The best interview questions when hiring for your SME

Recruitment

When interviewing candidates for a role, all companies – no matter what size – have to go through a very similar process. But a question that I get mostly from smaller businesses is: what interview questions should I ask?

In my last article I had mentioned how you would be better off asking a small number of the right questions than countless superficial ones that won’t get you the information you’re looking for. So let’s have a look at how we can get that small number of questions right!

First of all, consider how you can assess the capability of the person against the key requirements. You will need to be clear on the three to five non-negotiable competencies that the interviewee needs to demonstrate.

The best approach is to combine two types of questions: 1) Common interview questions and 2) Behavioural interview questions.

With common interview questions you can find out more about the candidate’s key skills and motivations. Ask questions such as:

  • Tell me a little bit about yourself – good candidates will be able to provide you with an effective “personal elevator pitch”.
  • Tell me about your key responsibilities in your current role.
  • What skills make you the most qualified candidate for this role?
  • How would you describe your ideal working environment?

Behavioural interview questions use a technique that assesses a candidate’s performance based on past experiences. It can also be based around the values of your company where you are specifically seeking a fit for the following:

  • key selection criteria – technical
  • behavioral based – role related i.e. influencing skills in solution sales
  • behavioral based – company values.

To create your own questions just use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action and Result.

A question could look like this: “Can you give me an example of a challenge you recently faced at work and how you dealt with it?” The candidate will then have to explain the situation and task he was faced with and what actions he took to overcome this challenge (result).

These questions will not only give you an idea of the interviewee’s competencies but also about their personality and attitude. After all, it’s key for SMEs to not only hire a subject matter expert but also ensure cultural fit. Other good questions to assess this fit are:

  • Why do you want to work at this company and what are your expectations?
  • What motivates you to come into work each day?
  • What do you like to do for fun outside of work?

And last but not least: Be cautious about the questions you should NOT be asking! When prepping the questions go through the list and check whether any questions will screen out minorities or members of one gender and whether the information you’re asking for is really needed to judge an applicant’s competence for the job. Questions like “Are you married?” or “Were you born here?” are off the table.

As well, don’t forget to prepare yourself for questions asked by the interviewee in return! Take some time to consider the most likely questions they would ask and what your responses to those might be.

Matthew Gribble, Regional Managing Director – Australia & New Zealand, PageGroup