There are five types of questions recruiters should be asking every time they interview a candidate for a job. These types of questions, when asked at the right time and in the right way, can immensely benefit both the candidate and the prospective employer.
Alas, for some reason or another, these five types of questions are rarely asked. And because they aren’t asked, the recruiter may fail to highlight certain ‘blind-spots’.
These questions do not replace the usual standard interview questions. Standard interview questions are great to a point, but they are not enough.
These five types of questions recruiters should be asking, can be used to complement even the toughest interview questions. One of the greater benefits of these types of questions is to provide a more relevant conversation between the applicant and the employer. But, that is just the beginning.
So, which are these five types of interview questions every recruiter should be asking? And, why are they so important?
For purposes of simplicity, let’s refer to these five types of questions as:
1. Root Questions;
2. Check Questions;
3. Creative Questions;
4. Block Questions; and
5. Hygiene Factor Questions.
Following is a quick round-up of why these questions are asked:
1. Root Question
The Root question is asked to confirm that the candidate is self-aware and can articulate why they will be motivated to perform in the job they are applying for.
2. Check Question
The Check question accesses the candidate’s past achievements to highlight how the motivator the candidate has articulated is manifested in their current role or job.
3. Creative Question
This type of question is asked for the purpose of identifying the candidate’s flexibility with respect to what they perceive the new job will give them. The question asks ‘how adaptable is this person?
4. Block Question
By asking this question the recruiter is attempting to find out what is likely to happen if the perceived benefit (motivator) is not met in the new workplace.
This question brings the integrity of the candidate into the spotlight. This is a very important question.
If, for example, the motivator is presently being met by their current employment, why then are they leaving?
If it isn’t being met, how are they reacting? What are they doing? Furthermore, how will they react to the new employer?
This type of question anticipates a key problem for most organizations, which if handled properly can help the organisation realize beforehand whether the applicant is or isn’t to be employed.
5. Hygiene Factor Questions
When the candidate lacks a specific inclination that is essential to the job they are applying for, or that inclination is their list motivator then there is an apparent conflict. Say for example, the applicant is applying for a sales position but their profile shows an aversion or an indifference to money. This should tell the recruiter that the candidate is least motivated by this type of thing.
In a case like this, the recruiter needs to ascertain whether the employer will be okay with someone who isn’t motivated by the job they’re applying for.
We stated earlier that there is a time and way of asking these five types of questions. Yes, there is! There are specific pre-requisites and methods of asking these questions.
One of the pre-requisites is that the candidate should have done a specific assessment prior to the interview. The self-perception assessment of the candidate’s interactions and engagement in their current job.
The overall purpose of this process and the specific five types of questions every recruiter should be asking is to ensure that the employer and the candidate are a fit.
Question is: as a recruiter, are you asking these questions? And do you know how to ask them?