Interviews on both sides of the table can be an extremely nerve wracking and daunting task. For the candidate, it is a tense situation where they feel like they will be caught out if they answer a question incorrectly. For the interviewer, it means hours of sifting through candidates to find the perfect one, which includes moments of time wasting and extremely long silences as the candidate struggles to find the right answer. There is no way to avoid these moments, but to assist in pin pointing the right one; here is a list of questions to ask that will prevent you making the wrong choice.
Motivation
Asking a candidate what motivates them will give you insight into what drives them. Be aware that some candidates might answer that money is their desire to work in the financial industry, which does not always equate to a sufficient drive to succeed or any real passion.
Obstacles and how they were overcame
Asking your candidates this question can allow them to provide examples of their ability to overcome difficult situations. As the finance sector involves many complicated situations, the candidate will need to provide ample evidence of their problem solving skills. You can use this along with asking what skills they can bring that make them better than other applicants. This will allow you to get to the bottom of why a candidate will deserve your attention and the position.
Where do they seem themselves?
You want to avoid hiring a candidate who will only be with you for a short time. Ask candidates where they see themselves in a certain number of years. Try and gauge what their future goals are, rather than the here and now. Will their career goals be in line with the position to which they are applying? If they seem themselves having a successful career in finance, then the position may be suitable for them to establish it. This question can help determine which candidate is suitable for the role.
What do they know about the company
This is where you can find out if they have prepared efficiently for the interview. It will allow you to see who has applied on a whim and is not suited to a career where they have to be prepared. Ask them questions regarding what they know about the company, their services and who is on the board. It will give you an insight into how much homework they have done and how familiar they are with what you do. It is also important to ask them what they know about the industry as a whole, it can gauge if they are prepared for a career in finance and provide examples of their knowledge.
You might want to consider the routes to take when advertising a position. With using job sites can bring in a lot of interest, but it can be difficult to determine which candidates will be suitable for an interview and can take up time. Going through a recruitment agency will remove that problem and they will provide you with candidates who they feel will not waste your time. In this situation, it is just the task of deciding which candidate is better. In any case, using the suggestions above can assist in sifting through the interview process to find the candidate, perfect for the position.
Harry Price is a multi talented young man – as well as a writer, he plays football at local league level, is a bass guitarist with his band and can speak 3 langauges fluently.
