Screening potential hires for culture fit

Skill set is important when hiring the perfect candidate for a position. Equally as crucial is culture fit. Culture fit can greatly affect team morale. However, it can be difficult to assess soft skills and personality during the interview process. Luckily, there are key questions that can tap into culture fit. A recent Inc. article highlighted some of these questions:

1. What’s the greatest workday of your life? This question gets the candidate thinking about what it would be like to work for you and what would inspire them. If the candidate’s “greatest day” doesn’t reflect the company’s “purpose”, he or she will most likely not be a good match.
2. What was the best way you delegated a task? This question basically asks candidates how they lead. It assesses leadership potential and whether or not they are up to doing leadership tasks.
3. What was a time you didn’t know how to do something? No one knows everything. This question assesses whether the candidate has strong problem-solving abilities and can think on their feet.
4. What is teamwork to you? Asking this question alludes to how well someone works with others. This question can be asked in front of team members that the candidate would be working alongside. The team members can assess whether or not the candidate is the right fit.
5. How would you fly a helicopter full of peanuts? Make up a crazy question and ask it in the middle of the normal list of questions. This will assess the candidate’s critical thinking and management skills. Do they ask too many qualifying questions or not enough? Does their response align with your goals?
6. What can your hobbies tell me that your resume can’t? Companies are typically looking for individuals with broad interests. Free-time activities can reflect this.
7. What are your 3 ideal job qualities? This question reflects the values that the candidate finds most important. These qualities may or may not align with that of the company.
8. If you won a million dollars in the lottery, what would you do with the money? There is typically no right or wrong answer. However, a response to this question can reveal a lot about the candidate’s character.
9. If you could open your own business, what would it be and why? This question offers insight into a candidate’s entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurs tend to be more proactive and they put all of themselves into the work that they do.
10. What is one thing you believe that most people do not? This question gauges a candidate’s ability to think independently, outside of what others think. The best employees are those that can come up with new and original ideas.
11. How well do you adapt to change? Companies are always experiencing change–large and small. Team members need to be open to change and evolution.
12. What personality traits do you butt heads with? This question reveals who the candidate is most likely to get along with or not get along with. It provides insight into if the candidate will mesh well with others on the team and in the company.
13. What are you passionate about? Companies are looking for individuals with a mission-driven mindset and creativity. This question will reveal this.