- Do you ever feel like you are missing a certain skill? The short answer you want to hear here is yes. …
- Can you tell me the last time you made a mistake and how did you handle that? …
- Describe the type of relationships you have with your colleagues.
6 ways you’re coming across as arrogant in a job interview
What would you change about your previous job/employers?
The toxic answer: Recognize toxic employees as candidates who whines and complains when they discuss their boss, co-workers, and their job in the interview. Anyone who dives into a laundry list of faults about their previous job is someone who will bring high levels of negativity to every workplace challenge.
Toxic employees can answer this question more subtly, as well. Beware of candidates who pinpoint problems in their workplace on a specific person or who speak ill of their co-workers. These professionals aren’t team players and cause tremendous damage to morale, especially when things go wrong.
On the other hand, avoid the candidate who says they wouldn’t change anything about their job or employer. The candidate wouldn’t be looking for a new job if they loved everything about their current one. These candidates are faking it, and you don’t know what else they’re phony about.
What to look for instead:
No one likes everything about their job, and there are improvements that need to be made in every organization. Although you’re asking candidates to speak about negatives, look for those who do so without complaining. They speak about office problems overall and don’t blame them on any particular person. They speak honestly, but professionally about the changes they would make and focus on the positive outcomes of those changes — not the negative issues.
What do you love most about your current/previous job?
The toxic answer: Toxic employees love vacation days, free food in the kitchen, and high salaries. Employees should enjoy the benefits and perks of their jobs, but it shouldn’t be their primary motivation for work.
Toxic employees don’t care about their work, and only show up for a paycheck. And their negative attitude permeates throughout the organization. After all, evidence from the Harvard Business School study found that nearly half of employees “decreased their work effort” and intentionally spent less time at work. A candidate who only cares about superficial aspects of a job isn’t engaged, and won’t be motivated to do their best work.
In addition, identify toxic candidates who talk about the awards and recognition they receive on the job. These candidates may only be motivated by rewards, not the job itself.
What to look for instead:
Look for candidates who are passionate about their work. These employees find joy in their role and the impact it has. These candidates will talk about the challenges of the job, the outcomes of their work, or their interest in the industry.
Quality candidates may also discuss aspects of their working environment they enjoyed that go beyond superficial perks. They talk about the great collaborative team, how they loved the open communication between co-workers and managers, or how everyone worked together and pitched in during stressful times.
Although these candidates aren’t expressing their passion for the job, they’re showing that they care about co-workers and how the office environment impacts their work, not how perks benefit them.
Selecting the right interview questions plays a key factor in hiring the right people, as well as weeding out the bad apples.
Hiring managers spend countless, wasted hours, asking the wrong interview questions to determine the right job or culture fit in a candidate; many of them end up as mis-hires that hurt the bottom line.
What most managers dont do is make the adjustment from typical interview questions like “Why should we hire you” to behavioral interview question that eliminate vagueness and get to the root of the answer theyre looking for. Let me explain.
Creative Questions to Ask in an Interview
Why this question matters: This will give you an idea of how thorough your interviewee researched your company, and you can hear them say for themselves why they’d fit in well. Whether they’re interested in your company culture, excited by the challenging goals, or something else noteworthy about your company, you’ll be able to tell who has given some thought to where they submitted their application rather than sending their resume to every hiring company. Those that can pick out something distinctive about your company are often the ones that will stick around, too. Red flags to look for: Those that can’t nail down something specific about your company likely haven’t done their research or have submitted their application blindly to dozens of companies.
FAQ
How do you assess arrogance in an interview?
What are the top 10 behavioral questions in an interview?
- How do you handle a challenge? …
- Can you work effectively under pressure? …
- How do you set goals?
- Can you handle criticism?
- How do you handle a mistake pointed out to you? …
- What’s your ideal approach if you disagree with someone at work?
How do you measure humility in an interview?
How do you test your attitude in an interview?
- Tell me about yourself. …
- Describe a time that you faced a major obstacle and how you overcame it. …
- Tell me about a time when you wanted to give up but chose not to. …
- How do you react when asked to do something beyond your capabilities?
