9 Questions Every Hiring Entrepreneur Should Ask

9 Questions Every Hiring Entrepreneur Should Ask

For a prospective employee, a personal interview can be the most nerve-racking part of her job application. For a prospective employer, it often turns out to be the most insightful one. Few activities can mimic the opportunity to observe and assess a candidate in real time as well as an interview does. The idea behind asking ‘rattling’ questions is to see the thought process behind the answer and to gauge how well the candidate can tackle unpredictable situations. The key to an effective interview is to ask questions that are both creative and revealing. Pivotal to the existence and growth of any small and medium sized business is both the passion and efficacy of its workforce. Here are some interesting questions designed specially to help hiring entrepreneurs in selecting the best talent for their company:

1. If you were to buy this company tomorrow, what is the first thing you would change about it?

Typically, candidates would have done their research on the company before sitting for the interview. However, framing the question in this way immediately puts the candidate on the spot. Not only is this a great way of seeing how much candidates know about the company and its operations, but it also helps the interviewer in assessing the candidate’s boldness in expressing an opinion.

2. If you were hired and you loved everything about this job, what kind of offer from another company would you consider?

There is no right or wrong answer to this one, and that’s exactly where the beauty of this question lies. It helps you crack the tough questions as an interviewer. What do the candidate’s priorities look like, are her individual goals aligned with those or your company and does she see some part of her ‘ideal job offer’ in the current proposition? Being able to prioritise her life and defend her choices is a valuable characteristic in any employee and this question is a great way to gauge that ability. 

3. If a movie were to be made about your life ten years from now, what kind of movie would it be?

A movie can reveal an astonishing amount about someone’s personality. The interviewer would get both, a fair sense of the candidate’s tastes and preferences and an idea of how she perceives herself. While those who choose the genre of action could be seen as resilient and strong, those who choose the theme of adventure could be seen as great at taking on challenges and unexpected situations.  A question of this sort may also throw up creative answers that would lead to engaging conversations during the interview. 

4. If you get 1 billion dollars to launch an entrepreneurial idea, what would it be?

Since this question mandates a display of the interviewee’s passions and interests, it can be an effective way to assess a candidate’s cultural fit. Apart from knowing her professional goals and aspirations, the interviewer would be able to get a fair idea of how enthusiastic the candidate is about entrepreneurship and how strong her ability is to plan.

5. If you were a superhero, what would your special power be?

How adept is the candidate at negotiating through situations that are unpredictable, just like this question? The question will force the interviewee to think on her feet and put across her strengths creatively.

6. What will surprise us most about your leadership here?

Employees who have an ability to lead are an asset to any organization, especially if the set up is entrepreneurial. This question seeks to answer two important questions- what is that one thing that sets the candidate apart from other leaders and why should you hire her?

7. Are you ambitious enough to compete with me for my job?

Being ambitious is rarely seen as an undesirable trait but being overly ambitious can be dangerous. This question would require a lot of tact as the candidate would have to strike a fine balance to avoid appearing neither over enthusiastic or nor too detached.

8. Do you think you’ve been fortunate?

At first, this may seem like a question that is intended to shed light on the candidate’s attitude, positive or not, but it can be more insightful than that. A response to this question can reveal a lot about an interviewee’s perception of himself/herself, hence determining the candidate’s cultural fit.

9. Tell me something that would make me laugh.

Random though it may be, this question is the best way to test an interviewee’s creativity and sense of humor, both of which are seen as favorable characteristics in a potential employee. It is not the joke that matters here; rather, what makes an impact is how well it is presented in the given situation.

Stay Connected with MYB

Other Interesting Stories

Add new comment