When you conduct an interview, you’re also being interviewed. Therefore, you want to talk about you, your team and your company in a positive way. Although this may seem obvious, you may be subconsciously presenting your company or your management in a poor light. This can occur when you ask a question about how the candidate would contribute to strengthening your team. You want to be careful here not to present the company’s problems too dramatically.
What not to say: “Our scheduling system is a mess. We have so many people’s schedules to consider and it takes us forever to find meeting times that work for everyone. How would you approach this problem?”
Instead of being explicit about a problem in your question, ask something that more generally addresses the skill you are seeking in a candidate. For this example, you’d be seeking someone who could organize large quantities of information quickly.
Therefore, you should say, “Part of this role involves coordinating many busy people’s schedules. How would you approach scheduling conflicts in a timely manner?”
This way you’re not outing your company or your team as having a fault in this area. You’re making the focus of the question the candidate’s skills instead of your company’s problem.
Remember, your questions reveal a lot about you and your company. Instead of overwhelming the candidate with your problems, asking her skills-based questions gives her the opportunity to describe her abilities. The more you speak about your company positively, the more she’ll desire to work there.
How do you keep your interviews centered on the candidate’s skills? Tell us about it in the comments below.