- How does your prior work experience relate to this position? …
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The Best Question to Ask a StartUp in a Job Interview
Strategic best practices, industry insights & tactical tips for HR professionals.
When interviewing a candidate to work at your small business, it can be helpful to have some questions in mind before you begin. Asking the right questions can lead you to hire the employees youre looking for and to get people who have the skills your business requires.
If youre interviewing someone, its important to know which questions to ask so you can hire the right person for the role and avoid the potentially messy outcome of later having to terminate them. Because a small business has fewer employees, each person working for you may form a bond with others who you employ. If you have to terminate someone, it can cause dissatisfaction with the rest of your crew. Heres more about how to conduct an interview and some examples of questions you can ask and what to look for in an answer.
How to conduct an interview
Small businesses often start with only one or two employees but can grow into companies that employ up to 500 people. This means that, as a small business owner, you may not have much experience conducting an interview. So, lets go over how to conduct an interview before discussing the questions you might ask job candidates:
Select candidates
Go over the resumes you received in response to your job posting. Scan them to see if they contain the elements youre looking for in an employee. Ask yourself which candidates are most likely to fit the role and culture of your business. You also want to note whether theyve included the skills theyll need to perform their tasks. Keep the number of candidates you select to interview to around five, otherwise, you may feel overwhelmed when trying to choose the best one.
Schedule interviews
Once youve selected the candidates you want to interview, its time to schedule the appointments. If the people you want to interview have other jobs, consider working around their schedules as a courtesy to other business owners. Depending on your preference and the contact information you have, you can send job candidates an email or call them to request an interview.
Formulate questions
Before the interview begins, youll want to formulate the questions you need to ask. Having questions prepared ensures that you get the information you need to hire the right person to fill the open position. It also helps to make the interview go smoothly because you wont have to stop and think up questions on the spot.
Provide information
After asking a potential employee your interview questions, its time to provide them with information about the position. Working for a smaller company has its own challenges, so its important that you explain exactly what youll expect from them if theyre hired. Let them know what their schedule might be, how many hours theyll work, and discuss anything that makes working for your business unique. Providing insight into who will cover their shift if they go on vacation or are sick can also be beneficial.
Ask questions
Start the interview with easy questions that put the candidate at ease. This makes the experience more relaxed and helps the potential employee feel comfortable providing honest responses to your questions. Follow with questions about their experience, education, and background to help you learn more about them. Finally, you can ask detailed questions related to their skills and personality to help you determine how well they can perform the job and fit your companys values and mission.
Take notes
During the interview, remember to take notes. You can write the responses they give or your reaction to their responses overall to help jog your memory when youre trying to choose who you want to hire. If one candidate stands out among the rest, you can either choose to offer them the position immediately or make a note to ensure you recall which interviewee you preferred.
Thank candidates
At the end of the interview, thank each candidate for their time. Let them know that youll contact them once youve made a decision. Its courteous to inform those you interviewed when youve filled the position, even if you dont choose to hire them. Youll also want to tell the candidate you hope to hire that they got the job as soon as possible so they dont accept another position.
Interview questions for small business owners to ask job candidates
Regardless of who youre interviewing, having questions prepared beforehand can make it go smoothly and ensure you get all the information you need. As a small business owner, the questions you ask will likely relate to your specific business. However, these are some general questions that most small business owners will want to ask job candidates in an interview to get good candidates in todays job market:
How did you hear about this job opening?
This is a good question to start the interview with, as it should be pretty easy and straightforward for the interviewee to answer. This question can help set the candidate at ease, as its not necessarily important where they heard about the job, but it does open the conversation. In the answer, you can look for how they conduct themselves, such as:
Can you tell me about your experience and how it can help you in this position?
Asking a candidate about their experience gives you insight into their skills and abilities. If they can explain in a clear and concise way how their experience can help them do the job youre hiring for, it means that they understand the role and its duties. While entry-level candidates might not have much job experience, they should be able to discuss how their education, volunteer experience, or extracurricular activities may relate to the position.
Did you ever have a conflict with a manager? How did you overcome it?
When you pose this question, you give the candidate a chance to demonstrate their conflict resolution skills, as well as their ability to communicate. Most people have disagreed with a co-worker at some point, and asking this question lets you see how honest a job candidate is and how well they can work with others. A good answer will explain:
Before you interview a candidate for your small business, prepare some questions that help you learn more about them. This will help you ensure the interview provides you with the information you need to hire the right person for the job. Use these examples as a guide to come up with your own questions.
Heres some more information about interviewing candidates that might interest you :
Are your job candidates using the STAR method to answer interview questions?
Consider using hiring events to convert candidates to employees.
Learn more about hiring the next generation of workers at your small business.
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If you feel as if you’re not getting as many resumes for your job postings as you used to, it may not be yo…
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Types of interviews you might have with small business owners
Many business owners are happy to answer questions on a variety of subjects. Each business owner is different, so you should probably do a little research before contacting them.
The typical types of interviews that a small business owner might conduct include:
Once I get to the list of questions, I will use the letters (H, SME, BI, CP) to indicate which types of interviews the question is appropriate to include in the interview. Let’s discuss each of the 4 interviews.
What motivates you at work?
Every person has a source of professional motivation. For some people, it may come from the excitement and love for their field, while the paycheck might motivate others. No right answer really exists regarding motivation.
However, when you speak with potential new hires, learning about their motivation can tell you a lot about their values and personal drive. You’ll see how well their thoughts and values align with your own and any other team members. It can also give you a good idea of their personality and professional work ethic, which can help you determine if this person fits at your organization well.
Hiring Interviews (H)
Hiring interview questions should primarily focus on the operations of the business. These would include questions about essential skills, responsibilities, company culture, and terms of employment.
As a job applicant, having a good list of questions to ask shows that you aren’t just looking for a job, you are interested in how the company’s goals align with your own.
As the business owner or hiring manager, you should be prepared to answer these questions honestly. One of the most challenging discussions will be about covid discussions when they come up.
FAQ
What are the top 5 questions to ask an interviewer?
- Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of the role? …
- How could I impress you in the first three months? …
- Are there opportunities for training and progression within the role/company? …
- Where do you think the company is headed in the next five years?
How do you talk about small businesses in an interview?
- When did your business begin?
- Why did you decide to start your own business?
- What was your first objective when you founded your business?
- How many people work for your company?
- What products or services do you offer?
- What methods do you use to promote your business?
What is one interview question every small business should ask candidates when hiring?
- When did you start your business?
- Why did you decide to become a business owner?
- What was your mission at the start of your company?
- How many employees does your company have?
- What services or products do you offer?
