Preparing for the Big Interview: The Open-Ended Qs

As a LinkedIn Influencer I write a monthly column. Last month it was on hiring. I struck a nerve with the post  Why I Believe in Hiring a C Student. The comments ranged across the emotional spectrum: it was everything from hate mail to a love fest. A couple of people said that they could never work for me, and several people looking for a job filled my inbox. I was surprised at the level of emotion. I think that the interviewing process is difficult with high stakes, and that people have strong opinions about their relationship with their boss. 

Several readers asked me to take my post one step further. The request was to share my favorite interview questions. That is the goal of this post. 

So, if you are sitting across the desk from me in an interview, here are my favorite questions. Notice that they are all open ended. I usually ask three of these in an interview. The follow-up questions and answers will take the entire period.

When I ask these open-ended questions, I will often stump the person being interviewed. When I do, I let the silence hang heavy and percolate in the air. Out of the silence comes the essence of the person. I love listening as I start to learn the behavioral patterns that define the person I am interviewing.

• If I had a group of your friends in a room, and asked them to describe you, what adjectives would they use? What would they say?
• Let’s pretend we are having dinner ten years from now. Tell me what you are doing. What would you tell me about your career? Your life?
• One of the rough things about life is overcoming a tough situation. Can you give me an example of where you summoned the courage to overcome a life challenge? What happened? How did you make your choices?
• If I had your performance review on my desk from your last job, what would it say? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• In college, did you work on group projects? What was your normal role on the team? Can you give me an example of team conflict and how you handled it?
• What does life balance mean to you? What do you try to balance? What defines success?
• If you had a magic wand, can you describe the ideal team that you would like to work with and for? What are the characteristics?
• The experts predict that we will each have nine careers in our lifetimes. Have you thought about this? How will you progress through your careers?

Remember there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. In answering, it is absolutely fine to say that you do not know; but as you do, give me your insights on your thinking. I am listening for the patterns which define the person. I am seeking poise and presence. I want a candidate who can think on their feet. The silence can be awkward, but out of the pregnant pause emerges the true essence of the person. That is the beauty of the open-ended question. It is wonderful to hear the stories. 

I often use this type of question to help graduates practice the art of answering broad-brush questions. What do you think? Any favorite questions that you use that you would like to share? Any advice?

About the Author:

Lora Cecere is the Founder of Supply Chain Insights. She is trying to redefine the industry analyst model to make it friendlier and more useful for supply chain leaders. Lora has written the books Supply Chain Metrics That Matter and Bricks Matter, and is currently working on her third book, Leadership Matters. She also actively blogs on her Supply Chain Insights website, at the Supply Chain Shaman blog, and for Forbes. When not writing or running her company, Lora is training for a triathlon, taking classes for her DBA degree in research, knitting and quilting for her new granddaughter, and doing tendu (s) and Dégagé (s) to dome her feet for pointe work at the ballet barre. Lora thinks that we are never too old to learn or to push for excellence.