When it comes to filling a position in your organization, it takes time, talent and resources. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you spend the effort to make the right hire only to realize you made a big mistake. It’s easy to do, because some candidates don’t reveal their true colors until they are on the job.
You can avoid this costly mistake by asking interview questions that make it crystal clear whether a candidate will be successful in the role, says Jim Haudan, co-founder and CEO of Root. Here are his six critical interview questions:
1. What are the qualities you like least, and most, about your parents? This question is especially honest and reveals what the candidate treasure most.
2. Are you smart, or do you work hard? Good question. Don’t allow the answer to be both.
3. If you could go back five years, what advice would you give your younger self? This is a great question that reveals a lot about oneself. It takes insight, vulnerability and commitment to respond to this authentically.
4. How do you develop yourself outside of the work environment? Development can take all shapes and sizes. It can be found in a hobby, a purposeful pursuit or in an appetite to explore. It reveals one’s passion outside of work.
5. Is it better to be extraordinary and late, or good and on time? Like all paradox questions, the simple answer is to be both on time and extraordinary. But don’t let your candidates get away with that. They must choose only one. The second part of the question, and equally important, is to ask: why would you pick that one?
6. What is the most courageous thing you have done in your life? Everyone seems to have a different definition of courageous. It’s both revealing and informative to have people share theirs with you.
Have you ever been asked these questions? What questions do you ask your candidates? Which ones do you find to be the most revealing?
Source: Jim Haudan is co-founder and CEO of Root, which brings strategy execution to life and helps leaders and managers engage their employees as the engines for change. Haudan is a popular speaker and author of The Art of Engagement.