6 great interview questions & what to look for in responses

Interviews are an important part of the hiring process, helping you gather job-related information that you typically can't find through resumes and applications alone. To be effective, interviewers should prepare and ask the right questions. Candidates for the same job should generally be asked the same set of core questions. Here are six key inquiries to consider for your core interview questions, along with the reasons for asking them — and what to look for in responses. Listen in as we cover the following interview questions:

• [1:00] “What do you like and dislike about your most recent job?”
• [2:21] “How do you approach a task that you find challenging?”
• [2:50] “Can you describe a work disagreement you've had with a colleague or supervisor and how you handled it?”
• [3:25] “Can you tell me about your biggest work accomplishment, how you achieved it, and why you're most proud of it?”
• [3:58] “Can you discuss a time when a client or customer was unhappy with you and how you responded?”
• [4:40] “What is the most important thing we should remember about you when we're making our decision?”

This content is based on generally accepted HR practices, is advisory in nature, and does not constitute legal advice or other professional services. ADP does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the content. Employers are encouraged to consult with legal counsel for advice regarding their organization's compliance with applicable laws. This content is current as of the published date. 

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Episode Transcript

Jim (00:00):
Interviews are an important part of the hiring process, helping
you gather job related informationthat you typically can't find through
resumes and applications alone.
To be effective and consistent,interviewers should prepare and ask
the right questions, and candidatesfor the same job should generally be
asked the same set of core questions.
During this podcast, we'll coversix key queries to consider for

(00:23):
your core interview questions.
Along with the reasons for asking themand what to look for in their responses.
Welcome to HRpreneur.
I'm Jim Duffy.
From main street to your street,the HRpreneur podcast is centered
around helping small businesseslike yours, gain the knowledge you
need from HR, payroll, and hiring totime, taxes, benefits, and insurance.

(00:43):
Today, we'll talk with our guestMila Edelman about effective
interview questions and assessingtheir responses to them.
Mila is a senior director inour talent acquisition organization.
Acquisition organization.
Hello there, Mila.
Welcome to the program.
It's great to have you on our podcast.

Mila (00:56):
Thanks, Jim.
It's so good to be here with you.

Jim (00:59):
So let's jump right in.
The first recommended interviewquestion you have on your list is
asking the candidate what they like anddislike about their most recent job.
Can you tell us why you chose this one?

Mila (01:10):
Yes, of course.
And, uh, before I address that,I did want to add one important
piece to the preparation andthe questions that you select.
While we're recommending effectivequestions to ask, it is important to
note that these questions should bebased on the type of the role that
you're interviewing for and also theculture in your company, as you want to
assess the fit of the candidate to yourposition as well as to your company.

(01:31):
And they should also beconsistent across all candidates
interviewing for the same role.
Also, it is important to be mindfulthat as you assess the candidate,
the candidate is also assessingyou as the hiring leader they want
to work with and your organizationto see if it is a fit for them.
So with that, let meaddress your question.
This is one of the questions that Irecommend because a candidate's answer

(01:51):
to the question can help you determinewhether they're a good fit for the job.
Look for whether their likes alignwith the job opening and whether
their dislikes conflict with thejob and your company's culture.
For example.
If the candidate says they dislike thefast paced nature of their job, and
you know your work environment sharesthat characteristic, this could be an

(02:12):
indication that the job isn't a good fit.
In these cases, ask follow upquestions to probe further and to help
identify whether a conflict exists.

Jim (02:21):
Mila, you also recommend asking how the candidate approaches a
task that they find challenging.
What are you looking for inan answer with this one?

Mila (02:29):
Well, every job has work that an employee will find challenging, so you
want to uncover how candidates will handlethe challenge and how they prioritize the
challenging work to ensure it gets done.
For example, some employees mayengage their time management skills
and tackle difficult work in thebeginning of the day when they have
more energy and fewer distractions.

Jim (02:49):
So, your third recommended interview question is asking the
candidate to describe a work disagreementthey've had with a colleague or a
supervisor and how they handled it.
What's the impetus for this question?

Mila (03:01):
Disagreements are bound to pop up from time to time in any workplace.
A candidate's answer to this questioncan reveal how they would likely
handle similar situations working foryou and whether they can collaborate
with others and work as a team player.
Look for whether their responsesdemonstrate a compelling rationale for
resolving a conflict, and whether theirapproach aligns or conflicts with your

(03:22):
company's culture and or practices.

Jim (03:24):
Mila, your next recommended question is asking the candidate
to discuss their biggest workaccomplishment, how they achieved
it, and why they're most proud of it.
Why is this question important?

Mila (03:34):
A candidate's answer
can show you a lot about what they value,
what motivates them, and whattype of recognition they prefer.
For example, their answer may indicatethat they value overcoming challenges
and collaborating with others tosolve problems, or that they thrive
on intrinsic rewards, such as asense of achievement, or extrinsic
rewards, such as receiving a bonus.

Jim (03:56):
Mila, that makes a lot of sense.
I also like your next recommendedquestion, which is asking the candidate
to discuss a time when a client ora customer was unhappy with them
and how the candidate responded.
Can you please tell us more?

Mila (04:08):
Sure.
Virtually every job requires somelevel of service, whether it's dealing
with external or internal clients, forexample, colleagues in other departments.
The answer to this questioncan give an indication of the
candidate's communication skills,their sense of responsibility,
and customer service skills.
It can also show whether a candidatehas empathy to deal with clients

(04:29):
in a manner that aligns with yourcompany's core values, and it can also
demonstrate whether they have goodjudgment in making decisions in a tough
situation to resolve client escalation.

Jim (04:39):
So Mila, to end the interview, you recommend asking the candidate
to identify the most important thingthe interviewer should remember about
them when they are making a decision.
Why is that?

Mila (04:49):
Two reasons, really.
First, this question gives candidatesanother opportunity to discuss
the knowledge, the skills, andthe experience that can separate
them from other candidates.
In essence, it's an opportunity forthem to reiterate why they should be
hired over other candidates.
Second, it can also allow them timeto discuss any relevant areas they may
have left uncovered during the interviewprocess to help support their candidacy,

(05:13):
and in some cases may also show how wellthey prepared for the interview too.

Jim (05:17):
This next question wasn't on your list, Mila, but I wanted to
ask you about it because it seemsto be a very popular question.
It is asking the candidate todescribe their biggest weakness.
What do you think of that one?

Mila (05:30):
First, if I could add that I always prefer opportunity or
developmental opportunity versus weakness.
It is also not myfavorite question to ask.
The reason is, some candidates willgive a response like, My biggest
weakness is I'm a perfectionist.
So where do you go from there?
Or many times, they may prepare ananswer that they think you want to hear.
Instead, I like to ask a more pointedquestion, like, what skill they would

(05:53):
like to improve on and what new skillthey would like to develop over the
next year or two, as an example.
They may be more reflective andcandid in their response when
the question is phrased this way.

Jim (06:05):
Mila, this was a very informative conversation, and this brings
us to the end of our episode.
Thank you once again, Mila,for taking the time to join us
and for sharing your advice.
And I enjoyed the discussionhere on HRpreneur.
So Mila, while you were chatting,I've taken down a few notes, so
please let me recap and correctme if I've missed anything.
The first point is asking thecandidate what they like and dislike

(06:26):
about their most recent job can helpdetermine whether they are a good fit.
for your open position.
The next point is asking how thecandidate approaches a task that
they find challenging can help giveinsight into how they are likely to
handle difficult work in the new job.
The third point is asking thecandidate to describe how they
handled a work disagreement witha colleague or a supervisor.

(06:48):
This can reveal how theywould likely handle similar
situations while working for you.
The next point is, asking thecandidate to discuss their biggest work
accomplishment can show you a lot aboutwhat they value, what motivates them,
and what types of rewards they prefer.
Another point you raised, Mila, wasasking the candidate to discuss a
time when a client or a customer wasunhappy with them, and how the candidate

(07:11):
responded can give an indicationof the candidate's communication
skills, the sense of responsibility,and customer service levels.
Lastly, asking the candidate toidentify the most important thing the
interviewer should remember about themgives the candidate another opportunity
to discuss their knowledge, skills,and experience and give them time to
discuss any areas that they may have leftuncovered during the interview process.

(07:34):
Did I capture them correctly?

Mila (07:36):
Yes, you did.
You captured it perfectly.

Jim (07:38):
Thank you.
Presented by ADP, HRpreneur focuseson the entrepreneurs and the business
drivers that are shaping the growthof their companies and positively
impacting the lives of their employees.
With each episode, we'll bring theexperts to you, answer your questions,
and help you think beyond today so youcan discover more success tomorrow.
Thanks also to our listeners forjoining us for today's episode.

(07:59):
Be well, and we hopeyou'll join us again soon.