Interview Questions That Truly Reflect Company Values: What Should You Ask to Find the Right Fit?

Key Interview Questions for Hiring the Right Candidate

What questions to ask during an interview are crucial for hiring the right candidate. All companies talk about values, but do all interviewers know the exact questions to ask? Attached is a document that I prepared for my organization, and I am sharing it for all to benefit.

Dear Mr. Pawan Srivastava, Thanks for sharing a handbook of the interview questions. I wish the handbook were paginated. Secondly, the index is also not provided. Anyway, my comments are as follows:

a) The quality of the questions is very high. Ordinary candidates will not be able to reply to these questions. If the interviewer were to ask such questions, the recruitment department must bring exceptional candidates. This is a tough task for them.

b) The exceptionalness of the job candidates apart, the questions are suitable for senior candidates only. For example, a question on integrity is "Can you provide an example of a situation where you had to make an ethical decision?" In the Indian context, forget about the ethicality of the decision, how many managers can make decisions? If the candidate has worked in a company where top leadership was wary of delegation or empowerment, such a question does not carry much meaning.

c) Giving replies to the questions will require very good communication skills. Replies from the candidate will also test their fluency, descriptiveness, ability to sequence thoughts, etc. Getting such a candidate is also not easy.

d) Some of the questions are "Behavioural Interview" questions, and some questions are "traditional interview" questions. I feel an interviewer should stick to either pattern. A mix of the two is not desirable.

e) A few questions are direct questions. For example, one of the questions on "Passion for Excellence" is:

Can you share a project where you went above and beyond to ensure exceptional quality?

A seasoned interviewer does not ask direct questions. The skillfulness of the interviewer lies in asking questions where the interviewee may not even come to know which competency is being tested. Secondly, to make the interview conversational, the interviewer needs to ask supporting or clarifying questions. In fact, the attitude of the candidate gets revealed more because of the supporting or clarifying questions than primary questions.

Final Comments: While verbatim may be different, these types of questions are already available on the Internet. However, you have compiled these questions into a handbook. However, have you put the handbook to use? If yes, then what is your experience? How do the candidates reply? In one of my training programs on "Behavioural Interviewing," a participant who was an HR Manager commented that if we were to ask behavioural questions, then we would not get a single candidate. The quality of the question is high, and these questions are appropriate for mature companies. Against this backdrop, we the members of this forum are anxious to know your experience.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Hi Pawan, You're absolutely right. Asking the right questions during an interview is crucial for identifying the best candidate for a position. Here are some key areas and sample questions that can help interviewers assess whether a candidate aligns with the company's values and is a good fit for the role:

Alignment with Company Values:

- Can you tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that was in line with our company's values?
- How do you incorporate our company's mission and values into your work?
- Can you provide an example of a situation where you had to navigate a conflict of values in a previous role?

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking:

- Can you describe a complex problem you've faced at work and how you approached solving it?
- What steps do you take when faced with a situation where you don't know the answer?
- Tell me about a time when you had to think on your feet to come up with a creative solution.

Teamwork and Collaboration:

- Describe a situation where you had to work closely with a team to achieve a common goal. What was your role and how did you contribute?
- How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within a team?
- Can you give an example of a time when you had to step into a leadership role within a team?

Adaptability and Learning Ability:

- Tell me about a time when you had to quickly adapt to a new environment or a change in priorities.
- How do you stay updated with industry trends and new technologies?
- Describe a situation where you had to learn a new skill or technology on the job. How did you approach it?

Communication Skills:

- Can you provide an example of a project or situation where effective communication was crucial to its success?
- How do you tailor your communication style when working with different stakeholders or team members?
- Tell me about a time when you had to convey complex information to a non-technical audience.

Conflict Resolution and Interpersonal Skills:

- Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict between team members. What steps did you take?
- How do you approach giving and receiving feedback? Can you share an example?
- Tell me about a time when you had to navigate a difficult conversation with a colleague or supervisor.

It's also imperative to give candidates the opportunity to ask questions. This can provide valuable insights into their priorities and concerns, and it allows you to gauge their level of interest in the role and the company.

Lastly, always be mindful of legal and ethical considerations when conducting interviews, and ensure that questions are relevant to the job and do not discriminate against candidates based on factors such as race, gender, age, religion, or disability.

Hope this resolves your requirement after completing the interview with candidates for various positions, you need to enter the same as per candidate-wise as prescribed in your Interviewer handbook.

Thanks,