“So, are you married?”
“And are you planning a family?”
“What is your personal situation?”

You must be extra careful you are not being prejudiced when interviewing. By law, you have to ask everyone the same questions but the above 3 questions are ones that you definitely mustn’t ask!

Closed questions invite a one-word answer so won’t tell you a lot. We recommend you ask open questions – they often start with who, what, when, where, why and how, and can gather much more information.

Here are some classic questions that candidates are often prepared for:

“Where do you want to be in five year’s time?”
“What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“Which accomplishments have given you the greatest satisfaction and why?”
“Why do you want to work here?”

“Give me an example of …” is a good way to uncover transferable skills. For example: “Tell me about a time when you solved a problem”. Or “How have you dealt with a difficult customer?” While “What did you do at work yesterday?” can prompt a specific story from someone who is being vague.

It’s not just about knowing which questions to ask, the real skill is in how you ask them. The best questioning style helps the candidate relax and reveal more about themselves, so you find out whether they have the right skill set and will be a good fit with your organisation.

Remember, it’s OK to probe more deeply into candidates’ CVs. Statistics claim that many people lie to make themselves look good. If you interview our candidates, we will have checked out their CVs before we send them to you. Contact us to find out how we can help with your interviewing process.

Here’s a few stories we’ve heard about interviews by companies that hadn’t used us to screen their candidates…

One candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.

A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person" and not a "numbers person."

Another candidate applied for a technical position repairing computers. Even though he’d clearly had no experience in electronics or computers, he’d made it to interview stage. He was asked if he’d ever taken apart a computer and actually seen inside one. His response was "Are you kidding? It's dangerous!" Needless to say, he did not get the position!

Don’t forget to send us your most amusing interview story via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by 14th December.

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.