by Maria Sougaraki, Purchasing Manager | Santikos Collection
Interview process to find the right candidate always needs proper preparation. You have a lot of resumes in front of you to identify those that cover the qualifications you are looking for in the ad you have already published. But what about the features of a candidate that you can’t see on a printed paper?
Knowledge and experience are important skills to be taken under consideration in the recruitment process, but checking for the right personality traits helps you ensure that the choice you make will perform well under pressure, will fit into the team and work well with others. Personality questions may reveal aspects of the candidate such as:
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Ethics
Ambitions
Team spirit
Tolerance to criticism
Creativity
Flexibility
What NOT to ask a candidate
There are some personality tests that categorize people, but using them often leads to wrong decisions. For example: “On a scale from 1 to 5, how well do you perform under pressure”? The questions are generic, so candidates have no room to justify their answer, so you can’t evaluate their sincerity or ask for more clarification.
Try not to confuse personal questions (religion, marital status, age, origin) with personality questions. Similarly, random questions like “What’s your favorite movie” are just icebreakers. Try to keep the discussion about work issues.
What to ask a candidate
Some examples of questions that can be tailored to each company’s needs and policies are:
Describe me a case when your manager was not happy with the outcome of your job. How did you react and what did you do differently next time?
If the manager asked you to complete a task that you thought was not feasible from the beginning, how would you react and what steps would you take?
Do you prefer to work with your own team or join a new one, and why?
Focus on not ordinary questions to give the candidate the opportunity to show their creativity and preparedness. However, remember that for many people this process is stressful, so give them enough time to respond. Do not dismiss candidates who do not seem to fit perfectly into your existing corporate culture. They may have something new to tell or offer you.
Red Flags by the candidate during the interview should though be taken under serious consideration! Which are they; The full guide by Maria Sougaraki is coming exclusively to Workathlon very soon. Stay tuned!
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