Interview Questions

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GordonG Oct 2015 11:42am, 6 Oct 2015 6,739 posts	0 GordonG And just in case anyone asks a really, really, stupid question like "how long is a piece of string?" or "how many molecules are there in a carrot", the answer is "twice as long as half a piece of string" and "about half as many molecules as there are in a carrot twice its size"
Elsie Too Oct 2015 11:50am, 6 Oct 2015 1,511 posts	0 Elsie Too lol - I like those answers Gordon, thanks.
Too Much Water Oct 2015 12:08pm, 6 Oct 2015 5,199 posts	0 Too Much Water Weaknesses is a good question to focus on how you've responded to previous constructive criticism, treated it as a learning point etc My favourite question to ask someone is "what do they do when they have nothing to do at work". Not many people expect to be asked that, and it is a chance to show how (as a manager) how they could allocate duties etc to their team, ensure everyone has things to do, use time productively for future planning etc If someone had not changed job for 15 years my biggest concern as an HR person would be what is their ability to adapt to a different environment going to be like, cultural fit becomes even more important.
Diogenes Oct 2015 12:09pm, 6 Oct 2015 11,267 posts	0 Diogenes We always ask people to list 3 strengths and weaknesses. Most interviewees have one or two lined up but really struggle on the third. Keep waiting for that third one, when it comes it is often the truth rather than a prepared answer.
Elsie Too Oct 2015 12:10pm, 6 Oct 2015 1,512 posts	0 Elsie Too Thanks TMW
Elsie Too Oct 2015 12:11pm, 6 Oct 2015 1,513 posts	0 Elsie Too That is just plain mean Dio - thanks for the warning.
Spleen Oct 2015 12:12pm, 6 Oct 2015 1,198 posts	0 Spleen And don't forget to enter the room with your hands open and relaxed in case the interviewer is going to do the equally stupid "chuck a ball at you and see if you catch it" thing. theguardian.com is quite a good source of silly interview questions, both above and below the line.
Duchess Oct 2015 12:18pm, 6 Oct 2015 6,206 posts	0 Duchess A massive amount of interviews these days are based around competency assessments and the STAR technique referenced previously. So it's often based around the questions of "tell me about an occasion when...." you had to manage an underperforming team member you had to manage conflict you had to deliver bad news etc etc The other thing is that almost all interviews will include the question "do you have any questions for us?" and it's amazing how many people don't have anything to say. I've often responded with "what's the best thing about working here?" but I'm sure there are many better.
Hendo Oct 2015 12:26pm, 6 Oct 2015 29,206 posts	0 Hendo Worst answer to the "weaknesses" question is "work too hard" or "perfectionist". Don't say that. I like to ask how work colleagues would describe you.
Too Much Water Oct 2015 12:27pm, 6 Oct 2015 5,201 posts	0 Too Much Water I ask that question Duchess, if they can't answer readily then it's a bad time, and also try and dig deep about the company culture, if I'm giving them 36 hrs / week I want to enjoy my time there. Where relevant I ask about training and company growth plans (though the latter I would have researched myself too)