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For job applicants, the interview process offers a vital opportunity to showcase their professional skills and suitability for a company. As such, candidates should put their best foot forward by preparing for potential interview questions.
While most job seekers have a prepared answer for standard or commonly asked questions, they may need clarification when presented with more offbeat lines of questioning. To help, the members of Forbes Human Resources Council share some unique interview questions that could come up and why it's important to have a solid response ready.
1. 'How do you de-stress?'
“What do you do to manage stress or de-stress?” There's no wrong or right answer, but it allows an opportunity for candidates to share what activities they enjoy, and also to incorporate the importance of well-being. This has been a top priority for organizations these past four years and will continue to be included as a benefit in future-forward organizations. - Teedra Bernard, TransUnion
2. 'What gives you energy?'
I ask candidates, "What gives you energy and what drains you in your current role?" The answer gives me insight into the tasks or goals of their current job they enjoy, or have an affinity for, as well as reveals their least favorite tasks or job responsibilities. If their "drainers" make up more than 25% of the job I am considering them for, they probably are not a good fit for the role. - Anne McCafferty, Hale Trailer, Brake & Wheel
3. 'When did you last acquire a new skill?'
"Tell me about the last time you acquired a new skill and how you applied it." With nearly 25% of jobs being set to be disrupted in the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum's latest "Future of Jobs" report, learning agility, the motivation and method to acquire new skills at pace is critical to maintaining relevance and increasing employability. - Catalina Schveninger, Matara Consulting
4. 'How has a setback shaped your growth?'
"Can you share an example of a challenging experience or setback you've faced and how it shaped your professional growth?" It seems like a standard interview question, but it's important because it focuses on assessing qualities like resilience, grit and a growth mindset over technical skills, and allows employers to gauge how candidates handle adversity and learn from it. - Tia Smith, Cognizant
5. 'What did you learn from failure?'
"Talk to me about a time you have failed. What did you learn from it?" With the rise of AI and technology across all fields, organizations are looking for individuals willing to innovate and learn. With trying new things, ideas and technologies, the chance of failure also exists. Companies are looking for individuals willing to learn, fail, innovate and succeed. - Amee Parekh, Stello Technologies
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
6. 'How do you learn new systems?'
"What systems and/or technology have you used, and what's one thing you do to hold yourself accountable to learning a new system? Please provide an example." As technology evolves and alternative technologies emerge, it's important that candidates not only have experience using multiple systems but that they've had to learn and adapt to new systems within an existing organization. - Jenna Hinrichsen, Advanced RPO
7. 'Are you willing to work in person?'
One question every candidate should be ready to answer, especially for a remote job, is, "Would you be willing to shift to an on-site or hybrid role if your employer required you to do so?” This question establishes expectations upfront for possible location-related situations and is a timely topic being addressed in the hiring and recruitment industries right now, with varying opinions. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
8. 'What don't you want here?'
Candidates are also screening us, so a good question is, "What is something that you wouldn't like to find here?" Not only will you know if they heard what you were saying or if they researched about your company, but you also could understand what the person values the most (leadership, communication, benefits, training, development and so on). You can know if it's a proper fit. - Marcela Pizzi, Atlas Renewable Energy
9. 'How are you using AI currently?'
"How are you using AI?" Being ready to discuss your experience and views on AI signals that you're knowledgeable about this emerging field and its impacts on the future of work. It also shows your technology fluency and that you can apply AI to solve problems and increase productivity. This "AI readiness" question cuts to the chase in assessing a candidate's technology IQ and literacy. - Nicole Smartt Serres, Smartt Enterprises
10. 'How would you use AI in this role?'
"How would you use AI to bring more efficiency to this job?" This question would get both at how deeply the candidate understands the role and responsibilities and also how familiar they are with the uses of AI to be able to think about some practical ways they could apply it for their job. - Sanja Licina, QuestionPro
11. 'How do you handle ambiguity?'
“How do you handle ambiguity?” Change is a cornerstone of the 2024 job market, so find out how candidates will complete tasks, even with limited information or experience. Do they struggle to deal with change or can they pivot as new challenges arise? Adaptability is an essential soft skill. - Ursula Mead, InHerSight
12. 'What concerns did you have about the job?'
"What specific concern (from research) gave you pause about our company, and how did you overcome it?" The benefits: 1. It's engaging and introspective, and prompts reflection and honest dialogue, 2. It uncovers potential concerns and shows the candidate's ability to research and address them, 3. It gauges resilience and problem-solving and demonstrates the ability to overcome doubts. - Michael D. Brown, Global Recruiters of Buckhead
13. 'How do you fit into our culture?'
“How do you see yourself fitting into our organizational culture?” Recruiters are increasingly recognizing the importance of hiring candidates who align with their employer’s mission, values and culture. Any job candidate should be prepared to talk about how they would fit into the organization’s culture and how they would contribute. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
14. 'How do you start your day?'
One question that I've heard hiring managers use is "Tell me about how you start your day." It can catch candidates off guard. What they are looking for is whether you are intentional and structured about your time. Talking about spending time planning your day, listening to educational podcasts, reading, meditating, exercising and so on are all great responses and tell a lot about a person. - Hazel Kassu, Sudduth Search
15. 'How did you adapt to tech evolution?'
"How did you adapt to a rapidly evolving technology environment?" The question probes the candidate's adaptability, learning agility and innovation skills. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
