So you've gotten to the point in your career where you're the one who is doing the hiring. Congrats! But how do you make the interview a little more interesting, and how do you get some un-rehersed answers from job applicants? The answer is, hit them with some unexpected (but appropriate) questions. Getting applicants to think on their feet is a great way to see how they'll actually behave while on the job, and will probably allow you to get to know them a little better.
Here are a few out-of-the-box questions that are fun to bring to the interview table, and might help you find the perfect person for the job.
- I'm going to give you five minutes to teach me something (anything!) new.
- How does this position relate to what you really want to be doing?
- What is one sentence that you want me to remember about you?
- If I were to ask your current boss to give me your greatest strength, what would they say?
- When was a time at work you were totally honest even though lying would have been easier?
- Who do you turn to for career advice and why?
- What are your reservations about this role?
- What kinds of things don't you like to do?
- If one year from now you were to say that taking this job was the greatest thing you've ever done, what would have happened in that year to make it so?