Your Favorite Interview Questions?

I'm a proponent of behavioral interview questions because they elicit information about how your potential employee has behaved in like situations in the past. These questions are stronger and less reminiscent of crystal ball gazing than questions that ask the candidate to predict how he or she might behave in the described situation in the future.

At the same time, unusual interview questions can identify what's important to the candidate and whether he or she will fit the culture of your organization. Over time, anyone who interviews potential employees finds that certain interview questions help you select successful employees. Patterns of responses give you an historical perspective about how successful employees responded.

At the same time, take care with the questions you select. I used to ask potential employees what book they had read recently. This gave me insight into whether the candidate practiced ongoing self development. It was my favorite interview question for years.

Then, a spate of candidates replied in ways I had not anticipated. One said, he read the bible every day. Another couple of candidates said they hadn't had time to read recently unless I counted reading Harry Potter or Goodnight Moon with their children as reading.

I realized my question had begun to border on illegal because of the information I was receiving - don't ask me why the question worked for years before these recent occurrences. I amended the interview question now to ask what the candidate has done recently to assure their ongoing professional development.

I am curious about your experience with interview questions. We all have favorites, usually because the interview questions worked to elicit information useful in our selection decisions. What's your favorite interview question?

_{Image Copyright Andres Rodriguez}

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