Interview questions come in all shapes and sizes and have one thing in common; to separate star candidates from low performers.

Facing interview questions ranging from skills, behaviour and situation, to trickier abstract questions that test reasoning abilities, a candidate has to be confident they know the following inside out:

– The company
– Their CV
– The answers to common questions “why did you apply for this role?” etc

Prepping a candidate for an interview is an essential part of a recruiters job. The relationship between the recruiter and the client is crucial to the role the recruiter plays. Much like teachers and exam preparation – students can be guided as to what will appear on the exam paper, but not what the exact questions will be.

As a recruiter, when prepping your candidate for the interview, make sure you pass on all the relevant information about the company to the candidate – this will help settle them.

Another thing to do is tailor your advice to each candidate. Don’t have a script to read off as you will sound like a robot in a monotone voice, as it’s a real communication killer and there’s a high chance they will lose interest.

To ensure your candidate is prepped and ready to secure the job, we’ve listed 29 interview questions candidates need be able answer confidently.

Career interview questions

  • What has been the biggest challenge in your career?
  • What has been your biggest career success?
  • Are there any specific reasons why you’re looking for a new position?
  • Describe a professional situation when you made a mistake or failed at something, what you learned, and what happened next?
  • Give an example of a conflict or challenge you’ve faced at work and how did you deal with it?
  • Where do you see your career in five years time?
  • Understanding that you’re happy in your current position, what factors would you consider if you were to make a career change at this time?

 

Personal interview questions

  • What management styles do you work best under?
  • Would you be prepared to work longer days and weekends?
  • Why shouldn’t we hire you?
  • What steps do you take to ensure objectives are achieved?
  • How do you prioritise your daily workload?
  • Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
  • Can you give me an example of your strengths and weaknesses?
  • How has your current role evolved since you started?
  • How would your co-workers currently describe you?
  • What motivates you?
  • Do you prefer working as an individual or part of a team?
  • Describe yourself in three words?
  • How do you deal under pressure?
  • How do you stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends?
  • What techniques do you use to measure the quality of your work?

 

Role interview questions

  • Why do you want to work for our company and what attracted you to this role?
  • In a few sentences walk me through your background and experience and tell me how it relates to the position you’ve applied for?
  • How quickly will we see results from hiring you? Would you stake your job on achieving that result by a certain date?
  • What do you anticipate the first couple of months in the role would be like?
  • Pub challenge – how would you describe this job to a stranger in a pub?

 

Company interview questions

  • Tell me what you liked best and least at your current company?
  • What do you think our company could do better?

 

The more prepared your candidate is, better the chance they are likely to be relaxed and enjoy the experience. Well-prepared candidates provide insightful, honest and thorough answers. Prepare your candidates well and you’ll avoid any mistakes.