Yesterday, we shared some of the worst interview questions imaginable. Today, we turn the tables and spotlight some of our readers’ favorite interview questions (along with comments from those who submitted them).
“Tell me about a recent professional (or academic) accomplishment that you are particularly proud of and tell me why you picked this example.”
This is my favorite question to ask candidates on an initial phone screen. It seems to get people talking and lends insight into what motivates them and how they operate.
“What would you want written in your epitaph?”
I suspect that my recommended question is legal, but it might be considered less than tasteful.
The job interview questions you can (and can’t) ask in California.
“Tell me about your sense of humor.”
A manager I work with gets some very helpful responses from this question. Let’s face it—a good sense of humor is a basic survival skill.
“Tell me a little about yourself.”
It is a safe question and candidates usually share a raft of information about their personal life and work history willingly. [However, you may not actually want a raft of information about the candidate’s personal life. It’s too likely to be information relating to protected status.]
“Describe what animal you are most like.”
Answers to this question are amazingly thoughtful and give us insight into another side of our candidates!
“What will you not do in your next job?”
This question seems to get a strange facial expression each time, but yields interesting answers.
“How would you rate your computer skills—beginning, intermediate, or advanced—and why would you categorize them that way?”
This is the toughest interview question I have ever been asked.
“What makes a good supervisor?”
This question gives perspective on the experiences that the candidate has had with previous supervisors/managers and what his or her expectations are. For example, if the position’s supervisor is a no-nonsense, direct person, an applicant who prefers a relationship-type supervisor would likely have difficultly.
“Tell me about a time when you were surprised by your boss’s reaction to something you did.”
Here’s an opportunity for candidates to toot their own horns and show an example of above and beyond performance. In some cases, candidates discuss situations in which their supervisor was not pleased. This can also be revealing.
“Looking for a better way is not always productive. Tell me about a time that you made a mistake by trying to improve something.”
This question shows how the candidates handle themselves when the inevitable goof occurs. Let’s face it—it is going to happen.
Don’t get burned by an innocent — yet illegal — interview question.
“Give me an example of how you have dealt with a major change in your work environment.”
My company is constantly changing and evolving. This question helps me to explore the flexibility of the candidates and whether they can adapt as necessary.
“Do you consider yourself to be an optimist, pessimist, or realist? Explain why.”
Hopefully this doesn’t fall into the category of a forbidden question.
Bonus question for reference checks: “If you could whisper advice in the ear of [candidate’s name]’s next supervisor, what would you tell them?”
I use this question not in interviews but in reference checks. It has often intrigued former employers enough to elicit more information than they intended to give me.
The job interview questions you can (and can’t) ask in California
“How old are you?” “Are you married?” “Where are you from?”
Most managers in California know that these questions are off limits during job interviews — they can lead to claims that you passed over job candidates on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or other protected characteristics.
However, that poses huge challenges when you (and your frontline supervisors) conduct job interviews: You don’t intend to discriminate, but you do need to ask lots of probing questions to screen applicants thoroughly and find the best fits for your open positions.
Deciding which questions you should ask — and how to ask them legally — can be very tricky business, and even the most innocent-sounding questions you throw out when making conversation with an applicant could come back to haunt you later in a legal claim or lawsuit.
Join us next Thursday, the 17th, for Job Interview Questions in California: What You Can (and Can’t) Legally Ask – and How To Get the Info You Need.
In this interactive 90-minute webinar, our expert speaker — a seasoned California-based employment attorney who’s heard every interview question imaginable! — will explain the legal dos and don’ts involved. Plus, we’ll give you checklists of questions, as well as other materials you can use to train your managers.
You’ll learn:
- Best practices for conducting in-depth, probing interviews without crossing legal lines
- How to use your job descriptions, candidates’ resumes, and other materials to draft appropriate, useful questions
- The questions you should always ask in every interview — from current duties and transferable skills to teamwork experience and the reason for leaving the last employer
- The questions you should never ask — from age, citizenship, and disabilities to marital status, religion, and arrest records (plus, legally acceptable alternatives you can use instead)
- Why even the most innocuous questions (e.g., “How did you learn to speak Spanish?”) could lead to big trouble
- How to avoid other problems with interview questions, from failing to ask questions consistently during the hiring process and relying too much on hypotheticals to using language that could be construed as an oral contract
- What you should do to reduce your legal exposure when job candidates ask inappropriate or illegal questions
- The dangers in making legal compliance — worrying about what not to ask — your primary focus in interviews
Sign up today! Can’t make it next week? Order the recording and learn at your leisure.