Five Effective Interview Questions for Hiring Managers

While it is usually very easy for hiring managers to determine just what the wrong questions to ask during an interview are it can be much harder for them to come up with the right ones. Asking effective interview questions is a skill that every great hiring manager has to possess though, as a resume only ever tells half of a candidate's story. Here are five great questions that can help a hiring manager get a much clearer picture of who the person sitting across from them really is and how suitable they might be for the position they are applying for:

1 - Why are You Interested in Working for Our Company? This question helps a hiring manager determine just how much research and preparation a candidate has done before they came for the interview. If they can answer the question confidently and show that they do know a little about the company then it is a good sign that they are truly interested in the position and not just going after any job they can get.

2 - In What Areas Do You Think You Could Develop Professionally? - This question is a twist on the old "what are your greatest strengths" query and although it is likely to make an interviewee more uncomfortable, the answer can be very telling. Most people prefer only to talk about their positives, not their possible negatives. A candidate who can answer this question with honesty, poise and candor is usually one who deserves closer consideration.

3 - Why Do You Think You are Suited for this Position? - This maybe one of the oldest hiring manager interview questions in the book but it is still a very good one. What a hiring manager is really looking for here is a happy balance between a candidate being overly boastful and being far too modest in their answer. If a candidate can relate specific experiences or skills listed on their resume to the specific position with the company that they are interviewing for then that is another rather positive sign that this candidate might be "the one".

4 - If You Were to Start This Job Tomorrow, What Would Your Priorities Be? - The answer to this very open-ended question can further help a hiring manager determine just how much effort a candidate has put into researching what the position they are interviewing for  really entails and that they have a good basic grasp of what might be required of them. It is also a very good way to see if a candidate has the ability to show some real initiative of their own while still fitting in with the general company vision.

5 - What Questions Do You Have for Me? - When all is said and done this question - another oldie but goodie - can be the most telling of all. There are a lot of hiring managers who can tell stories about how badly even the most promising of candidates sometimes answers this question. If their first response is to ask how much vacation time they get or when they will be able to take it, or how long their lunch break would be it is a very bad sign! However if the candidate comes up with a thoughtful, pertinent one, even if it is just one, then that is another very positive indicator that they are truly interested in the job and have been listening to all that has been said over the course of the entire interview.