EIGHTEEN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Questions that will Reveal
 
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1. What question do you have for me right away? (Look for preparation,
meaty questions, focus, and poise, able to think on feet. Allows you to settle into
the role of interview and still show you’re wanting to have a dialogue.)

2. What would really surprise me about you? What else? (First question
allows for a safe answer to test water and reveal self and a different side to
themselves. Watch for confidence, willingness and candidness. Second
phase‐“What else?” gives person another chance to reveal more as your question
suggests they may not have given the right response.)

3. What’s your real motivation to change jobs? Know the real reason?
(Look for motives other than money which is an easy target and rarely the real
reason. What to see if they place blame, seek asylum elsewhere, can’t handle the
pressure, the boss, the pace. Asking again suggests the person has not convinced
you and is a check to see if you’re hearing the whole story or the one that sounds
good.)

4. What’s your philosophy on goal setting? (Requires a detailed answer on
goal setting and gives insights to the persons value of goals, methods, direction
and importance of various influencers in the person’s life. Ask for examples of
some goals to see if they have meat or are flimsy and undisciplined, or thought
out and with substance.)

5. What reading material would I find on your coffee table,
nightstand, kitchen table, car? (Shows intellect, variety of interests, breath
of life experience, dedication to learning, laziness. Gives insights to social skills
and entertaining clients or public speaking if up on current events, trends and
best practices.)

6. Tell me a story about you being placed in an ethical dilemma and
what happened? (Insights to morals, ethics, integrity and problem‐solving.
Notice where or if blame is placed, fault elsewhere or how deep the person is
willing to reveal themselves and character in the story. Is it believable?)

7. How did you earn money while in college? (if you need entrepreneurial
skills this is an indicator. Resourcefulness, drive, social skills and street smarts
early in life. Probe for GPA to be sure money didn’t over take education and
good grades.)

8. How far away from home have you traveled? (Have a map on your
desk.) (Allows for storytelling with better visuals and allows person to share
travels and gives you insights to drive, interests and how they communicate
outside of business issues. Can show more about taking risk, social and cultural
differences and ability to travel safely and effectively for work.)

9. Draw me a pie chart showing how you spend an 8 hour day. (Watch
for organization, ability to set goals, calculate accurately, communicate on paper
and how easy is it for you to understand. Are their skills and time frames in line
with what you need?)

10. Are you a curious person, and if so, show me an example?
(Demonstrates wide interests, drive, need to win, fear of something new, status
quo. Examples give you more insights to how they communicate, persuade, sell,
entertain or motivate reactions.)

11. What’s your favorite success story and failure story? (Willing to
share failures gives insights to self‐confidence and maturity, as well as a sense of
true self and place in the world. Success stories let you see team effort, solo effort,
riding the coattails of others or how much personal drive they have related to goal
setting and curiosity. Are the stories substantive or weak examples?)

12. What should I have asked you that I haven’t? (indicates listening
skills, ability to close a deal, address hidden or apparent concerns of their ability
to do the job. Allows the person to close and ask for the job. What research have
they done that isn’t seen yet?)

13. Want to be a millionaire? Why? What are you doing to prepare for
it? (Money is not everything, so a sales person may respond much differently
than other roles. Answers could show how responsible or focused they are
towards the future and their role in their family. Watch for consistency relative
with other questions around goal setting.)

14. How would your world change if you made $35,000 more next
year? (Is motivation adequate enough to make them work hard enough to make
more income? Or pick a smaller or larger number depending on the ratio of the
job vs. an increase. If money is not a motivator, what else drives them?)

15. Are you ready to resign from your job in 5 days? What will they do
when you quit? What will they say about you after you have left the
company? (Is the person real serious about leaving? What for a counteroffer
and address it immediately.Have they thought through what will happen when
they quit and watch for unusual reactions. This could indicate an unwillingness to
commit.)

16. Share some stories about the 4 most influential people you know.
(Mentors can be critical to developing characters. Does the person value the
influence and sharing of others and how do they and what have they learned?
Does what they say they’ve learned align with the behaviors and results you see in
their career so far? Consistencies and examples will show.)

17. Have you ever created a 30, 60, 90‐day strategic plan for your job
or a future job? (Watch for ability to articulate and describe details on paper.
Can they organize, define and create strategies using the written word, graphs,
charts, etc. Many people can speak well of plans but can they communicate on
paper, organize facts and figures to allow purely visual interpretation? Are they
willing to do the homework to get the job? This exercise also shows ability for
being self‐directed.)

18. How do you go about planning you Day, Week, Month? Shows
whether they are proactive (plan to make it happen) or reactive (just let whatever
happens that day dictate their actions).

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