Good People Services Bolton have some great advice for you when interviewing in your business

7 Useful Questions For Interviewers to ask

Holding an interview may not be as easy as it may seem and for hiring managers holding their first interview it can be rather intimidating. You may have a short list of people you want to interview but now you need to find the best candidate and the interview is a key element in the process. Here we look at 7 questions you may want to ask the candidates to see which will best suit your business. (The questions are in no particular order.)

1) Tell me a little about your-self

It is useful for your first question to be open to help the candidates relax a bit and to build a little rapport between you and the candidates. Watch out for when candidates start to go off on tangents, if they do wander bring them back to the question and move on.

2) Why did you leave your last job?

Here you are trying to find out why the candidate is between jobs. It could be they wanted a change of pace, their contract might have come to an end or they might have had a disagreement with their former employers. 

3) What would your boss say is your greatest weakness/strength?

You want to ask the candidates what others would say about them as it can be quite difficult to dress up such an answer.  It is a good idea to acknowledge that all of us have weaknesses, and that it will help them function better in the business to understand where they might lie.  You will want to find out where the candidates lacks in skills but also if they have taken steps to overcome their weakness.

4) Why have you applied for this position?

You want to ask this so you can find out if the candidates have done their homework in researching your company which shows their resourcefulness and initiative. Also you want to find out if the position fits the candidate’s desires, if they will stay with you or if they will move jobs as soon as they are able.

5) Describe the best boss you've ever had

With this question you want to find out what management style may best suit the candidate. (Alternatively, you can ask for a description of the worst boss they’ve ever had)

6) What would you do if…?

This can be any situation you want. You want to see if they can think on their feet as they may not be expecting this question.  It provides information about how they would react in a situation you have in your company.

7) Are there any questions you want to ask me?

As an interview is a two way process, it’s only fair to allow the interviewee a chance to turn the tables and ask a question or two of their own. They should always have questions to ask too. If they don’t it may demonstrate a lack of care or interest in the vacancy.