In order to discover individuals who best fit your company’s culture, and can effectively contribute to the achievement of its goals and missions, it is sometimes best to break free from the limits set by traditional interview questions.
After all, questions such as, “What are the characteristics of a good boss?” or, “Why should I hire you?” are not the most illuminating, as they do not tell recruitment leaders much more than what they have already learned from the applicant’s resume or CV. Additionally, they garner rather generic responses, and prospective employees’ answers likely blend into one another after some time.
Therefore, it would be beneficial for talent acquisition experts to reevaluate their interview cycles, removing any stagnant elements that may prevent interviewees from shining, displaying their ability to handle adversity, think on their feet, and other qualities the organization would be able to effectively draw and grow from.
However, such a task may seem rather difficult to fulfill, especially for those who have spent a number of years sifting through countless resumes, eliminating deceptive or unqualified applicants, and discovering the talent their clients are seeking.
With that in mind, let us glean some inspiration from the greatest executives of our time and review the unique interview questions they each recommend.
Put a focus on accountability like Jeff Bezos
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is often criticized for putting too much pressure on applicants. However, when you are at the forefront of one of the most successful companies in the world, it is all too necessary to put interviewees on the hot seat.
Therefore, Bezos takes pride in crafting questions that make candidates stop trying to sell themselves and all but force them to hold themselves accountable for their mistakes. Examples of such questions include, but are not limited to, “Tell me about a time when you knew some work you did wasn’t the best it could be. What did you do?” Or, “Imagine you were given an intense task with an unreasonable deadline. What would you do?”
Ask unexpected questions similar to Jay Gould
As previously mentioned, there are few interview questions more common than, “Why should I hire you?” Talent acquisition experts can throw applicants for a loop by asking the complete opposite: “Why should I decide against hiring you?”
Not only will asking this question meet the goal of making the individual think on their feet, but it will also encourage them to take a step back and honestly list their traits that are, frankly, less-than-stellar. If an interviewee gives a response that is too long, or cannot craft a response at all, Gould takes it as a sign that they are hiding something.
Get personal in the style of Brian Chesky
The CEO of Airbnb does not pay much mind to candidates who simply regurgitate information from their resumes. Instead, he wishes to hear about accomplishments, failures, and especially their solutions to each major problem they have encountered thus far.
That is why Chesky asks each and every interviewee to summarize their lives in three minutes, as it allows him to glean just enough insight on potential employees’ lives while still remaining objective.
Although overhauling this critical portion of your interview cycle may prove to be frustrating, incorporating one or more of the aforementioned tactics is bound to garner better recruitment experiences, as well as aid you in becoming a savvier, more efficient talent acquisition expert.
