People who think working in HR is a walk in the park might need to learn that the park under discussion is actually Jurassic Park! Now it does not mean that they are interviewing dinosaurs for different roles in their organizations, it simply means the entire experience can be really difficult especially if the recruiters are not prepared for the interview!
What could be so difficult about interviewing some people and giving them a job, you may ask. What is a problem is WHO to give a job. Recruiters meet from tens to hundreds of candidates for one vacancy and the number of applicants can go up or down depending on the applicants that are applying.
Oftentimes the applicants who are shortlisted for the interview are suitable but then during the interview, the recruiters do not find them to be convincing. A problem can occur on both sides where the interviewees are not giving the right answers or maybe the interviewers are not asking the right questions to begin with!
What can be done to ensure that the candidates are given enough opportunities to demonstrate their interest during the interview? We can start by discussing the things that are now outdated and eliminate them from the hiring process. For example, the employees earlier were only considered dedicated and hardworking if they did overtime which is not the case anymore. So such kinds of questions can be easily avoided that candidates cannot seem to relate to in 2023.
Since the questions that interviewers ask these days can be outdated and insufficient for the candidates to demonstrate their interest fully, it is imperative to revolutionize the entire interviewing process to claim relatability with the applicants in today’s fast and competitive world. Because you know if you fail to secure a contract with suitable candidates, your time, effort, and money that are being spent on the hiring process can become worrisome for prolonged periods of time. Organizations cannot keep open the hiring process all year for a post to be filled. To become relevant, welcoming, and inclusive, you need to ask questions that employees want you to ask them! This may sound odd to be favoring the candidates this much as you are not the one who needs a job, candidates are. But, if we look at it from a perspective of mutual benefits, it becomes clearer that to get them to work for you, you also need to offer them something! So while asking them what they can do for the organization, you also need to tell them what's in it for them. The first rule of dealing with any number of people is to center the discussion around them: WIIFT- What's in it for them!
After all, it's give and take!
There are 5 interview questions that your candidates want you to know in 2023. If you ask them these or at least some of these questions, it becomes easier for them to show how they can be better suited for your organization. And what's better than that? Instead of deciding who's better, you are told who is, doing half of your job already!
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How are your skills relevant to the role you've applied for?
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How would you describe yourself as an employee?
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What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
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Would you call adaptability one of your strengths?
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How well do you work in a team?
These will be the top 5 interview questions that your candidates want you to know in 2023!
We'll now see how answers to these questions can be your best indicators to shortlist the best candidates for further processing.
Of course, anyone would want to read an email that starts with "We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the position!" And for this, they'll make sure to put their best foot forward. Their answers will be even more well-formed and detailed if you tell them in your job posting what's in it for them! When they know what's at stake, they'll make sure to prepare responses that align with what you're looking for.
- How are your skills relevant to the role you've applied for?
Your candidates will discuss the things they have learned during their professional education. They will mention the skills and their application for those skills in different jobs/ internships that they did. This discussion will give you an insight into their skills, knowledge, and experience for their next role. In order for them to create relevance between the experience and the role they've applied for, they need to have done thorough research on what your organization is working on and what are the mission and vision of the organization. Only a coherent answer to this question will make them suitable for the role because it's imperative to know what the organization needs if they want to work in the said role.
- How would you describe yourself as an employee?
There is another variation of this question which is: What qualities make you a good candidate?
Asking candidates such a question is about giving them a chance to identify how they can be a useful asset for your organization. After all, they need to know what you're looking for. Considering this is a relationship with mutual benefits, you both need to show the best version of yourself. The candidates will find out what you need and then see if they fit the criteria and you will see how you can compensate them for their services for the organization!
Once you ask someone "What qualities make you a good candidate?" You must be ready to hear all kinds of answers. Some candidates may come off as overconfident while some may underestimate themselves. All you have to do is to find the right balance of both, someone who is not full of themselves and isn't really putting themselves down all the time either.
Your candidates want you to know that they need a listener who isn't judging them only for how they speak, but someone who sees the person capable of doing what the job requires them to do.
- What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
Answering this question can be a nightmare for people because most of the time they don’t even know themselves! What will help your candidates is your understanding of the fact that they are not going to be supernatural beings capable of doing anything and everything. Their answer to this question should simply give you an idea of how they are as humans. And since humans are flawed, their admittance of the fact that they can make mistakes but are willing to learn and change should be more than enough to be a good answer to such a question.
The answers to this question will give you, a recruiter, an insight on how you can utilize this talent for the organization and how you can train them, if needed, for upskilling them, making them suitable enough, or not.
- Would you call adaptability one of your strengths?
The candidates want you to know that their skills and abilities are not limited and fixed. If their strength involves adaptability, then they are your people! You will find them easily managing work when things don’t work out perfectly. You can rely on them as such people are dependable and can handle pressure easily. In today’s world changing with the trends is imperative otherwise there is a chance of becoming irrelevant. So, this is also one of the 5 interview questions that your candidates want you to know in 2023. 
- How well do you work in a team?
Last but one of the most important questions that your candidates want you to know is their ability to work in teams. Public dealing and public speaking are skills that are never not needed. So ask your candidates about them and you will find the ones good for you! You can find out about these things by asking the same question in different ways, which will also help you see them as leaders and managers. With just a few variations of the same question, you will be able to narrow down your search for a team lead, an assistant, and a junior assistant.
Hence, asking such relevant questions is the key to finding candidates who are willing to work for your organization with honesty and dedication. So, try not to limit their chances by asking them questions where they cannot express themselves fully.
These were the 5 interview questions your candidates want you to know in 2023. Remember what happened to Nokia? Aim to be like Apple and you’ll see what we are talking about. So for recruiters, one thing that is most important is to identify the current trends and see how talent can work with you in order to make your organization relevant to the world!
