Good Interview Questions (Page 2)

Agreed.  As someone who - of late - has found myself in the interviewee's seat, I can't even begin to express how grateful I'd be if a prospective employer felt I'm not what the firm was looking for, and cutoff the interview right there, rather than spending 2 hours with me and telling me they'll be in contact within X number of days or within the week and string me along.  It simply makes the whole process more nervewracking, and frankly I'd rather not waste 2+ hours talking to 4-5 different people who weren't interested in talking to me in the first place, if the employer wasn't sincerely interested in me.  From an interviewee's standpoint, there's nothing more aggravating than to be interviewed by someone who is bored with the process, and acts like meeting with you is a big annoyance. 

I completely agree. It really leads the interviewee on. I've been on quite a few interviews that lasted upwards of an hour or two - or more - in which I didn't get a call back. Or, it was like the 3rd or 4th round of interviews and I didn't get the job. I've also had people sit and interview me for extended periods of time, then proceed to take me on a tour of the building, show me where my office would be...and, I didn't get the job. Yeah, never show an interviewee his/her office if you don't expect he/she will actually be working there!

Okay, maybe I was off base on this, but one time an interviewer asked me to tell her about a mistake I had made and what I did to correct it. The question was that vague, and since I was on a job interview, I quickly thought of an on-the-job mistake I had made and how I remedied the situation. The interviewer responded by saying, "I wasn't in reference to something you did on a job. I want to know about a time you maybe hurt a friend and how you fixed it; or a decision you made in your personal life that you deeply regret and how you overcame it or were able to change the outcome." I don't know, I thought that was a bit personal...like I would tell an interviewer something that is very personal to me or that only a few of my friends or family may know. The interview ended at that point, which was fine because I had lost interest in the position by then anyway. I don't know...I wouldn't recommend asking that question. I just find it a little weird. I've been on TONS of job interviews and never once has anyone asked that question again.

OMG!   That reminds me of a question I was asked when interviewing at an accounting firm.  I was asked what I thought of San Francisco's homeless problem.   Ummmmm.....

 yeah...that's accounting-related....

Of course, this is the same interview where several of the people who interviewed me made it a point to tell me they live in Marin County (heavy emphasis on Marin!!!), and not San Francisco.

Interviewing isn't about propping up their self-esteem or putting on a show. You'd be doing them a much bigger favor by asking or telling them things such as:

• I'm assuming you knew we are a professional organization and are looking for employees to complement our organization. Why didn't you dress appropriately?
• I don't want to make you more nervous but I notice we're having eye contact problem. Are you nervous? It's okay to be nervous but I need you to look at me.
• I'm not sure what kind of interviewing advice you're getting but, for future reference, you should always show up with a clean copy of your resume.
• What questions do you have about our organization? About the position? About our corporate culture?

You can learn a lot about a person if you let them ask questions.

I've told candidates that they talk too much. I've told them that they need to look at me. I've asked "Do you usually slouch when you interview... cause you're slouching now?" You learn a lot about them when you gently confront them - do you get their attention or do they get pouty or belligerent?  Granted, you've already made your decision not to hire them (and I'm deciding whether to refer them to my clients) but if you want to help them in anyway, do them a favor and tell them what they need to do better/different for their next interview. Most people appreciate it.

One of my favorite questions is asking a candidate to tell me about what areas they would like to improve upon (which is turning 'what are your weaknesses' on its head).

I had people show up to apply for a job looking like they lead a grunge rock band or want to work at hooters.    Or the pants hanging down and the underwear hanging out. 

I did ask one kid why he wore that shirt while out applying for work - it said "If you think I am listening to you, you are more stupid than I thought?

Two questions I like to ask are:

1. How do you handle a situation if you have a teammate not pulling their weight?

2. What are 3 of your strengths and 3 of your weaknesses?

But my favorite thing to do (stolen from a Drew Carey episode - not always appropriate):

Greet them, take a moment to "study" their resume, and then while goofily waving their resume around, say...."Hmmmm....Lies....Lies....Lies. Now tell me what you really are like!"

It is a great ice breaker and gets people talking about themselves.

Danny

Just noticed a "University of Phoenix, this exit" sign on the freeway today.  The exit headed toward an undeveloped tract of land.

Without reading all the posts....

The best interviews I have been to have been somewhat informal.  They started off with just normal conversation and joking around.  Then instead of sitting down and grilling me, conversation just sort of swung in the direction of my qualifications and the important stuff.  In terms of questions they asked...  Their focus wasn't on "what can you do for us", but rather "what interests you?" then they started branching from that into what they are looking for.  We discussed my research and my PHD interests for a while before talking about the specific job.  Things ended up coming up that interested them that I wouldn't even have thought about bringing up

I had a job in state government once.  The process was:

1. All applicants are tested
2. Top 10 are interviewed by a panel of three (two from HR, one from a department outside the hiring department)
3. Top 3 after the first two rounds are "referred" to the hiring department for another  round of interviews with the department head, the assistant department head, the department head's boss, and that person's assistant.

I came in "first" in both of the first two rounds, and the department head really liked me.  My interview with the ADH came right after lunch, in his windowless basement office.  He was a droner, and then--to demonstrate the work I would be performing--he brought out reams of computer printouts that he really did not understand.  Swear to God, I dozed off.

I still got the job, and I started firm in the knowledge that the Assistant Department Head did not have any pull with anyone!  LOL

I once was interviewed while nude.   Probably the least formal interview I've ever had. 

Hi

This topic help me a lot in developing my project. I will contribute more when I finished it.

My company culture is to ask questions that are somewhat open ended and make you think on your feet. But one set of direct questions I always ask (separated by a few minutes) are

1. What sort of person do you most identify with? A Viking or a farmer? Meaning would you rather lead a charge into the unknown, or make what has already been settled more successful? Neither is a wrong answer, on it's own - successful companies need both. Some jobs however are better suited to one type or another.

2. After some period of time has gone by, I ask the interviewee to give me an example of a work project they are most proud of (successful or not). The answer here should somewhat align with the answer given above. For example if you answer the above with "I'm a hunter", and you are most proud of alphabetizing the TPS reports at your last company, something seems off. You do have to probe a bit though to make sure you don't miss a details that may make the answer here align better with the first answer. But, if they don't it makes me question one or both answers you have given.

if you are sitting in a raft in a pool holding a bowling ball and throw the bowling ball in the water, will the water level in the pool go up, down, or stay the same?

(i have been asked this in an interview and years later, talking to the guy who asked it, i have a huge appreciation for this question and look forward to him asking it to see the answer.  this is also the guy who asked me to perform a double integral in my interview, although he doesn't remember that)

If you want to get more materials that related to this topic, you can visit: What do you know about our organization? interview question answers

Best regards.

I'm sorry, but that webpage had too many spelling and proper word choice errors to be taken seriously for my liking.