The modern working world is forever evolving, and its workforce becomes more and more diverse by the day. As the professional landscape changes, it’s crucial that recruitment and employment tactics adapt too.
Worryingly, some people with responsibility for recruiting talent seem to be trapped in bygone times. They’re still asking prospective candidates what their strengths and weaknesses are, and where they see themselves in five years’ time. As the millennial workforce starts to move up the ranks, it would be a shame for the interview questions to become a barrier in recruiting the best person for the job.
In this article, we want to break the mould and open your eyes to the kind of questions you need to be asking, if you want to make the most of your industry’s talent pool. So, stop judging people by their handshakes, abandon the PowerPoint presentations and bring your small business recruitment techniques bang up to date.
How do you see yourself making an individual impact on this business?
This one is particularly significant for small businesses with an equally small team and limited budgets. In this situation, a single member of staff has a huge impact so you need to do all you can to ensure it’s a good one. A strong answer to this question will give insight into how the person will contribute, and also demonstrate some prior research into your business, its values and how it currently operates. It also demonstrates to the candidate that they will be treated as an individual.
What unique knowledge or skills can you bring to the business?
Again, when dealing with a small workforce, it’s paramount that each one brings a unique quality to the team. Ask this question to find out what that person might be able to add that you might not have already. It could be contacts, a certain software, or competency with a new technology.
How do you stay productive when working from home or remotely?
Flexible working is becoming more commonplace across many industries and sectors, and something that most employees enjoy the benefits of. That said, you’re going to need to know that they’ve got the time management skills and get-up-and-go to remain productive while working away from the office.
What are your main motivations or purposes in life?
This might seem like a broad and deep question to ask in a job interview but it will give you a much better insight into who this person is and what they’re about, beyond their favourite movie.
Whether it’s environmental factors, family life, travel, or professional success – this type of personal information will help you build a sense of character.
How does this role fit in to your long term plan?
Many of the emerging generations no longer see their career paths as linear journeys and that’s okay. They aren’t afraid to move from company to company, from one industry to another, or embark on extended periods of travel, favouring the here & now over a five-year plan.
Asking this question will give you some insight into how long they plan on sticking around for so you can use this information accordingly.
So, if you’re looking to expand your team and enlist the expertise of some new talent in 2020, give these questions ago instead of the old tried and tested. If you have any of your own ideas, feel free to share them in the comments below or over on our Twitter or Facebook page.
