Employer Interview Questions

As an employer, you are in a constant quest to build the biggest asset of your company - its employees. Therefore, it is crucial that your selection process be stringent enough to match up to the high standards you set for your organization.

Resumes and references play an important role of introducing a potential employee to you. But then again, an introduction cannot be considered sufficient, isn't it? Which precisely where interviews come into the picture.

Interviews are conducted to gain a deeper insight into an applicant's actual abilities. Also, they provide the employer an opportunity to examine a personality, rather than making a selection based solely on the resume.

So, by asking the right kind of question, you place yourself in a better position to make the right choice. The questions that follow will come in handy.

• How would you describe yourself?
• How would you describe your ideal job or occupation?
• What qualities would you regard as your finest strengths?
• What about weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
• What is your biggest motivating factor?
• How would you define success and failure?
• How do you deal with criticism?

• What made you apply to our organization?
• What can you bring to this company?
• What motivated you to apply for this position?
• Why should we hire you?

• What qualities should a person working for this position possess?
• Which other positions would you be interested in applying for?
• What would be an ideal working environment for you?
• What was the hardest decision you had to take while fulfilling a project?

• What made you choose your major?
• What is the most important thing you learned in college?
• In hindsight, is there anything you would like to change about your education?
• In what way has your education shaped your outlook towards your career?
• Would you be interested in going back to studies?

• What made you choose the university/college/school you attended?
• How do you make the best use of your education in your field of work?
• What role has your educational background played in the way your career has shaped up?
• Did you, at any stage, contribute financially towards your education?
• Are your grades an accurate representation of your abilities?

• Are you comfortable with the possibility of relocating?
• Describe the best boss you have worked for.
• If given the opportunity to reshape your career, what would you change? Why?
• What would be your biggest frustration while handling an assignment?

• Do you have a preference for small or large organizations?
• How comfortable are you with handling multiple assignments at a time?
• Are you comfortable with a position that involves frequent traveling?
• Describe an experience where you overcame obstacles to achieve your target.

• How do you deal with work pressures?
• How do you handle conflicts with colleague/s?
• Are you comfortable with working for extended hours and rotational shifts?
• What was the best and worst part of your previous job?

There are certain areas that you should never veer into, no matter how noble your intention may be. It is considered illegal to discuss the topics mentioned below during the course of an interview-

• Race
• Color
• Sex
• Religion
• National origin
• Birthplace
• Age
• Disability
• Marital/family status

It is necessary for employers to frame and ask questions that would help bring out the best in a candidate, and likewise, the candidate should also show interest in knowing more about the company and its policies.

However, one should remember that the questions should be relevant, sensible, and not daunting for the candidate or inappropriate for the interviewer, for a successful recruitment process.