Anyone have any suggestions for quality interview questions?
I often ask why they want this job, why they will be better than others, where they grew up, locals often better.
I ask for references, always including parents if they are still around (+).
I also ask if people have been on unemployment (-), if so when, for how long and why. I ask about military service (+), and now will ask if they have ever been on a strike (-), been in the union (-), etc.
I ask about prison (-), being arrested (-), education (+), other experience (+).
I don't look at credit scores or other scores. I do talk about business philosophy. I ask about all past pay rates.
I do look them up on the internet, but not via a background search, just generic (that will help you ID many around here).
I talk about future pay and after hiring around 50 people over the years have always paid the requested rate, though some have not lasted long at their rate.
What else are good things to ask, what could I be missing, good indicators, things to instantly exclude?
Thanks for your help, and the future employees thank you too.
on that note, you might find some helpful questions to ask in some of the articles posted in this thread:
Tips for job hunting
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
You need to be careful. Several of the questions you've listed are either flat out illegal or are borderline. You can't ask about birthplace since that might allow you to infer nationality. You can ask if they currently live local.
Asking about collecting unemployment is shakey ground. Asking about relevant job experience is safe.
Asking about military service is ok, but asking about their discharge status is not.
Asking about felony convictions is ok, but you can't ask if they've ever been arrested.
You might want to look up topics to stay away from before you get a call from some labor board or lawyer....
My best employees were found by asking relevant questions about the tasks they would be expected to complete. Sometimes people who have had a tougher past and made some mistakes are more motivated to turn their lives around and rise to the top. If I can't trip an applicant up with technical questions they should know, that's more important to me than past mistakes they may have made. I've hired plenty of 'Eddie Haskels' with stellar pasts and a good speech/resume but ended up letting them go because they couldn't deliver (a good paintjob on a clunker). My best employees seemed to have overcome some pretty big 'issues'. It is tough finding the best employees and I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore.
The left is angry because they are now being judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.
