When you’re hiring an office staff member, you want to get a clear view of their work history, their skill sets, and their personality. This can help you determine whether or not they’re a good fit for your company. Here is a list of some creative interview questions you can ask and the insight that the answers can provide.
Ask How They Would Promote Themselves
If a potential staff member were up on a billboard, showcasing all their qualities, what would make you want to call them and offer a job? You want to know how they’re going to promote themselves, after all. Asking this question provides you with a couple of insights. You’ll learn how the candidate sees themselves, how they view their own abilities, what they think makes them different. It can also provide some great perspective on how they respond under pressure.
Ask What They Wanted to Become When They Were a Child
What did your prospective candidate want to be when they were a child? What happened to that dream? Is it still something they’re considering, or has that dream changed? How did that dream impact their life decisions? Knowing the answers to these questions will let you see how the candidate views their life experiences. It also lets you get to know them on a more personal level.
Ask What Work They Were Proudest Of
What moment in their work history has made them the proudest? What did they learn from that experience? This will allow your candidate to share some of their work experience in a more relaxed atmosphere. You’ll learn what they find as valuable in their work, and what contributions they gave to certain projects, activities, and situations.
Ask What Defines Success in Their Life
In their eyes, what makes for a great, day, month, or year? This will allow you to see what your candidate views as valuable. It will help you better understand how they determine achievements and success. This can also help you see how a candidate might be best motivated to get their work done on time and how you can encourage them to focus on quality.
Ask How They Determine What Step Comes Next
When they are working, how do they decide what work needs to be completed? What is their criteria? How do they decide what needs to happen first and what will require the most attention? How do they prioritize responsibility? Asking this will give you a good idea of how the candidate processes their workflow, and how he or she gets information on projects. It also will determine how well they can handle the work if there’s nobody giving them direct orders on what comes next.
Ask Who They Wouldn’t Want as a Reference
Who wouldn’t they put on their reference list? What are the reasons for this? Which people do they want to avoid you talking to? Whether this is a former colleague, a former employer, a teacher, or even a family member, this can provide some valuable insight. You will learn how the candidate sees themselves through the eyes of others, how they view their relationships with other people, and you may even be able to see if they leave things unresolved in their personal or professional lives. This question can be huge for knowing what kind of person you’re dealing with.
Enjoy These Questions and More
There are many other creative questions out there that you can ask a potential office staff member, but this list should give you some insights into the personality of your candidate. Be creative and find ways to get to answers about if they are not only qualified to fill your position but a good fit for your office culture.