Job Interview Questions for Better Job Seeker Assessment

A Recruiters task during a job interview is to gain as much insight into the relevancy of a Job Seeker's application. The aptness a Job Seeker displays when answering job interview questions is the defining factor when placing the best candidate in the role.

A Recruiter has a difficult task in identifying commonalities between a candidate and the company's culture. Finding a fit between the Job Seeker and the corporate culture of a company is a Recruiter's ultimate objective. By posing insightful questions to a Job Seeker during a job interview will provide for a better understanding of the suitability of the candidate for the given role. As Job Seekers are encouraged to prepare ahead of a job interview, so are Recruiters. The more preparation done ahead of meeting with a Job Seeker, the greater understanding the interviewer will establish afterwards.

Much insight can be found simply by posing appropriate and significant questions to the interviewee. The more familiar to the kinds of questions to present to the Job Seeker, the more efficient Recruiters will be in placing the right candidate in the right role. To place the perfect fit, Recruiters should learn to read between the lines of Job Seeker responses and what their replies are actually communicating about them.

Job interview questions reveal many unspoken facets about a Job Seeker. Job Seeker responses display their ability to cope with pressure and stress, their enthusiasm for the role, as well as their work ethics. Many Recruiters will argue that Job Seekers prepare ahead of a job interview and thus their responses have been rehearsed and favourably applied during the interview. While this is a fair and valid claim to make, insightful Job Seeker clues are revealed in response to even the most practiced of job interview answers.

To follow is the insight that Recruiters should look out for when posing specific Job Interview questions to any candidate.

Job Interview Question One: Why did you apply to this role and what value do you feel you can contribute?

When a candidate is posed with such a question, their responses reveal the intention behind their initial application and why they feel they are better suited to the role than other Job Seekers.

Based on the way in which they respond to this question, Job Seekers display the level of enthusiasm they have for the role as well as their personal career aspirations. It is easy to read whether a Job Seeker has applied to the role on impulse or desperation or if they have a real and burning desire to succeed in the given vacancy. First prize would go to the candidate that expresses both confidences in their ability as well as their passion and eagerness to further their career. By commenting on their personal value add, Job Seekers display their unique skills offering and how they anticipate applying this to the relevant role.

Job Interview Question Two: Why do you want to work for This Company? 

The eagerness that a Job Seeker displays in response to such a job interview question is a clear indication of their intentions when initially applying to the role. As above, nobody wants to place a Job Seeker in their client's role if they don't intend on taking the job function seriously. Impulse job applications, lacking an apparent motive to succeed are not the candidates to market to the employer. Answers to this job interview question also reveal the level of interest the candidate has in joining the company in question. After being invited to a job interview, those who are inherently interested in filling the role would have researched the company as well as the job function in in-depth detail. The next company they join is one that the candidate needs to be certain will satisfy their career objectives. Lack of interest in the form of poor preparation is a clear indication that the unprepared Job Seeker is not right to fill the vacancy.

Job Interview Question Three: Explain a situation of workplace conflict that you have been involved in and how did you overcome this?

The insight gained in the answer to such a job interview question is not so much the answer itself but rather how the candidate responds and performs when articulating a relevant example. This is a tricky question for Job Seekers to have to answer and the way they manage to respond will illustrate their ability to think on their toes. The way in which Job Seekers respond to stressful job interview questions displays their sensibility and level-headedness. The Job Seekers response to this question will also reveal what they consider to be conflict and difficulties faced in the workplace. An even-tempered candidate able to identify relevant stress from that of an emotionally charged situation displays their EQ (emotional intelligence) and how they apply workable solutions in getting around awkward or uncomfortable situations, undoubtedly present in any working environment.

Job Interview Question Four: Name short-term as well as long term goals that you have set for yourself.

Once more, the insight gained from this job interview question is not found in the actual answer but rather the way in which the candidate answers it and the realism and attainability of such goals.

Short term or long term goals need to be realistic as they are described and applied to real life settings. An unrealistic goal can indicate a well rehearsed sales pitch lacking in honesty and authenticity. The way in which Job Seekers respond to this question will help to define the relevancy of their application in terms of their sensibility and sense of reality. There is no harm in being over ambitious, however the right candidate will express attainable goals that are within their reach and illustrate how they practically plan on achieving such objectives.

Job Interview Question Five: What are your salary expectations?

Job Seekers salary expectations explained during a job interview also reveals their level of logic as well as their sense of self worth. An obscenely high salary, differing greatly from that of their current salary may indicate that the Job Seeker is idealistically pursuing a salary for its monetary value not in line to that of their quantifiable contributions. Again, there is nothing wrong by displaying ambition and drive, however, when applying internal literality, Job Seekers will be well aware of their value add. While this figure may differ marginally to the salary in fact earned, generally speaking contributions made to a company should be in line with the level of skill and justify a specific level of remuneration. The Job Seekers response to such a question will reveal their knowledge and understanding of their current place in their career as well as their current market value.

In asking only five simple job interview questions, greater insight and depth may be gained into the relevancy of a Job Seekers application. Such questions also reveal a candidate's underlying personality type as well as business ethics, values and moral. In making the perfect fit between the role and the candidate Recruiters are encouraged to learn how to read between the lines of Job Seeker responses and apply this insight into placing the very best person in the role.