The questions recruiters like to ask in job interviews

Knowing what a recruiter will ask in a job interview can really help jobseekers to prepare a good answer. Recruiters reveal their favourite questions.

CAREERS’ panel of expert recruiters answers a reader’s question each week. Have a question? Email [e-mail]

Do you have a favourite question you like to pose in job interviews?

Lisa Morris

Director,

Hays

My favourite interview question is, “What does grit and resilience mean to you and how have you developed these qualities in your career to date?”. I ask this question to gauge whether a candidate can take on challenges, learn and persevere in order to achieve their goals no matter what difficulties they encounter. After all, change is a constant in today’s world of work and we all face our ups and down. Employers therefore now look for new recruits who will persevere and bounce back from setbacks rather than give up. They want to see evidence of a growth mindset, since this shows that you’ll learn from failures and continue to develop your skills to remain successful. They look for someone with a strong motivational drive who can adapt, work through challenges, learn new skills and ultimately succeed. This will ensure you have the resilience to push through most challenges that come your way, which is a valued skill in today’s job market.

Hays director Lisa Morris. Picture: Matt Loxton

Justin Hinora

Executive consultant,

Hender Consulting

I have many favourite interview questions and these are mostly self-awareness style questions. Understandably, much of an interview is spent discussing transferable skills, experience and exploring relevant behavioural competencies. I also like to pose questions that allow candidates to address any perceived gaps in their claim, be it experience, skills or conflicts, and offer a counter argument as to why these things should not be of concern. Discussing learning experiences and understanding how others perceive them, also make for additional meaningful areas to explore via reference checking, and then to see how consistent it is with the referee’s assessment too.

Hender Consulting executive consultant Justin Hinora. Picture: Mike Burton

Andrew Sullivan

Managing director,

Sullivan Consulting

Asking candidates to tell us about their areas of improvement is a favourite question of mine. This question is about giving candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their self-awareness. There are lots of ways to answer this common question. For example, a candidate might share what they have picked up from previous performance appraisals and how they have taken that feedback on board. Or they might draw on how they have addressed their weaknesses by undertaking additional training or taking on a stretch opportunity within their previous work or volunteer experience. It’s really a chance to reflect on their weaknesses and show their growth.

Sullivan Consulting managing director Andrew Sullivan. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Alexandra Rosser

Head of Organisational Psychology Consulting,

Stillwell Management Consultants

There are several questions I regularly use in interviews. The first: “What has your research informed you about our organisation and this role?”. This is designed to determine whether the candidate has gone to the effort of conducting such research and reflecting upon it. I might also ask: “What personal qualities do you have which you believe would positively contribute to our client’s organisational culture?”. This question elicits evidence of self-awareness. I often like to ask questions about their career plan and examples of abstract thinking.

Stillwell Management Consultants organisational psychology consulting head Alexandra Rosser. Picture: Mike Burton

News Corp has partnered with HR technology company Shortlyster to develop the Australian National Talent Registry, an initiative to help get Australians back to work, as COVID-19 has left hundreds of thousands of people either jobless or with reduced working hours.

The registry aims to connect jobseekers, whose employment does not have to have been directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic to participate, with employers on cultural-fit and psychological level, not just qualifications and experience.

It is free for jobseekers to sign up. To sign up, visit adelaidenow.com.au/careers

Originally published as The questions recruiters like to ask in job interviews