Picking the wrong employee after a long interview process ultimately results in wasted time and lost money for a business.
To avoid this kind of situation, below are three kinds of questions employers should consider asking during the interviewing process to help identify and distinguish the best person for the job amongst a range of potential candidates.
Fact-based questions
These questions helps the interviewer confirm whether or not the potential candidate has the skills required for the job, as well as provide information that can be cross-checked against their resume to verify accuracy. Some fact-based questions include:
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How long did you work for at your last job?
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How long have you worked in the industry?
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What university did you go to?
Situational questions
These questions are a bit different to the fact-based questions. While fact-based questions provide the interviewer with valuable information, they don’t provide any insight into how the candidate would handle situations that may arise in the business. Some situational questions include:
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You’ve received a call from a customer who claims that she hasn’t received her shipment, even though the business confirms it was delivered. What do you do?
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A customer has posted a negative review to the business’s Facebook page. Since you are in charge of responding, how would you reply?
Behavioral questions
Knowing how a person behaves will help determine whether or not they will work well with others and be a good fit for a business. A person’s past behavior also tends to be an accurate predictor of how they will act and react to situations in the future. Some behavioural questions include:
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Tell me about how you handled working with a colleague who was different from you or difficult to work with?
- Tell me about a time when you received criticism and how you reacted to it.