As the COO and a co-founder of After School, a large part of my job is making hiring decisions. It’s one of many responsibilities, but there’s nothing more important to the success of our company than the strength of our team, which makes every interview an opportunity to improve our business.
When we first started to grow our team (back in 2011), we asked about a prospect’s work history, how they felt they would fit in with our team and how they would solve specific problems. But, we weren’t listening and asking to really get to know them as a person. We didn’t understand whether their wants, needs, skills and passion fit our company and available position.
Over time, we adapted our interview process to get to know the candidate and learn what they wanted out of a job instead of trying to sell them on the position we had available. here are some of the most important questions we ask:
1. What’s your dream job?
Asking someone about their dream job helps test the potential fit right at the start and lets you know what they want out of a job.
2. What do you like to do for fun?
Not all questions in an interview need to be directly related to the position you’re hiring for. Our team takes regular activity breaks together, and although we work hard, we have fun together as well.
3. What did you like and dislike about your last job?
Asking what someone loved and hated about their last job is pretty simple, but it provides great insight into what…