5 Interview Questions To Secure Top Talent in the New Era of Work

As businesses enter a new era of work, they must be equipped with the right workforce to excel in the future. Therefore, recruiting the right talent should be at the forefront of all businesses minds. Making sure the interview process is well structured plays a crucial part in obtaining the correct workforce.  The interview process generally has 4 stages: 

• Introduction
• Q&A
• Answering any questions from the interviewee
• Closing

During the interview there are 5 crucial questions which all interviewers should make sure to include. These questions should be asked whether in a socially distanced face-to-face or remote interview, as they allow you to hire the right skills you need for today’s new world of work. These 5 questions are increasingly more important in the uncertain and fast paced times we live in today.

Q1. “Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?”

For many hiring managers, “Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?” was a common interview question pre-Covid-19, but the answer given in the post-pandemic world has far more meaning and importance.  Post-pandemic, it is likely that a hybrid approach will become standard practice for many organisations. A hybrid team is a flexible work structure where some employees work remotely and other team members work from a central location or office. It is important to assess whether candidates would be willing to adopt this approach and whether they would have a preference between working remotely or working in a more traditional office environment, and in which setting they might deliver the most value to your business.

Q2. “How do you ensure your productivity and motivation remains high while working remotely?”

Asking the candidate how they manage their remote working days, what they’ve learned about themselves over the past few months of working remotely, and how they’ve been able to persevere while working from home. 

It is to be anticipated that as life returns to normal, some of the new post-covid working standards will continue. It is likely that employees will look for increased flexibility with their working schedule and work set-up. It is important to gauge what candidates are expecting to be offered. The pandemic allowed employees to work in a structure that most suited their lifestyle and therefore were able to work more effectively. During the pandemic, the majority of managers were pleased with the levels of productivity. Heading into the future it is important to understand a person’s capabilities when working remotely. 

Q3. “How do you practice lifelong learning and continuous upskilling?”

If the pandemic has taught organisations anything it is that they need to ensure their workforce is agile, adaptable and flexible. Having the capability to adapt to changes in the workplace has been essential over the last year. Discuss with the candidates any new WFH skills they acquired, their productivity hacks, books they’ve read, or what they’ve learned about their own resiliency through this. This all feeds into getting to know the candidates character and drive. 

Q4. “Tell me about a time where you have failed.”

The world is full of unknowns; we can not predict what will happen in the future, therefore organisations need a workforce who can deal with uncertainty and change.  To survive in the new era of work, employees will not only need an increased aptitude for learning, but also a sense of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. When candidates are able to discuss a situation where they have failed it shows ability to learn and grow from past failures and to be self-aware of times where they have not excelled. 

Q5. “How do you inject an element of creativity into your work?”

As the world of work is changing more and more everyday, companies are looking to employ assets who can have the highest value and drive the biggest impact to the organisation. All roles, now more than ever, will demand an element of creativity, innovative thinking and problem solving. Therefore an extremely important question in the interview process is to figure out a person’s creative capabilities.  Finding out how a candidate can inject their creativity into the organisation is a great way of measuring the role and impact they can have in the organisation.

Other things to consider when carrying out interviews:

• Try to put the interviewee at ease in order to see their true personality.
• Asking open-ended questions
• Take effective notes
• Try to listen more and speak less
• Do your preparation beforehand
• Make the interview engaging and worth the candidates time