Good Interview Questions to Ask

Choosing good interview questions to ask comes from preparing in advance.

Too many interviewers think that when it comes to interviewing applicants, they can just 'wing it'. As a manager or business owner you should never go into an interview unprepared.

During an interview you need to be able to answer any questions that may be asked of you relating to pay, entitlements and conditions of service etc. When you have not prepared it is unlikely that you will be able to offer thorough and accurate advice to job applicants.

You will not get the best out of the candidates that you are interviewing. You will also show your company in a negative light as you will look unprofessional.

Your aim is to select the person who is the best 'fit' for the vacancy that you need to fill. To develop great interview questions you first need to have a thorough understanding of the position. Without this, any questions that you ask an applicant may not be entirely relevant to the position.

Before You Advertise

Is there an ongoing need. Does the position need to be filled permanently? Or is the increased workload a temporary situation?

Can you get by with hiring a temp, a casual or a sub contractor. For further information see employment categories.

Are there peaks and troughs to your industry? Will the work be seasonal or is it consistent?

Can the workload be managed by altering the duties of current staff so that an additional person will not be required.

Are there any tasks being performed that may no longer be necessary. Often as a business grows the duties of a position may change. Is there a genuine recruitment need or would a streamlining of procedures achieve the same outcome?

How to Prepare

a job description

a person specification and

a selection criteria

The above documents can be as detailed or as simple as you like. If you would like more information on what is included in each of these documents you can read more about interview questions preparation here.

A general rule of thumb is that the more complex and specialised the position then the more involved the descriptions. The benefits of developing a job description and person specification are many.

Firstly this process will help you to decide on the essential qualifications of a candidate rather than a wishy washy wish list. The process will give you a clear idea of what is required in an applicant.

From here you can then prepare good interview questions to ask and decide which method of recruitment is the most suitable for the vacancy at hand, as well as for your business. Many interviewers struggle when choosing questions for interview.

Preparing the above documents will also give you an understanding of which award is applicable to the position or if you will need to employ under an employment contract.

People often talk about co workers or previous staff and say that they either did or didn't 'fit' in. Ideally by taking the time to prepare these important documents you will come up with some good interview questions to ask. You will then select a candidate who is a good 'fit' for the position.

Good Interview Questions to Ask
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Good Interview Questions to Ask
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