Comments on: We Asked, You Answered: Reader Interview Questions, Part I…The Best of the Best

By: Virginia Cook

Virginia Cook — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:48:17 +0000

Re, “Experienced HR Manager…” Please provide a couple of questions you would ask. Thank you.

By: an experienced HR Director

an experienced HR Director — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:36:00 +0000

When I saw the email, I was excited. I am always looking for more questions, new question, better questions. When I read the questions, I agree with the experienced HR Mgr- these are the best questions? Yikes!

By: Bob Mullen

Bob Mullen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:24:58 +0000

It looks to me as though many of these interview questions were thought up solely for the purpose of entertainment and humiliation. I am guessing that the ones who make the biggest fool of themselves will be the most remembered. We need more job specific questions that are more aligned with the position and the Company’s mission…

By: Anna Weill

Anna Weill — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:01:18 +0000

I would be wary of #2 or at least preface it by explaining I was looking for industry specific information.

This could definitely be a case of TMI (too much information)!

By: Pam Withrow

Pam Withrow — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:30:23 +0000

If any of us were confronted with many of these questions in an interview, I believe we would be hard pressed to come up with intelligent answers on the spot. As interviewers, it’s much easier to think of all the intelligent answers we would have because we’ve had the luxury of time to really consider our reponses. Perhaps a better strategy would be to give prospective employees these questions in advance of the interview so they could come up with thoughtful and meaningful responses rather than off-the-cuff answers. This would also allow the employer to better discern the prospective employee’s depth of character and intelligence.

By: Eric Johnston

Eric Johnston — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:42:32 +0000

Considering #3 since so many people don’t seem to have an answer, I think my answer would start with something like…. “Ideally I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving the company, at least not any time soon. But if I found there was no longer room for personal or professional growth, then I might consider an opportunity that would allow me to do so.”

By: Experienced HR Manager

Experienced HR Manager — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:59:02 +0000

I would not ask #3. It’s a pointless question and I can’t see anyone giving an intelligent answer. If I were asked this question in an interview, I would think it strange. Hard to believe these questions are the best. Who made that determination?

By: Looking for the Best

Looking for the Best — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:56:05 +0000

There is an an additional quality one can find from asking #9. You can tell how willing they are to be coached or corrected and how open they are to hear things about their productivity they may not have considered on their own.

By: Kristine Sexter

Kristine Sexter — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Several of these questions are presumably ideal for discerning a candidates overall work ethic, motivations and behavioral tendencies. However, I am surprised to have not seen a question that would readily reveal whether the candidate can actually produce the measureable, tangible end-results required of the position.
How about Lou Adler’s outstanding, and now-famous, ‘The One Question Interview’ question, designed to explore ability to actually produce the work:”What is your most significant professional achievement and why?”

By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » We Asked, You Answered: Reader Interview Questions, Part II…The Best of the Rest

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:01:23 +0000

[...] new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on HR topics.For the second of our two-part series on reader-submitted interview questions, take a look at the best of the rest…from the old standbys, to the brainteasers, to the somewhat [...]