To get the right answer, you need to ask the right question.
And sure, that sounds like a fortune cookie, but when applied to the interview process, it can be a game-changer for your hiring experience. When asking the same-old questions can only result in the same-old answers, pivoting to a strategic interview approach is key to successfully identifying a candidate who’s a good fit for the role you’re looking to fill.
Because here’s the thing, the more strategic you are with your interview questions, the more confident you’ll be in your final hiring decision.
If you’re new to reviewing and interviewing candidates, the team at the SciTech Internship Program is here to help, providing free tools and resources to simplify your hiring experience through our Recruiter’s Roadmap Series.
- Use the Need Assessment Tool to identify gaps in your workforce and build an internship project around them
- Use the Job Description Format Tool to craft a concise job description that will attract the right talent to your position
And if you’re ready to start interviewing applicants, you can use our Interview Question Guide to craft strategic questions that will prompt meaningful and informative answers.
Download the free Interview Question Guide tool
These are questions designed to avoid generic, overly rehearsed responses. Questions that directly relate to your specific role and the caliber of candidate you’re looking for.
The trick to this approach is working from the top down:
- Define the key responsibilities of the role
- Identify the characteristics best suited to complete the tasks therein
- Compose open-ended questions whose answers align with your desired strengths
Let’s break down what that means and how to do it
Start by asking yourself: “What is my goal for someone in this role? What’s something I want this intern, or employee to achieve?” Beginning with the desired outcomes for the position enables you to think critically about what a candidate needs to do/ demonstrate to achieve those goals.
So, let’s say for example, you’re looking to hire a marketing intern. A goal for that position could be that the ideal candidate will facilitate a higher click-through-rate of visitors to your website from social media.
Next is identifying strengths and skillsets.
Ask yourself: “What are two characteristics a candidate should have that would enable them to achieve that goal?”
Being able to pinpoint specific traits that align with your open position before you start interviewing will make it significantly easier to find said traits in the applicants you’re reviewing.
Sticking with the marketing intern example, two characteristics of a candidate capable of achieving your goal might be:
- They demonstrate an aptitude for engaging content creation
Or
- They demonstrate an ability to effectively create and manage a content calendar
Now that we know the talents/ skills/ characteristics crucial to your open position, we can then craft interview questions around identifying these traits.
Tip: Make sure your questions are open-ended and not leading. It should prompt a candidate to think critically about their response, and enable a variety of answers. If the question is too focused on your goal, it’ll be easy for an applicant to know what you’re looking for and tell you want you want to hear. Authenticity is important.
The questions should also be story-based, prompting a candidate to relate an experience they’ve had with the opportunity you’re providing.
With that in mind, here are two questions you could ask your marketing intern candidate:
- “What is your approach to getting to know an audience? How do you use that approach to improve the performance of your posts?”
And
- “How do you integrate strategy into your social media management? Tell us about the tools you use to stay organized.”
This format works well with “tell us about a time when…” type of questions. Utilizing storytelling and a candidate’s real-world experiences can reveal a more in-depth understanding of who they are professionally and how well they align with the role and your organization.
Tip: Use a 1-5 scoring method for every response, to keep track of how well each candidate answered the questions. This will ensure you’re fairly assessing their fit for the requirements of the job while staying organized when comparing the performance of multiple applicants.
With customized, strategic questions guiding your interview, you’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of your options, enabling you to make an informed, confident decision on who to hire.
There are additional free resources upcoming in our Recruiter’s Roadmap series, including an internship prep checklist and a structure guide to help you and your students stay on track and get the most of their experience.
So stay connected by following SciTech on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay in the loop. Real-world examples of companies currently finding success with their interns can be found on the SciTech blog, and if you’re interested in signing up for SciTech and accessing Minnesota’s number one recruiting and funding tool, you can enroll here for free!