Choosing staff for your business can be a difficult task. Choose the right employee and everyone lives happily ever after. But, choose the wrong employee and you could end up wasting a lot of time and money.
The interview process should be taken seriously by both potential employees and prospective employers. Although interviews can sometimes be awkward and often nerve-wracking, it is important to ask interview questions that pertain to the role, instead of general, open questions.
So, what are the interview questions employers should NEVER ask and why?
Don’t ask questions like “Tell me about yourself”. This question is too vague. Think about what you want to know about each candidate and ask specific questions. Always avoid asking open questions that lead the candidate to give answers which may have nothing to do with the role.
Stay away from questions that make your potential staff member create unrealistic answers such as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” No one wants to discuss their weak points when trying to impress a potential employer and employers don’t want to hear that someone’s biggest weakness is that they are a ‘perfectionist’.
Try and avoid asking questions that could be considered discriminatory. What is your ethnicity? How old are you? Are you religious? What is your political persuasion? Even a simple “Where are you from?” could be considered discriminatory and used against you if a specific candidate is not chosen.
It’s also important not to ask “What are your responsibilities at home?” This could imply that if a candidate’s family situation is going to interfere with their work life, they may be less eligible for the role than someone with no outside responsibilities. Again, potentially being viewed as discriminatory.
Don’t start questions with “Do you consider yourself…” These questions generally lead a candidate to give a positive response, even if this response is untrue. Questions like do you consider yourself: a hard worker? A team player? A strong communicator? A problem solver? Should be avoided, saying no to any of these questions is going to make a candidate look like a poor choice. One the other hand, having a candidate lie because they feel it is what the employer wants to hear is going to cost the employer in the long term.
Interviewing can be awkward and uncomfortable but it is one of the most crucial steps to finding the perfect employee. Asking the right questions can greatly assist in finding the right candidate quickly and avoid having to conduct more interviews than necessary. Both the employers and the potential employee should walk away from a good interview feeling positive, so start your relationship with your new employee in the right way by asking the right interview questions.
If you’re looking to simplify your interview process, let us help! You can learn about what we do for our clients here.
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