Questions to Ask Potential Employee in Interview

Tips for Questions to Ask Potential Employee in Interview

Questions to Ask

A good policy is to ask questions designed to determine whether the candidate has the necessary skills and abilities to perform the duties of the job in question. Asking the candidate about his or her employment history (as listed on the application form or resume) is a good place to start.

Past Employment

You may want to include such questions as:

• What was your title at ABC Company?
• What were your duties in that position?
• What did you like most/least about the position?
• Why are you leaving your present employer?

Personality and Work Habits

Other questions should be aimed to gather information about the candidate's personality. For example:

• What is your greatest strength/weakness?
• Can you give me an example of a challenging situation at work and describe how you solved the problem?
• How do you deal with stress in the workplace?
• What motivates you at work?
• Do you work best in a group or independently? Why?

Current Opening

The next part of your discussion with a candidate should deal with the current opening in your company. Give the candidate the opportunity to sell him or herself to you as a potential employee by asking:

• Why should we hire you?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• What do you expect to gain from this opportunity?

Establishing Criteria

When asking questions of a potential employee candidate, it's helpful to establish or keep in mind the specific criteria that will be most helpful in determining whether an applicant will meet the company's needs. If the company has a pre-determined set of traits and skills that are necessary for the job, utilize that resource.

If not, determine what skills and characteristics are most important to the position in question, and ask interviewees questions that will illustrate whether or not he or she has those skills. Open-ended questions are often helpful in this regard. For example, asking a candidate to describe an experience that gave them a sense or accomplishment will illustrate his or her values, motivations, and possibly how he or she handles challenges.

Questions to Avoid in a Job Interview

Prohibited Topics

U.S. employers are prohibited by law from discriminating against a job applicant based on the following criteria:

• Age
• Religion
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Sexual Orientation

Questions Not to Ask

There are a number of questions that a potential employer is prohibited from asking a candidate during a job interview. Here are some examples:

Question: How old are you?

A better option is to ask the candidate if he or she is over the age of 18.

Question: Do you have children? Are you planning on having children?

Instead, explain whether the position requires travel or overtime work regularly and ask the candidate if there are any reasons why he or she would not be able to meet these requirements.

Question: Are you married or living with a partner?

If the information you are trying to find out is whether the candidate can relocate if necessary, simply ask that question. The person's marital status or living arrangement is not relevant.

Question: Where were you born? Are you a citizen of this country?

These are illegal questions. The candidate's place of birth has no bearing on whether he or she can do the job. Instead, ask whether the applicant can legally work in the United States.

Question: Do you attend church services or belong to any kind of a social/service club?

A person's religious faith has no bearing on their ability to do a particular job. Whether the candidate belongs to any clubs or organizations is also irrelevant. A potential employer may invite the applicant to share the name of an organization he or she belongs to if it is relevant to the job being discussed, i.e., membership in a professional organization related to the position applied for.

Familiarize yourself with state and federal employment laws before making a list of questions to ask potential employee in interview. The last thing you want is to open your company or business up to a potential legal action.