Basic interview questions may give you some information about job candidates, but you really need some thought-provoking, unique questions to really learn how someone thinks, works, and reacts to change and stress. Try these open-ended questions to get to the “whys” and “hows” of potential employees:
- How did you get into this role?
- What makes you excited about your job again after a tough day?
- Who has had the greatest influence on the way you do your job now?
- If you had to design your perfect next role, what would that look like?
- What makes you the best choice for this opportunity versus the other people with whom I am speaking?
- Where do you go or what do you do when – in the middle of the workday – you need to decompress from stress?
- How do you handle a situation where a teammate isn’t holding up his or her end of a group project?
- Where do you access information when the Internet is down?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. However, they can help you understand how someone will work as part of a team, manage stress, handle failures and disappointments, and react to unexpected changes or demands.
