1. About.com
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Human Resources

Discuss in my forum

Sample Job Interview Questions for Employers to Ask Applicants

Sample Job Interview Questions That Employers Can Use to Assess Applicants

By , About.com Guide

The job interview is a powerful factor in the employee selection process. The job interview is a key tool employers utilize in hiring. The job interview questions asked are critical in magnifying the power of the job interview to help you select superior employees.

Legal job interview questions and questions that separate desirable candidates from average candidates are fundamental in employee selection. Job interview questions matter to employers. Here are sample job interview questions.

Sample Cultural Fit Interview Questions

Employees Who Fit in With Your Work Culture SucceedAndres Rodriguez
Do you hire employees based on your assessment of their cultural fit? If not, you should be hiring them based on their interview question answers to questions that assess cultural fit. You want to hire the job applicant who, in addition to the required job skills and qualifications, exhibits the best fit within your organization's culture. This prospective employee is most likely to be a good match for both your position and your organization. With good fit and skills, the employee will succeed.

Sample Motivation Job Interview Questions

Motivation Interview Questions Help You Assess the Candidate's MotivationCopyright Phil Date

These sample job interview questions enable you to assess what motivates the candidate you are interviewing. Behavioral job interview questions ask the candidate to describe past experiences in motivation and how they created an environment in which other employees chose motivation.

Interpret your candidate's answers to motivation interview questions.

Sample Management Skill Job Interview Questions

Ask About Management Experience With Management Skill Job Interview QuestionsImage Copyright Jeffrey Smith

Management and supervisory skills and experience are required for certain jobs. Management experience on a resume just means your candidate had the job title of manager. To truly assess the management and supervisory skills of your candidates, ask these management skill job interview questions. Find sample management skill job interview questions.

Interpret your candidate's answers to management and supervision interview questions.

Sample Leadership Job Interview Questions

Assess a Candidate's Leadership Skills With Leadership Job Interview QuestionsCopyright Jacob Wackerhausen

The following sample job interview questions about leadership enable you to assess your candidate's skills in leadership. If you subscribe to the belief that every employee is potentially a leader, then these leadership job interview questions will help you assess each candidate's leadership skills. See sample leadership job interview questions.

Sample Teams and Team Work Job Interview Questions

Assess Team Work Skills With Team Work Job Interview QuestionsNancy Louie

These sample job interview questions about teams and team work enable you to assess your candidate's skill in working with teams. Team building skills are necessary in your most effective employees who work well with others. Take a look at your candidate's team buidling experience and practice with these sample teams and team work job interview questions.

Sample Interpersonal Skills Job Interview Questions

Assess Interpersonal Skills With Interpersonal Skills Job Interview QuestionsDavid Lees / Getty Images

Interpersonal skills are needed for almost every job in your organization. You can use these sample job interview questions about interpersonal skills to assess your candidate's skills in interpersonal relationships. Additionally, notice your candidate's interaction with you and the other employees with whom he comes in contact. You can assess your candidate's interpersonal skills during the entire interview process. Take a look at these sample interpersonal skills job interview questions.

Sample Communication Job Interview Questions

Ask Communication Job Interview Questions to Assess Communication SkillJochen Sand / Getty Images

Communication skill is another aspect of your candidates' interaction that can be observed during the interview. At the same time, it is important to ask candidates behaviorally-based job interview questions about the communication skills they have exhibited on the job. These sample job interview questions about communication enable you to assess your candidate's skill in communication. Take a look at these sample job interview questions for employers.

Sample Empowerment Job Interview Questions

Empowerment Interview Questions Help You Recognize Empowered BehaviorPinnacle Pictures / Getty Images
These sample job interview questions about empowerment enable the employer to assess your candidate’s comfort with the concept of employee empowerment. Ranked high as an attribute that many employers seek in their prospective employees, empowerment fuels autonomy, decision making, and goal achievement in employees. See the empowerment interview questions.

Sample Planning Interview Questions

Planning Skills Are a Key Component in Many JobsArtparadigm / Getty Images
These sample interview questions about planning enable you to assess the planning skills of the candidate you are interviewing. You want to assess planning skills in your candidate's approach to his or her job. You also want to assess whether the candidate has project planning experience, depending on the needs of your job. Planning, goal setting, and measuring progress and success are key components of many jobs.

Sample Decision Making Interview Questions

Assess Decision Making Skills With Effective Interview QuestionsMichael Blann / Getty Images
Are you interested in assessing your potential employee's skills in decision making? You can ask these decision making interview questions to determine his or her experience and competency in making decisions at work. Employers need to ask interview questions that will help you assess your candidate’s decision making expertise for most jobs. But decision making is especially important in jobs that involve leading people.

Sample Unusual Job Interview Questions Help Select the Best

Unusual Job Interview Questions Test Your Candidate's Quick ThinkingStock_IMG Business

Are you interested in a new trend in job interview questions - or perhaps an old trend newly revived? Behavioral job interview questions are your best approach during candidate job interviews. But, the occasional unusual job interview question has the potential to yield thoughtful information about the candidates you interview. Use both for effective candidate selection.

Candidates Say the Darndest Things...

Potential Employees Say the Darndest Things and Ask the Darndest Questions During Job InterviewsOnline Creative Media

If you've ever done job interviews, you've probably heard it all. Candidates give job interview answers that undermine their application. They get tongue-tied; they're nervous. They're unpolished and unrehearsed. Candidates develop "diarrhea of the mouth." They don't know when to stop talking. Their job interview answers and questions are the darndest things.

Share the funniest, saddest, most hysterical, off-putting, right-on-target, and weirdest candidate responses and questions you've heard over the years.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved. 

A part of The New York Times Company.