Provisional Blog

As one of the top staffing agencies in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we know that hiring a leader can be a challenging task. Many candidates might come across as credible prospects, only to fall short when they are actually hired. So how can you truly assess whether a candidate would make a good leader at your company?

Great leaders do two things really well – they build relationships (with co-workers, subordinates, managers, clients, vendors, and industry connections) and they drive results (increase sales, cut costs, improve productivity, etc.).

With those two attributes in mind, here are 10 questions to ask candidates when you’re looking to hire for a leadership position:

1. Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a group of people to buy into your idea.
2. Describe a conflict you were involved in at work. How did you resolve the conflict?
3. When you have entered a new situation (new job, promotion, etc.) in the past, explain how you have gone about meeting and developing relationships with your new co-workers, supervisors, and subordinates.
4. What would your past employees/subordinates say about working for you?
5. Tell me about a time when your team faced a challenging outlook. How did you motivate them and rally their support?
6. What accomplishment are you most proud of? What was the process like in achieving it?
7. Tell me about a time when you failed as a leader. What happened and what did you learn?
8. Tell me about a time you faced an unexpected problem and how you solved it.
9. What do you think you can contribute to this position? And this company?
10. What are the most important values and traits you demonstrate as a leader?

Bonus Question:

• What is your definition of a leader?

If you’d like some additional help hiring leaders for your company, then let us know. As one of the top staffing agencies in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we specialize in identifying, attracting, and recruiting top-tier professionals to create strategic management teams with the experience, vision, and character to improve business performance. Contact us today to learn more.

Imagine this situation:

You’re in the middle of interviewing for an amazing new job at one of the top companies in Spokane. You’ve nailed every single question asked and then you get a curveball:

“If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”

You think to yourself, what in the world does this have to do with an accounting job?  

This type of interview question is designed to stump you. The interviewer wants to see how you react and how quickly you can think on your feet.  So how would you respond?

Here’s what to do and what NOT to do in this kind of situation:

• Don’t let the question rattle you. Simply smile and take a deep breath.
• Ask for a moment to give it some thought. A moment of silence or a pause in the conversation is better than blurting out a ridiculous answer.
• If you don’t know what the interviewer is fishing for in your answer, then ask for clarification or for an example. Many times by discussing the question in this way, an answer will come to you.
• If you still can’t think of a good answer, simply ask the interviewer to come back to that question.
• Also, don’t worry about being brilliant or witty. Just be yourself and give an honest response. There is rarely a wrong answer to these kinds of questions.
Here are some examples of other unexpected job interview questions that may come your way:
• If you could have dinner with anyone from history, living or dead, who would it be and why?
• Who do you admire the most and why?
• If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

Also, while you can’t prepare for every off-the-wall question, make sure you ARE prepared for the basic questions, such as:

• Tell me about yourself?
• Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years?
• Tell me about a time when you successfully handled a complicated situation?
• What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
• What do you consider your biggest career achievement?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why do you want this job?

As Spokane’s leading staffing and recruiting agency, Provisional knows what employers are looking for during job interviews.  If you’re searching for work and need help preparing for an interview, please contact Provisional today. We can help.