Strategic Interview Questions You Should Be Asking
You're preparing to interview several prospects, but you're not sure what questions to ask. Naturally, you'd want to make the most of it by asking strategic and pointed questions. But what exactly does that entail?
Behavioral, situational, and career development questions are among the strategic interview questions to ask applicants. Behavioral questions probe the candidate's previous conduct, situational questions probe their current problem-solving abilities, and career development questions probe their long-term objectives.
This blog covers some broad guidelines for making the most of your interviews. We will go through some strategic behavioural, situational, and career development questions you can ask your candidates to gain a more complete view of how they will perform at your organization.
GENERAL INTERVIEW POINTERS
Ask questions specifically related to the role
While this post will cover some general strategic interview questions to ask your prospects, don't be afraid to ask them more specific questions that will help you decide whether they are a good fit for the position they are interviewing for.
For example, if you're interviewing for a Principal Engineer position and need someone with strong technical skills and the ability to manage a team of different personalities, you might ask questions on advanced projects they have worked on as well as questions geared towards assessing their skills in communication, collaboration, delegation etc.
Ask every candidate the same questions
The best way to ensure that you make a fair judgement is to ask each candidate the same strategic interview questions.
You won't have all the same information on all of your applicants if you ask them different questions. Also, certain candidates may find it easier to answer some questions than others, so you won't receive a balanced picture of your interviewees.
Ask open-ended questions
Open-ended questions are more valuable than closed-ended questions. During the brief interview period you have available, you discover more about your candidates when encouraging them to give broad answers to questions . They also help you get a better understanding of who someone is.
Rather than asking "Have you ever made a mistake at work," say, "tell me about a time you made a mistake at work." "Can you tell me what happened and how you dealt with it?"
STRATEGIC BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK
Behavioral interview questions are questions aimed at eliciting information about a candidate's previous conduct. They assist the interviewer in gaining a better understanding of the candidate's work style, decision-making abilities, and how they manage work-related situations. You can often predict how well they would manage comparable events in their new role by looking at their past experiences.
Here are some examples:
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work. How did you handle the situation?
This is a great question to ask candidates since everyone makes mistakes. How people handle those mistakes, however, varies from person to person.
Pay close attention to the candidate’s response. Do they blame someone else for the error or do they take responsibility for it? Is there anything they've learned from their blunder? What steps did they take to ensure that it wouldn't happen again?
You'll want to hire someone who sees their error as a learning opportunity and applies what they've learnt.
Describe a stressful situation you’ve faced at work. How were you able to resolve it?
Stress is something we all face, however since the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists Construction Manager as the 4th most stressful jobs in the US, it’s certainly a subject worth addressing in an interview.
It's crucial for your candidate to be able to handle stress in a positive way, regardless of the position he or she is looking for. You want someone who can handle a pushed-back deadline being understaffed without fully crumbling under strain.
If you're interviewing candidates for a high-stress position, you'll want to pay attention to how they respond to this question. You want to hire someone who will be able to persevere in the face of adversity. Pay close attention to see if they have any specific coping skills for dealing with difficult situations.
Tell me about a time when you set yourself a personal goal. How did you manage to fulfil it?
This question probes the candidate's capacity to motivate themself and achieve their goals.
The answer to this question might offer you an indication of the candidate's dedication and ambition. It will also give you an idea of their organisational skills, since most goals require a well-thought-out strategy.
A good applicant, especially if they are interviewing for a managerial position, can set goals for themselves and achieve them with minimum supervision.
SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS TO ASK
Situational questions aid in the evaluation of a candidate's problem-solving abilities. You inquire as to what the candidate would do in a hypothetical situation and observe their response.
These types of questions force the candidate to think quickly and provide you with insight into their judgement and decision-making abilities.
Here are some examples:
What would you do if you had nearly completed a project on which you had spent a lot of time and effort when the goals or priorities were abruptly changed?
The answer you want to this question is contingent on the position for which the candidate is interviewing.
If the candidate is being interviewed for a higher-level role, you may want someone who can use their problem-solving talents to find a method to satisfy those priorities without having to redo the entire project.
You want someone who can both meet the company's requirements and be resourceful.
How would you deal with criticism from a superior?
While criticism can be tough to accept, it is a crucial part of the learning process and helps us develop into more capable individuals.You want your applicant to see criticism as an opportunity to grow and improve. A good applicant will admit to making a mistake, learn from the criticism, and put the advice into practise.
Be aware of candidates who take criticism personally or get defensive in the face of it.
What would you do if you were tasked with collaborating on a project with a co-worker, but you couldn't seem to agree on anything?
This question allows you to observe your candidate's ability to resolve conflicts in real time. You'll want to hire someone who attempts to see things from their co-worker's perspective and tries to work things out with them first.
Because open communication is crucial, you want the candidate to show that they can freely discuss difficulties in a solution-oriented manner rather than becoming defensive or upset.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS
Career development questions reveal a candidate's ambition and provide insight into their future plans. These are critical things to ask because you want someone who is proactive and wants to continue to improve rather than stagnate.
What are your long-term professional objectives?
This question is crucial since it reveals the candidate's level of ambition. While the candidate may indicate that they aim to be a manager or CEO in the future, they should also outline how they plan to gradually obtain additional responsibilities within the organisation. You want someone who understands that rising through the ranks requires hard work and devotion.
This question also reveals whether your organisation will be able to provide the individual with the benefits they desire in the long run. You want their long-term goals to line with your company's, so they'll be glad to stay with you in the long run.
SUMMARY
A mix of behavioural, situational, and career-oriented questions are the most strategic ones to ask candidates.
These interview questions examine several elements of the candidate so that you can obtain a whole picture of what they've done in the past, their current judgement and problem-solving abilities, and their long-term objectives.
Get in touch for a chat about your talent requirments and we will find the best possible people to fill those roles getus@jamesgrayrecruitment.com