What are some of your best interview questions?

While I have the attention of some of the best recruiters, I'm wondering what questions you ask to learn the most about your jobseekers. Technical, transferable, adaptive; all would be welcome. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Megan Bell on April 13, 2012 at 10:30am

Who has been your best boss and what made them such a great boss? What was the best place you worked and why? - these two help me figure out if they'll fit in culturally as well as with our Department Manager.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on April 13, 2012 at 1:41pm

"what would you change about your current (or most recent) position?" You get some surprising answers... sometimes it leads to insight into why someone really left or is leaving a role.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on April 13, 2012 at 3:09pm

Force rate your last 4 Employers 1-4.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on April 15, 2012 at 4:48pm

Tell me what your last boss and three of your co-workers would say if I asked them what you did at the company, how well you did it and what problems you had trying to do your job? Then tell me what you would say about each of them in answer to the same questions. Since I havn't reference checked you yet I want to see how close you are to knowing what they are going to say to those questions about you.

I find that thinking I am going to call these people, candidates get real quickly. I have tried it both ways , not telling them I am going to check and telling them I am. It is amazing how on target the ones are who think you will verify and how overblown grandiose the ones are who don't think it will be checked. The upside of that question is that the candidate has articulated what he really did, his successes and problems so in an interview situation moving forward they do better than most who blow a little smoke.

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Permalink Reply by Bob McIntosh on April 15, 2012 at 7:06pm

Thanks for all your replies. It seems that questions about former bosses and jobs are popular questions.
Do any of you use behavioral questions or questions particular to technical abilities? I like the idea of making your candidates try to see themselves through the eyes of others. A heightened sense of self-awareness is required.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on April 15, 2012 at 11:46pm

Bob, it has nothing to do with a heightened sense of self awareness. in my opinion that is psycho babble. What it does is give them the opportunity to really talk about what they did, how they did it and be able to talk about any problems they had so when they interview with a hiring manager they can present their qualifications and articulate clearly without sounding like they have been coached or are spewing out a bunch of behavorial answers.

An interview is a business meeting between two business people who need to talk about business to see if they can put together a business partnership that will be beneficial to both of them. It also encourages them to talk in terms of the people they worked with instead of using that clap trap junk about working with a team or being a puke...team player. You don't say you are one you articulate what you did with others and how you did it and it speaks for it'self in their own words.