INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ARE YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATE AND MAKE SURE THEY’RE A GOOD FIT FOR THE JOB.

Hiring the right candidate is the most important part of building a skilled workforce to support your company’s growth. How are HR professionals ensuring they’re bringing in the right talent? Typically, they dissect the resume, contact resume references and speak with previous employers. But the fact still stands: you never really know who you’re hiring until they start the job.  

That’s why interview questions are such an important part of the hiring process. It’s your best opportunity to really get to know the candidate and make sure they’re a good fit for the job. The key is that you have to ask the right questions and listen for the right (and wrong) responses. The following 5 questions can help you gauge whether or not the applicant is a fit:

Someone who really wants the job will make an effort to learn about the nature of the company and position. Sure, you aren’t conducting a formal corporate interview, but this question is still appropriate. After all, jobs in the skilled trades require a particular skill set and work ethic. Don’t you want someone who not only possesses the talent but is at least little psyched about your company?

If a candidate doesn’t have a good answer to the question, he or she is likely not a good fit.

This is a telling interview question to ask candidates. It can clue you into whether the prospect actually enjoys their line of work, or just wants to get paid. And why does this matter? Simple: happy employees are 12% more productive than unhappy ones. And productivity increases your bottom line. You want to know whether the candidate actually enjoys what they do for a living.

“…happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive.”-Jonha Revesencio

Do they enjoy performing the basic functions of the job? Do they get satisfaction out of reaching goals and completing projects? Do they like working as part of a team? Ask them what they do and don’t like about their line of work. Their answer will give you an idea of their level of commitment to performing good work.

The last thing you want is a bad attitude that negatively affects the rest of your team. Odds are if the applicant doesn’t genuinely enjoy his vocation, his poor attitude is going screw things up on the worksite.

Absenteeism is a huge problem in any industry. It is an especially relevant problem in industrial sectors, where project timing is contingent upon the strength and reliability of the workforce. When workers fail to show up, the whole company suffers. Co-workers who are forced to compensate are over-worked, and probably pretty ticked off about it. In fact, the negative consequences of absenteeism range from reduced productivity and workforce morale to safety issues (as inadequately trained workers have to fill in). Asking this question can clue you into whether or not the applicant is reliable.

“Absenteeism costs U.S. companies billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, wages, poor quality of goods/services and excess management time.”-Jean Folger

Take note of the right and wrong responses. Aside from serious illness, car trouble or a family emergency, there are few acceptable excuses for not showing up.

This question will weed out the applicants who don’t handle disagreements well. This is important because you want workers who can handle sticky situations cooperatively. Individuals who have handled conflict in a civil manner will be confident and comfortable speaking to their ability to work well on a team to solve conflicts.

On the flipside, candidates who don’t “play nice” will likely reveal themselves. And teamwork does in fact make the dream work, doesn’t it?

This tends to be an awkward question for most applicants but it’s a great one to ask. It’s never a bad idea to give candidates a direct opportunity to pitch their skills and experience. Their answer will show how confident they are in their abilities. This is perhaps one of the simplest questions that can indicate whether or not he or she is a winner.

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