Finding the right candidate for an available open position is never an easy task. It is a long process that begins with putting out the announcement for the vacancy and inviting applications. This will then be followed by a tedious process of shortlisting all the applicants, meaning that the recruitment Montreal agencies will have to go through the applications and resumes to find particular individuals who might be suitable for the available positions and invite them for an interview. Due to the importance of an interview, here is a brief look at some of the top questions to seek from a potential candidate.
Tell me about yourself
This is an open-ended question to give the interviewer a chance to learn more about the candidate. In most cases, apart from a brief summary of the candidate’s life story, the interviewer is interested in learning something unique about the candidate, which may give them a competitive edge above the rest and increase their profile as a suitable candidate to fill up the available position.
If there is something you would like to change in your past, what would it be?
The aim of this question is to gain relevant insights about the candidate’s past, especially regarding their regrets and to know how they would behave differently if they were to face a similar situation again. Such scenarios are vital in knowing if the candidate learned any lessons and it can also predict how they would handle fellow colleagues who might find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Most candidates are well prepared to answer this question because it is a common one. However, the responses will usually be rehearsed and contrived, and interviewers hardly get the kinds of responses they had hoped for when asking this question. Since this question is too general, you can narrow it down by asking the candidate about how they see their professional lives after five years. Alternatively, you can ask them what they don’t want to be in the next five years. This will make them abandon the rehearsed answers they already have, and they will give you an honest view of where exactly they want to be after five years.
Have you ever had a difficult time working with a colleague? What was the challenge and how did you handle it?
The recruiting agencies in Montreal interviewer should ask this question to gain deeper insights about the challenges a candidate has faced in the workplace, and if they have put in place any mechanism for resolving these challenges. This question will also give more insights into their problem-solving skills, people skills, and their level of tolerance when it comes to dealing with difficult colleagues. This is vital because disagreements between colleagues will always be there, and it is important to know how the candidate will react when faced with similar situations again.
Give me a few reasons why I should not hire you
The converse of this question is, “what is your biggest strength/weakness.” When asked directly, candidates will have prepared cookie-cutter responses to this question. However, when you flip it and ask them to tell you why you should not hire them, their rehearsed response disappears and they are compelled to think on their feet and give genuine responses they hadn’t thought about before. An intelligent candidate will respond by telling you what you will miss out if you don’t hire them. As such, they will end up telling you about their strengths and their suitability for the job.
What did you learn from a project you recently completed successfully?
Instead of just asking the candidate to describe a project they recently completed, seek to gain insights about some of the vital lessons they might have learned from the successful completion of the project. To respond to this question, the candidate will have to describe the details of the project, including the challenges faced and how they managed to overcome them. For the placement agency in Montreal conducting the interview, this is a chance to gauge the candidate’s competency level and their suitability to undertake the kinds of projects they are likely to face should they be successful in getting hired.
What is your ideal position and why?
This question will give the interviewee a chance to share their best skill sets and let you know where they think they can best fit within the organization. It is also a chance for the interview to evaluate how closely the candidate with responsibilities and duties they are likely to undertake when given a chance at the organization.
What is your success story related to this particular skill?
This question will make the candidate feel at ease and more relaxed – it is their time to blow their own trumpet. The aim of the question is to learn how the candidate has been successful in the past, and it also opens up doors for more follow up questions about the candidate’s exploits. Lack of tangible success stories should be a red flag to the interviewer.
What is your biggest failure related to this skill?
This question is to let the interviewer gauge the candidate’s honesty and self-awareness. The candidate should be willing to admit instances when things did not go as planned, and most importantly, they should be able to highlight some of the very specific lessons they might have obtained from those failures. If a candidate claims to not have any failures related to a particular skill they claim to possess, then it is either that they are very good, or they are simply not being honest.
What qualities does your ideal supervisor possess?
This question will give the interviewer some insights on who the candidate prefers working under, and how they would like to be communicated with and managed in a typical work environment. Through the responses given, interviewers will also gain useful insights about the candidate’s attitude and overall level of maturity.