At 10x Management, we understand hiring the right people for a job plays a big part in forming your company’s culture and ensuring its future success. Selecting informative interview questions can be a key factor in finding the right talent — as well as weeding out the ones that won’t fit. A candidate’s answers can be telling.
So we ask the question:
Are there any job interview questions that absolutely every business owner or hiring manager should ask, no matter the role, industry, or level of experience required? According to several business leaders, the answer is yes. Inc contributor Jessica Stillman answers this very question in the article, The 2 Questions You Need to Ask in Every Job Interview. Below you’ll find the pair of key interview questions that are guaranteed to produce ultra-revealing candidate answers.
Question 1: Why are you here?
“Any well-structured interview will dig into a candidate’s past achievements and failures, hopefully unearthing all the details of their actions and interactions with others. But while most bosses (hopefully!) know how to assess skills in this way, some forget to ask a much more profound question — not what a candidate can do, but why they want to do it at all,” explains Stillman. Basically, you want to see passion for your purpose. Anyone can learn new skills but passion cannot be learned.
Question 2: Why shouldn’t I hire you?
“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you,” Gould says. “People who are upfront about their shortcomings possess the element of humility that makes them a likeable person you want to work with,” states Yashi, CEO and co-founder Jay Gould.
Other interview questions that can help determine emotional intelligence
- Who inspires you and why?
- If you were starting a company tomorrow, what would be its top three values?
- If business priorities change, describe how you would help your team understand and carry out the shifted goals?
- Did you build lasting friendships while working at another job?
- What skill or expertise do you feel like you’re still missing?
- Can you teach me something, as if I’ve never heard of it before? (It can be anything: A skill, a lesson or a puzzle.)
Ultimately, someone can be very smart, but if they are not someone you or your team enjoy working with — that can greatly shift team morale and they likely won’t be a fit.
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