If you rely on conventional interview questions to evaluate candidates, revamping your approach with more behavioural and situational questions might be worthwhile.
These questions have been shown to be more effective at forecasting job performance.
Consider the following sample questions:
Behavioural question: Can you tell me about a project that you took on and successfully completed despite facing significant challenges?
Situational question: Suppose a stakeholder complains about your service. How would you be able to handle the situation to make sure that the stakeholder is satisfied?
Behavioural question: Can you describe when you dealt with a difficult coworker or customer? How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Imagine you have a tight deadline to meet, but a team member responsible for a critical task is consistently underperforming. How would you handle the situation?
Behavioural question: Can you describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision that significantly impacted your team or company? How did you make the decision, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Suppose you are leading a team, and one of your team members is not meeting their goals. How would you work with that team member to help them improve their performance?
Behavioural question: Can you give an example of when you had to learn a new skill quickly to complete a task or project?
Situational question: Imagine you are working on a project with a team, and a team member is consistently missing deadlines and not contributing to the project. How would you address the situation?
Behavioural question: Can you describe a time when you had to work with a team member with a different work style or approach than you? How did you work together effectively?
Situational question: Imagine that you are working on a project, and a key stakeholder suddenly changes their requirements. How would you handle the situation to ensure the project stays on track?
Behavioural question: Can you tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a new work environment or company culture? How did you adjust to the new environment, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Suppose you are leading a team that is facing a tight deadline. How would you motivate and manage your team to ensure that the project is completed on time?
Behavioural question: Can you describe a situation where you had to communicate a difficult message to a team or client? How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Imagine a team member is not meeting their goals and is resistant to feedback. How would you approach the situation to help them improve their performance?
Behavioural question: Can you tell me about a time when you had to think creatively to solve a problem or complete a task? What was your approach, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Suppose you are leading a team that includes experienced and inexperienced members. How would you ensure everyone works together effectively and contributes to the project?
Behavioural question: Can you describe a time when you had to manage multiple projects or tasks simultaneously? How did you prioritise your work, and what was the outcome?
Situational question: Imagine that a project you are working on is behind schedule due to unforeseen circumstances. How would you communicate the delay to stakeholders, and what steps would you take to get the project back on track?
Next time you interview someone, give them a go. You may be surprised how effective they are.
Richard Holmes is Co-Founder & Director of HPR Consulting, a leading Accounting & Finance recruitment business in Sydney, Australia.
He has been in the Executive Search & Selection Industry since 2003. He has developed a track record of recruiting senior Accounting, Finance and Commercial professionals into leading ASX-listed, private and multinational organisations. Passionate about connecting talent, he has in-depth knowledge of the Sydney market and brings significant intellectual property to his clients and candidates.
For the best finance talent, please reach out to Richard on 0403 513 720 or richardh@hprconsulting.com