I decided to Google the phrase "tough interview questions" to see what might pop up. The very first article that I found was from a well-respected publication. They had a few good ones, but a few that sure seemed like filler for the article. One, for instance, was "Tell me about yourself". If that is a tough interview question, I wish all of my clients had that as their "difficult" litmus test to knowing the true character of a candidate. While you might learn a few good things from that line of questioning, I don't believe that is what I'm going after today.
There are a few keys to really asking a tough question where you actually expect an answer that you can use objectively when considering a candidate's professional background and work experience.
1) Listen carefully. Seems like an obvious one, right? But I can't tell you how many times I have de-briefed with a candidate that says they didn't get much of a chance to actually answer questions. If you have a tough question to ask that you truly want an answer to, you might have to suffer through some silence and unnatural pregnant pauses. The whole point of a tough question is to really get to the heart of an answer. If you jump quickly to another question after five seconds of awkward silence, the question wasn't worth asking in the first place.
2) Be honest. Maybe you have gone through a lot of turnover recently, causing a bit of instability. Or you have a longtime employee in the department that can be difficult to work with. Or maybe during a busy time of the year everyone is expected to work some long hours to get through projects. Don't ever shy away from asking those questions during an interview. If you don't, you will regret it. Over time the candidate you hire will figure these things out and wonder why they weren't told about it earlier in the interview process.
3) Be confident. Salary is one place where people tend to squirm a little. It is another time in an interview where there could be some silence or awkward pauses. But it is a key indicator of whether or not a candidate is a match for a particular job. I even like to ask it early in a conversation when I first meet a candidate. The less of a big deal I make out of it, the less anyone thinks about it. Yet I get the crucial information I need to know if I can really help a candidate.
4) Don't ever regret not asking the tough question. Within the boundaries of ethics and legality, don't ever pass over that question you really want to ask, but can't find the right time to ask. Just pull the Band-Aid off and run with it. Examples here include asking about gaps on a resume, a lot of job hopping, going in and out of industry for some time, significant geographic moves, and even education. Don't ever assume what you think might be the case is actually the case. I have been surprised many times over the years when I ask the tough question that I fear I already know the answer to and don't really want to ask. But by asking I learn a lot.
As with anything, practice makes perfect. The more comfortable you get with asking the tough questions, the easier it gets. Any advice that you can share on how you approach the tough questions in an interview?
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