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Hiring Questions List For Employers
Hiring Questions List For Employers
Hiring Questions List For Employers
Experienced managers and recruiters worked on this list of hiring questions for
employers. Most managers hire for skills, but fire for character. Because of the
overwhelming problems associated with hiring employees who lack required character
traits, more and more managers are asking character-discerning questions
when interviewing employees. Legal penalties for negligent hiring are also
propelling character-based hiring policies.
This list is quite large and growing! Browse the list or perform a word search (Ctrl+F)
on a job title or on a trait you want questions for and see what shows up. Many hours
were spent editing this list of job interview questions and it is unfinished.
Some hiring questions are very clever, some are ok and a few are inappropriate.
Nevertheless, this list of employee interview questions is very useful.
Before interviewing job applicants think of specific actions you require from
employees in the position and then think of the root character trait of the action. Then
create questions and scenarios to discern if the candidate regularly practices the trait
and the action. This list of questions for interviewing employees isn't flawless, but
managers consistently report it's quite effective.
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Think about the last time your manager critiqued your work. How did you respond?
Give an example of when you did something without being asked. Can you give me
another example?
Tell me about your most frustrating experience as a __________ (job title). Listen
and then ask, how did you handle it?
Health care specific hiring questions here
Food service specific hiring questions here
Learn about Character-Based Leadership Skills
Position: Any
Character quality: Dependability
Hiring Questions:
Everybody misses work sometimes. What are some legitimate reasons to miss
work?
If we were to ask your previous supervisor, what would they say about your
attendance and job performance?
The schedule shows 8, however only 6 coworkers showed up. How does that make
you feel? What would you do?
Two hours before you are scheduled to arrive at work, you learn weather is going to be bad and traffic will
be worse. How do you respond?
What outside situations could affect your dependability on the job?
How many scheduled days did you miss during the last three months you worked?
It's lunch time and a customer needs five minutes of your time. What do you do?
What would you do if your car doesn't start?
Position: Any
Character quality: Initiative
Hiring Questions:
If you had a problem and no supervisor was available at the time, how would you
handle it?
What do you know about our company and products?
You are the first one to arrive in your department and you don't have any assigned
tasks. What do you do?
Your shift ends in 10 min. and you accomplished all your duties.How have you utilized your remaining
time in the past?
Position: Any
Character quality: Honesty
Hiring Questions:
What would you do if a delivery driver accidentally left double the number of an
item that his company charges us a lot of money for?
What is the last thing of value you found? ... Then ask, Where?, ... What did you do
with it? [Does the applicant take advantage of opportunities of the moment or do they
have a heart to restore lost items to the owner?]
Have you ever suffered for doing what is right? Any regrets? Why were you willing
to suffer loss for that?
What was the first thing you stole as a child? Did you get away with it? Have you
ever made restitution for anything?
How have you responded in the past when you found another employee was stealing?
Two hours before you are scheduled to arrive at work, you learn weather is going to
be bad and traffic will be worse. How do you respond?
If your shift ends at 3 p.m. and your replacement hasnt arrived by 3:15 p.m., what
do you do?
The schedule shows 8, however only 5 showed up. How does that make you feel?
What would you do?
How many scheduled days did you miss during the last three months you worked?
If we were to ask your previous supervisor, what would they say about your
attendance and job performance?
Position: Nurses, Nurse Aids, CNAs, LPNs
Character quality: Compassion
Questions:
How do you respond to crabby people in pain?
If you encountered a resident that was characteristically upset and/or difficult what
would you do?
If a resident has just expired and their family has just arrived at the facility, how
would you respond.
Mrs. Jones is in the facility for a fractured hip. She constantly likes attn. by putting
on the call light pretending to be in pain. Everyone on the hall is ignoring her. You pass
by the room and hear her crying what is your response?
How would you intervene with a resident who is grieving over the loss of a
grandchild.
Position: Certified Nurse Aid (CNA)
Character quality: Sensitivity
Questions:
You are late for work. You enter the building and notice a non-compliant resident
who is drinking a soda but appears to have a wet him/her self. How do you respond?
How do you react to a sense of being overwhelmed with unfinished work ten
minutes past your shift deadline when you find a new resident in need?
Do others like to talk with you? How do you encourage others to talk to you?
Position: RNs, Nurses Aids, CNAs, LPNs
Character quality: Cautiousness
Hiring Questions:
Can you explain in detail how you would appropriately transfer a resident from a
bed to a wheel chair?
Position: CNA Interview Questions
Character quality: Flexibility
Questions:
You have already begun your assignment and have then been asked by your
supervisor to work in another unit. How would you handle this?
How have you responded when your supervisor asked you to work a different shift
to fill vacancies?
Priorities often change suddenly throughout the day. If you are asked to quickly do
another task, how does that affect your mood? What if it's the third time before noon?
Position: Nurses, Nurse Aids, CNAs, LPNs
Character trait: Loyalty
Questions:
Describe a situation where you were unhappy with something that occurred at work.
How did you handle it?
Did you ever find out that a fellow employee makes more money than you do? How
did you respond? If says no, say: You just found out a fellow employee makes more
money than you do. What would you do? Who would you tell?
Position: Receptionist
Character quality: Enthusiasm
Questions:
How do you make strangers feel welcome?
In what ways would your previous supervisor describe your past performance and
attitude?
What did you enjoy most about your last job? Enjoy least?
What is the most irritating aspect of a receptionist's job?
How would you respond to the following: Upset customer? Upset supplier? Upset
employee?
Position: Receptionist
Character quality: Joyfulness
Hiring Questions:
How would you handle answering a phone caller's question with five lines ringing?
What is the most difficult situation you have faced with a customer and what was
the outcome? How would you handle it differently?
How did our receptionist greet you? Would you have done anything differently?
How would you diffuse a situation with an upset customer?
Give an example of how you dealt with a difficult situation/customer.
Delete:
Top Hiring Questions to Ask:
This list of job hiring questions helps you prepare forinterviewing job
applicants for numerous positions.
What type of employee interview questions would you ask when interviewing
employees for this position?
How resourceful could you be in finding a large list of job interview questions to
ask when interviewing job applicants?
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Position: Receptionist
Character quality: Gentleness
Questions:
How would you handle a person who has to wait for a long time for a scheduled
appointment?
Interview questions for: Receptionist
Character quality: Attentiveness
When do you find it difficult to give your full attention to an individual? How do you
overcome this?
How do you handle multiple task interruptions?
Interviewing questions for: Receptionist
Character quality: Discretion
How would you respond to an irate customer?
If your boss was working in his office and had asked not to be disturbed, what
would you tell a caller asking for him?
Describe some things in your work life or personal life that you have been most
excited about.
Describe the ideal inside sales representative and how well you fit this profile.
In your personal experience with phone sales/customer service, describe a good
experience and a bad experience.
Position: Sales Manager
Character quality: Leadership
Hiring Questions:
See: "Manager / Management" above
Interview questions for: Branch Manager
Character quality: Leadership
How have you built and maintained morale with your employees in a non-monetary
way?
How have you developed untapped potential in your employees ?
How have you demonstrated that you value employees for who they are rather than
for what they accomplish?
How have you reinforced behavior you want repeated (in a non-monetary way)?
What are the primary management styles? Describe each. Which is your
predominant style? How have you applied those characteristics? What successes and
shortcomings have you experienced with your management style?
Interview questions for: Shift Manager
Character quality: Initiative
24/7 operations are like relay races where you take the baton, run with it and then
pass it on smoothly. How do you make seamless transitions on shift changes?
Interview questions for: Project Manager
Character quality: Sensitivity
When there was serious conflict within the team, how did you resolve it?
Interview questions for: Project Manager
Character quality: Diligence
On projects that were behind schedule, what are some of the ways you successfully
got them back on track?
Position: Purchasing Agent
Character quality: Truthfulness
Questions:
As a purchasing agent of your previous company, were you offered a gift above the
policy limit? How did you handle it?
Have you ever made a purchase decision based on favoritism of friendship? Please
explain.
Would those who know you best say your word can be trusted? Yes or no?
Position: Inspector
Character quality: Thoroughness
Questions:
Last time you balanced your check book, how close did you balance it?
How many processes do you go through on a rejection?
Interviewing questions for: Cashier
How many hours can you stand on your feet without a break?
What would your reaction be if your replacement didnt show up?
How do you pace yourself throughout the day?
What would you do if a 30 top table walked in?
Position: Line Cook
Character trait: Responsibility
Questions:
Are you willing to take on extra tasks or what kind of extra tasks would you be willing to take on?
How do you handle complaints about meals you have prepared?
What steps would you take to insure your job is done in your allotted amount of time?
Position: Cook
Character Quality: Honesty/Justice
Questions:
What would you do if a delivery driver accidentally left double the number of an item that his
company charges us a lot of money for?
Tell me about a time you saw a coworker taking out food they did not pay for.
Position: Cook
Character quality: Flexibility
Questions:
How do handle requests to work a non-scheduled shift?
How do you respond when your manager changes your shift on short notice?
How do you handle working with a co-worker you are not fond of?
What if you get a special request from a customer, what do you do?
If another worker needs help in order to get a job finished on time, what would you do?
You are cooking for dinner and the convection oven goes out, what would you do?
Your boss changes the special, what would you do?
Position: Cook
Character quality: Knowledgeable
Hiring Questions:
How many cans of #10 green beans does it take to feed 200 people?
How would you go about making a customer feel welcome in our restaurant?
How would you handle multiple demanding customers?
How would you diffuse a situation with an upset customer?
What is the most difficult situation you have faced with a customer and what
was the outcome? How would you handle it differently?
How do you feel about the philosophy of the customer always being right?
How would you define a successful server?
Position: Restaurant Hostess
Character quality: Hospitality
Questions:
Why have you applied for the position of hostess?
How do you put strangers at ease?
Define what hospitality is and what it means to you.
What qualities do you feel are necessary for the position you are applying for?
Position: Dishwasher
Character quality: Thoroughness
Questions:
What are the 3 most important details about washing dishes?
Can you give me an example of how you would accomplish everything necessary in an unusually
busy day either at home or at work?
Position: Dishwasher
Character quality: Attitude
Questions:
Were you a team player in your last job? Tell me how?
If we had 100 extra guests, how would you respond?
Position: Dishwasher
Character quality: Dependability
Questions:
How do you feel about working an extra shift if asked?
In your last job, Which situations kept you from being at work everyday?
Why do you think dependability is important and give me an example?
Position: Dishwasher
Character quality: Endurance
Questions:
On your last job, what were some of your accomplishments? Choose some of the best and tell me
about them.
Do you participate in any physical activities to keep you in good physical shape?
Tell me about a time when things were not going well and how you handled it.
We hope to eventually post job-specific questions for the following positions. In
the meantime, many of the questions already posted here will work well. Commercial
Loan Officer, Trust Officer, Credit Officer, Bank Operations Compliance Officer, Bank
President, Finance / Financial employees, VP Sales, VP HR, Vice President Marketing,
Credit Analyst, Personal Banker, Commercial Lender, Controller / Treasurer, Sales
Engineer, Sales Consultant, Software Engineer, Service Manager, Call Center,
Department Store employees, Retail Management, Government employees, Vice
President Human Resources, Executive Director, Hospitality workers, Front Desk Clerk,
Insurance and more. In the mean time, you will find some wise questions to ask
these applicants in the Top Questions list above and throughout this page. Let us know
your favorite interview question so we can share it here with others!
What would your past employer say about your completing work you have started?
When would you make the decision to plug amount?
Position: Engineer
Character quality: Diligence
Questions:
Would your wife say that you finish jobs you start on a timely basis?
Position: Estimator
Character quality: Thoroughness
Questions:
They say, "We learn from our mistakes." Can you relate an experience from your
career when something was left out of the process and caused a problem. What did
you learn?
Do you feel uncomfortable with a product if it is not perfect?
In establishing your goals for a project, do you always find that you complete the
goals?
Position: Development Chemist
Character quality: Creativity
Questions:
Describe any unique products or patrons you've developed.
What types of questions would you ask a customer who presented a new need?
Describe your hobbies.
Position: Any
Character trait: Resourcefulness
Questions:
What are a couple of the worst problems you encountered on the job and how did
you handle it?
Position: Any
Character trait: Initiative
Questions:
If you had a problem and no supervisor was available at the time, how would you
handle it?
Interview questions for: Resident Services
Character Quality: Tolerance
You are called in the evening regularly for a disabled resident who has locked
him/herself out of the apartment. How would you handle this situation?
How would you handle inspecting an apartment where the resident's housekeeping
is poor?
Position: Case Manager
Character quality: Discernment
Questions:
Describe your most challenging problem in dealing with a child.
What were the presenting problems and root causes?
How did you influence the family to be part of the solution?
Position: Case Worker - Union Rescue Mission
Character quality: Compassion
Questions:
What have you experienced in your life that has prepared you for this position?
What role does compassion play in you interaction with others?
How have you shown compassion in interacting with one person during the last
month?
Interview questions for: Skilled Assembler
Character quality: Diligence
What do you do when you don't have all the parts to complete a job?
Flexibility and thoroughness also are important traits for Skilled Assemblers. Perform a
word search (Ctrl+F) on those traits to find more interview questions for a Skilled
Assembler.
Interview questions for: Maintenance Technician
Character quality: Enthusiasm
Describe a task that gets you excited and feeling creative.
Interview questions for: Maintenance Technician
Character quality: Thoroughness
You just got machine #10 running again, but didn't finish the repair when machine
#12 goes down. What are your next steps?
Interview questions for: Industrial Mechanic
Character quality: Thoroughness
Describe for me how you finish a job. (Is inspection and cleanup a part of finishing
for them?)
Punctuality and responsibility also are important traits forIndustrial Mechanics. Perform
a word search (Ctrl+F) on those traits to find more interview questions for an
Industrial Mechanic.
Position: Welder
Character quality: Alertness
Hiring Questions:
Doing things right the first time is important. What procedures do you take to
ensure the quality of your work?
Why do think safety is important in our shop atmosphere?
How have you demonstrated safe work practices in your former job?
Position: Journeyman Electrician
Character quality: Thoroughness
Questions:
What is on your personal check-list to ensure you are ready to leave the job daily?
What action would you take when a deadline was nearing, knowing it could not be
met?
Describe how you compile the materials and hours to charge toward the job.
Describe what you believe a thorough person is?
Position: Draftsman
Character quality: Thoroughness
Questions:
What qualities do you think are necessary to be a draftsman?
Describe in your own words what thoroughness is.
How do you view the importance of completing all the details in a job?
Hiring Questions:
Can you tell me about the last time you became frustrated?
Tell me about your thoughts or techniques you use when training someone who
doesnt understand.
In your previous job, what would your previous manager say about your patience?
Position: Marketing Manager
Character quality: Diligence
Hiring Questions:
How important is it to you that you get your marketing programs released by a
certain time?
How would others say you are at meeting deadlines and completing projects?
Explain a time when you went beyond the call of duty.
Creativity and responsibility also are important traits for Marketing Managers. Perform
a word search (Ctrl+F) on those traits to find more interview questions for a Marketing
Manager.
www.Integrity-Tr.com
We hope to eventually post job-specific questions for the following positions. In
the meantime, many of the questions already posted here will work well.
Service Manager, Call Center, Finance / Financial employees, Trust Officer, Bank
President, Credit Officer, Bank Operations Compliance Officer, Credit Analyst, Personal
Banker, Commercial Loan Officer, Controller / Treasurer, Commercial Lender, VP
HR,Insurance, Vice President Human Resources, Hospitality workers, Front Desk Clerk,
VP Sales, Vice President Marketing, Department Store employees, Retail Management,
Executive Director, Government employees, Sales Engineer, Software Engineer, Sales
Consultant, and more. In the mean time, you will find some wise questions to ask
these applicants in the Top Questions list above and throughout this page. Let us know
your favorite interview question so we can share it here with others!
Use this list of interviewing questions with caution and wisdom.The EEOC has some
useful information, but last I looked I couldn't find any information on legal interview
questions or illegalinterview questions.
A good source for all sorts of information is the Internet Public
Library. http://www.ipl.org
Proverbs 22:16 He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself..., will only come to
poverty.
More Hiring Tips
Don't hire on the spot. Tell applicants to call you one or two days later. Let applicants
think about your questions and their answers on the way home. Only hire people who are
interested enough in the job to take the second step of calling back. This helps weed out
people who lied and arent truly interested in the job. You can't afford many more hiring
mistakes.
Often current employees are the best source for leads for new hires and then they both
tend to stay longer.
Promoting from within your organization often is best and that also encourages
employees to stay (but too much inbreeding creates stagnation).