As companies are struggling to hire qualified people these days, recruiting has taken on new challenges. That being said, are you still asking the same old recruiting questions? Do you feel that the questions you ask still don’t elicit the information that you need from a candidate? Does the interview process seem like a “show up and throw up?” If any of these or other similar questions pop into your head about your current interview process, then consider the following questions that award-winning marketing consultant Jano le Roux (https://janoleroux.com/about) asks his candidates. Some of these questions seem off the beaten path and at first you may wonder how they may be applicable to your business but think through the “why” of the question and how you can adjust it for your situation.
- Do you have a screen protector on your phone?. . .Why? Asking this question seems strange and may have nothing to do with the position for which you are hiring. However, for Le Roux, the answer to the question would provide insight into how careful and intentional a person is with a simple device like your phone. Protecting it shows that you are careful. If you don’t have one…. why not? This may show a lack of intentionally caring about a device that while replaceable, isn’t necessarily inexpensive to replace.
- How do you criticize people? As Le Roux says, it’s not easy to criticize people, even if it’s constructive criticism. How they do it shows well that they can deliver a tough message. He even asks the candidate to criticize him during the interview to see their skills at work. Can they be honest without being a jerk?
- Teach me something fascinating that I don’t know? This is a prompt for him to see if the candidate has done any research on Le Roux or if they are simply flying by the “seat of their pants” to see if what they say he just happens to not know. One candidate Le Roux interviewed in answering this question asked Le Roux….” What are you into right now?” Le Roux responded, “Right now, it’s productivity.” With that answer, the candidate showed Le Roux an app on their phone for enhancing productivity. He hired the person on the spot.
- What would you do to implement trust among coworkers in a remote setting? Given our flexible work environment today with many knowledge workers having the option to work remotely, building trust on teams can be a challenge. This question drives to the candidate’s creativity to think on the spot how to address this issue.
- What do you want written on your gravestone and how does this position help you get there? Everyone’s time here is short, and we spend a large part of our lives at work. Working somewhere with meaning is part of the ingredient for self-motivation. Typically, a business owner does not want an employee coming to work who feels miserable at their job and is not reaching their full potential. These are just a few interview questions that I found interesting for me to consider in my business. Recruiting good talent on our teams is more of an art than science. We can teach “skills,” but it’s difficult to teach “attitude.”
Cheers to your talent search!
Mike