When it comes to job interviews, many employers are focused on the questions they will ask each candidate and how best to phrase those questions to get the information they need to make a quality decision. What many employers fail to prepare for, however, are the tough questions the candidates will face and how to answer them while still shining a positive light on their company.
Throughout their careers, members of Council for Young Entrepreneurs quite a few difficult questions were asked by the interviewees. Below, they share some of the most challenging questions, how they responded, and why they think other employers should respond the same way.
Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council share how they responded to interviewees’ difficult questions.
Photos courtesy of individual members.
1. ‘Why is this feature available?’
A very difficult question is, “What happened to the last person in this position?” or “Why is the feature available?” It can be an easy question to answer if we just created the job to keep the tasks from overwhelming another employee or if the former employee found another job with a larger company and moved. However, the question can be tricky if the former employee resigned without notice, was unhappy, or decided to work for a competitor. Any response tends to reflect on us more than the employee, even if the details show we were not responsible for the dissatisfaction. In addition, you don’t want to be too critical of a former employee, because that shows a lack of loyalty. I replied by stating that our employee decided to go in a different direction and that the vacancy arose. – Baruch Labunskic, Rank Safe
2. ‘How much debt do you have on your books?’
This question arose from the candidate feeling unstable in previous consulting roles where their employers were hiring investors or, in some cases, selling the company, changing the dynamics and culture. The employee asked in a very intelligent way to gauge the stability of our company. I was surprised at first, but we believe in financial transparency, and I had no problem sharing the state of our commitments, all of which are short-lived. – Marjorie Adams, fourlane
3. ‘Can I continue to work on my startup here?’
One of the tricky questions a potential employee asked me was, “Can I keep working on my startup while I’m at the company?” To that I replied, “If it doesn’t affect your results, then sure.” There’s nothing wrong with them pursuing a dream project as long as their job performance isn’t compromised. If they can keep up with deadlines without compromising the quality of the work, they are doing justice to the role they were hired for. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable shapes
4. ‘How will this role improve my industry knowledge and experience?’
One of the most challenging and honest questions I’ve encountered on the hiring table is, “How will this role enhance my industry knowledge and experience?” This is a pragmatic question as it is directly related to the candidate’s future aspirations. The candidate asks about the growth opportunities they get from us as a company. I simply replied that they would be given plenty of learning opportunities to brush up on their skills and knowledge as most modern brands are value based institutions. I also asked them, “How are you going to evaluate yourself or your skills before stepping in and helping us grow? What you need is a new challenge, and the learning experience will help you develop and prepare for the industry.” – Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
5. ‘What is your corporate culture around women with children?’
Many people, especially women who want to start a family during their career, worry about flexibility. Many potential employees for larger companies ask about the FMLA leave policy and corporate culture around women with children. The best thing any owner or manager can do is to point out and offer other women with children in their company to put the potential employee in touch with them if they want to talk further, and offer to send them a copy of the company’s time off policy. send. If you don’t have moms in your company and haven’t thought about FMLA or maternity and paternity leave for new parents, these candidates can see that they won’t thrive within your current structure. – Lauren Marsicano, Marsicano + Leyva PLLC
6. ‘What can I do to make my work better?’
I once got a tricky question from a potential employee. They wanted to know what to expect from their work and what they could do to make it better. I replied by telling them that there is no such thing as a perfect company. It is up to the individual to make it better, and if they are willing to work hard and take the time, then they will succeed at this company. The tough questions that come up during interviews are questions you are not prepared for or don’t know how to answer. You have to be prepared for anything, but it’s important not to give generic answers like, “I’m looking for someone who is passionate about their job.” – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
7. “Is there something that makes you not want to hire me?”
It’s always impressive to hear, “Is there something in my application that makes you? not want to hire me?” This is a tough question, but one that is so important to hiring a high-quality candidate. In many cases, the applicants who ask these types of questions are genuinely interested in the position and want to raise any doubts Take this opportunity to answer your interviewee honestly. If you see any red flags, let them know and let them explain. Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
