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8 Brainstorming Interview Questions to know your candidates better

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Dhristi Shah

Asking about a candidate’s background, hard skills, and CV might be required for a candidate interview.


“What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”


How many times have you asked this question to your candidate?


“Why do you want to join the company?”


You know what the answer is going to be. However, companies need to understand that the purpose of an interview needs to cover a lot more than that.


An interview should be more conversational. It should involve questions that boost interaction. Through these interactions, one can analyze the personality and behavior of the candidate. 


Additionally, try adding questions that can help you understand the person's character.

 

Here is a list of a few brainstorming interview questions that will help you figure out whether the goals and objectives of the candidate align with that of your company.


“Tell me about one accomplishment that you are the most proud of and why.”


This is an important question which will help you figure out the ‘best’ of the candidate. See what, according to him, is a good accomplishment and how hard he will work on it. At the same time, you will also find what the candidate has to offer for your organization.


“What do you feel should be the meaning of the word ‘achievement’?”


What does your candidate mean by achievement? Is he goal-oriented or only task-oriented? Does he feel that ‘achievement’ is completing a task or completing a course? This will help you analyze how your candidate looks towards growth. Check whether his growth expectations align with the company and the role or not.


“Tell me about the most challenging job/task you completed.”


Get an idea of the problem-solving skills of the candidate through this question. You will understand the type of tasks (or problems to solve) you can offer to them if they’re selected. Moreover, this gives you a clear bandwidth of the employee's work. 


“Let’s say we give you a team of 5 in your department. How would you manage and improve them?”


This question helps you analyze the leadership qualities of the candidate. For example, is he capable of leading teams now or in the future? If not, can training be helpful for him? Get your answer to these questions to understand what the candidate is eligible for.


“When and how did you know that [name of the field] is the field you should choose?”


This tells about the understanding of the field he has applied for. Does he know about the field? Has he ever worked in that field before? Does he have practical knowledge, or is it only theoretical? Figure out all of this through this one question.


“Few qualities of your former boss that you admire.”


This question will offer you insights into the learning capabilities of the candidate.


  1. What did your candidate pick up as the best qualities of his former boss? 
  2. Do you think he has tried to instill those habits within himself? 
  3. Is he having the willingness to learn those?


Mark any negative comments he has to say about his former boss and see if the comments are justified or not.


“What do you want to try out in the first month after joining the company?”


This will help you understand what the candidate is expecting out of the role and the company. It will also explain the practical aspects of the field that the candidate wants to learn and try out on his own.


Based on your answer, you can create an outline of all the tasks you would be able to assign if the candidate joins in.


“If you join this company, how will you begin an interaction with a peer?”


Communication skills are important in each and every role in an organization. This question allows you to check if your candidate is good at the same time. If not, figure out resources that can help him out. 


Team interaction and bonding are necessary for seamless cooperation and teamwork. Hence, see if your candidate is capable/can use the help of resources for that.


Out of all these questions, here are the main qualities you can find in your candidates:


  1. Communication skills
  2. Leadership qualities
  3. Ownership
  4. Learning ability
  5. Problem-solving approach
  6. Alignment between the candidate’s goals to that of the company
  7. His dedication, and a lot more.


These qualities are essential for active participation in continuous learning and growth tasks.

Interviews are the best way to help understand a candidate on a little more personal front. 


Hiring is a tough job. Making these interviews more conversational and interactive can help you understand the kind of person your candidate is apart from his hard skills. Try adding these questions to your interview pattern and ensure the best hire for your company.

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Dhristi Shah
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