The Perfect Hire

Here are 5 interview questions that help hiring authorities weed out marginal candidates in their quest for the perfect hire:

1. Where would you like your career to be in 2-3 years?

Look for answers that demonstrate goal setting, and career planning. Do the candidate’s goals match those of the department or the company where they would be working? If the candidate’s career goals won’t fit into the company’s future goals, chances are the candidate will realize that quickly and start looking for a new position at another company that matches his or her personal goals.

2. Describe in detail the type of boss you’d like to work for; then detail out the type of boss you’d least like to work for.

At this point the candidate may be clueless as to what type of supervisor they will be working for. The question in your head is a simple one, do they or don’t they match their future boss. If they do, keep asking questions; if they don’t, start the interview closing questions.

3. What about the activities in your current position do you enjoy most? Least?

This is an indirect way of determining a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Candidates typically like to do activities they are good at, and try and avoid activities they are marginal or weak at. If the job entails a lot of phone work, and the candidate loves to file not a good fit.

4. All new jobs come with difficulties, if you encounter any in this position what do you think they may be?

Remembering that hiring authorities are trying to weed out marginal candidates quickly, this is another question that reveals a candidate’s area of weakness and / or a candidate’s self-doubt about being able to accomplish the goals of this position.

5. If the company gave you $5000 to spend anyway you wanted during your first year of employment, what would you spend it on?

This is a great question to determine some quick and creative thinking on the candidate’s part. The answer the hiring authority is looking for really is determined by the position the candidate is interviewing for. If it were a techie type, continuing education would be a good answer, a sales manager type, perhaps a contest for the account executives under his or her control.