strategy, it could create a communication problem on your team.
As for organization and time management, it’s important to know whether a potential employee can handle multiple projects at once. Ask the person how they handle multiple priorities or organize a plan for major projects? The answers to these questions allow you to learn just how much a candidate can juggle.
Other important lines of questioning include the topics of teamwork, skillset and how the candidate might fit in with your company’s culture.
Want to learn more about how you can make better hiring decisions? Check out our free guide: The Employer’s Playbook for Avoiding Hiring Mistakes.
