What are the Best Interview Questions for Employers?

Interviews may be as nerve wracking for the interviewer as for the prospective employee. Hiring decisions can influence the entire profile of a company for years to come, making the interview a crucially important process. The best interview questions for employers to ask will help illuminate the character of the interviewee, while allowing the employer to look for potential red flags.

Some interview questions for employers may seem desolately cliché, but may return extremely important information. One example of this type of question is asking the interview subject why he or she left a previous job. If this opens the floodgates on a list of complaints about previous managers, office gossip, and a general tragic situation in which the person telling the story was the hapless victim: beware! In most jobs, it is important to be circumspect and discreet, even when talking about no longer relevant situations. A job candidate who is willing to unreservedly trash his or her past employers will most likely be ready to do the same with a future job.

Some people will pad their resumes with skills and training to make it look like they are better prepared. Careful interview questions for employers can help weed out those who have added a bit extra to the “qualifications” area of a resume. If a person claims knowledge of an operating system or computer program, ask about his or her training and how he or she would rate expertise of the issue. Many people will be honest and say that they have just a basic knowledge and are not experts, but watch out for those who seem to have only a vague knowledge and try to cover it up. If the skill is a necessary part of the job, a bad hiring decision can come back to haunt employers.

Both sides in an interview may do one another a disservice by dancing around financial questions. Interview questions for employers need to be frank and honest on this subject to avoid starting off with confused expectations. Ask what the job seeker feels is a fair salary, and whether he or she requires benefits. Be honest about company policy, and try to avoid leading candidates on with promises of benefits and bonuses that do not really exist. Being misleading on this issue can create instant rancor between an employee and his or her boss.

Some experts suggest trying to find out why a candidate is excited about this position and what he or she thinks will be interesting about the job. This can help gauge the candidate's understanding of the position, and may help highlight those that have a keen interest in the work. When interview questions for employers can turn into a genuine conversation about the work, it may be a good sign that the right candidate has been located.