When you’re looking to hire new team members, conducting job interviews can be the determining factor in whether you hire a candidate or not.
Even if a person looks good on paper, by asking the right questions, you can more easily identify if they are a good fit for your culture and a welcome addition to your company.
Interview Questions to Avoid
There are a number of questions that can sound like they’d be valuable on the surface, but in actuality are relatively unhelpful in determining a person’s skills and abilities.
For instance, if you ask yes or no questions like “Are you a team player?” or “Do you consider yourself a hard worker?”, not only are these leading questions, but they are vague and don’t give the interviewee the chance to elaborate on how they are a team player or hard worker.
Some other questions that commonly pop up in interviews, but are uninformative, include “What’s your biggest weakness?”, “Why should we hire you?” and “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
Instead of asking about a person’s weaknesses and getting a rehearsed non-answer like “I work too hard,” you can ask, “What’s something you’ve struggled with at work, and how did you improve it?”
Asking why you should hire a candidate can add more pressure to what may be a nerve-wracking experience as they are forced to sell themselves in a generic way. Asking “What strengths do you bring that would help you succeed in this specific role?” helps you get to the root of their talents without overwhelming them.
While asking a candidate where they’ll be in 10 years is meant to help you discover if they are looking for a long-term role or not, for many, especially those in field positions, they may not have a clear career roadmap. Asking if they are looking for a long-term or short-term position as they explore their options can help you know if they understand the opportunities for growth in your organization.
You should also skip questions that focus on terminology trivia versus their real-world skills unless it is relevant for licensed roles.
Determining A Cultural Fit
Only you know the personality types who do well in your organization, so make sure you ask questions that can indicate a good fit. Then you can see if their responses align with the attitude and behaviors you seek at your company.
Consider asking questions that touch on work ethic, adaptability, problem-solving, passion for the industry, communication and customer service. Below are some possible questions to ask.
- What type of work environment helps you thrive?
- How do you prioritize tasks when the day gets hectic?
- Can you give an example of a time you took the initiative to solve a problem on the job?
- What part of landscape work do you enjoy most, and why?
- What is your communication style?
- Describe a time you went above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.
Strive to make the interviewee comfortable and reassure them that there isn’t a ‘correct’ answer. Remind them this is a two-way street, and they should want to make sure your company is the right fit for them as well. Don’t forget to ask them if they have any questions about the role or company.
Ask Out of the Box Questions
You’ve probably heard of the bizarre interview questions that seem to have no relevance to the role, like “Would you rather fight a tiger or a bear?” and then the interviewee has to explain their logic behind their choice.
While it may be a memorable question, a more useful option is to ask questions that are more relevant to the role or help reveal aspects of the applicant’s character.
For instance, if you ask an interviewee to describe a time they made someone’s day better, it can reveal their empathy, initiative and if they are service-oriented. Their willingness to help a coworker, customer or even a complete stranger can be a desirable trait for your team.
Asking candidates about their go-to way of decompressing after a stressful day can help you determine if they have solid self-care habits. The landscape industry is a demanding field, so it’s a good idea to seek out individuals who have the tools to mitigate burnout.
If you want to determine what a person values most, you can ask a question like, “If you had your own landscaping company, what would be your first priority?” Candidates may answer with safety, customer service, company culture, or growth. Then you can see if their drivers are the same as those of your organization.
Another good question that can help reveal a person’s character is to ask them to describe someone they respect and wish to emulate.
Inviting candidates to share a skill they’d love to learn, even if it’s outside of landscaping, can highlight their desire to learn as well as what topics spark their interest. You can also figure out their internal motivators by asking, “What would make you proud at the end of your first 90 days here?” They may determine their success by client satisfaction, increased profitability or improved safety.
Keys to Success
As you evaluate your interview questions, make sure you touch on topics that assess a candidate’s hard and soft skills.
Whatever questions you decide to ask, strive to use a standardized set of questions so you aren’t stuck comparing apples to oranges if you have multiple candidates applying for a role. Utilizing a scoring rubric and involving multiple interviewers in the process can also help reduce bias and rank applicants objectively.
Make a point to actively listen to what the candidate is saying rather than thinking about the next question you plan to ask. Pay attention to their body language and ask clarifying questions as needed.
At the end of the interview, make sure the candidate understands what to expect as far as next steps, and thank them for their time. Even if they’re not the right fit for a current opening, they may be suitable for later openings.
