What kind of interview questions do you ask applicants?

It occurs to me that the primary purpose in an interview with s prospective employee is to determine a mytual fit for both the prospect and the company. It’s all about a Relationship. I think a conversation works in which both individuals learn about the values and qualities needed for a position. Two way street and being authentic is the best way!

Here's a few:

A.  What is your greatest success and what factors contributed to that happening?

B.  What was your greatest failure and why did that happen?  What would have caused that failure to be avoided?

C.  Give examples of "Risks" you are willing to take.  What risks are you not willing to take?

If I have to hire someone I will try to find out  he/she mental stability first. Millennial so called almost geniuses are all B/S. The questions to be asked are:

What you admire the most from your parents

How you will support your family in case of a financial emergency

How you treat your neighbor and anyone in need

If you have only $20 a week to spend, how you will distribute that money to get you by.

What make you feel you can be an assets to work for our company

Do you think is normal to have had 5 jobs withing a year and keep looking.

Do you treat your parents the same way you treat your friends 

How would you explain to your boss you can't be on time to work at least 3 days a week?

it may sound stupid or irrelevant questions, but those answer will tell a lot about a mental and moral stability of a future employee. Companies provide a future for anyone who wants to accomplish a real success, to achieve that mind and body needs to be healthy and so is the spirit of a good company.

My favorite question, which I feel is particularly pertinent for web-based industries, is, "What websites do you visit in your free time." It's not a deal breaker, but I give additional points to candidates who spend their free time on websites related to our industry. That signals a desire to learn on their own and a passion for the work they'll be doing. 

Our questions seek out technical ability, of course, but most questions try to determine team fit. We have a very diverse team that functions well together (about half are college grads and the other half are highly skilled operators, all working in teams). We do have an outside HR company and they help us with our hiring practices to assure we meet all legal requirements.

The first thing I do is put the resume aside and simply create conversation. This eliminates the fear so the interview feels more real and gives you a better sense of the individual. You will be amazed at what you can learn when the prospective employee is relaxed. It’s imperative that the hire is someone who can fit into your culture....or it will be a problematic hire in spite of the talent. 

Sure...Though no a typical employer I do have collaborators and I know I have a new colleague based on discussions where I may ask" Where would you like us to go?" "What do you like about what we do?" "What could we do better?" "We might change our mission statement. What doi you think it should say?"

The focus? Everyone you work with: clients, colleagues,employees, the public, all enjoy and ultimately respect having their opinion asked. Likewise you can therefore see how good a fit they can be.

I don’t do much interviewing but if I did I’d like to know what the person does in their spare time. Maybe ask them what atypical evening looks like at home or what their typical or favorite kind of activity on the weekend.

People love to talk about what they are passionate about and it reveals a lot about their motivation and greatest in life are. These are key to seeing who is the right fit for the position.

I believe an interview should be a natural conversation and not a prescriptive process. I ask questions like what are things they enjoy doing the most at their previous jobs, what are their strengths, what are they looking for in their next job, how important is personal development, their communication style, work style etc. Hope this is helpful. Best wishes in finding a great candidate! 

  At tone (www.tonetranslate.com) we are not just interested in hiring linguists, we are interested in hiring individuals who believe in our mission and share our vision to create understanding and opportunity in a multicultural world on the move. We want to know why an applicant likes translating written documents. Why did they choose this career? What do they enjoy about this type of work? I want to know what drives the person behind the resume. I want to hear their passion, even if it's about something personal in their lives.