The powerful interview question

 
If you are an employer, you may have gone through a number of interviews trying to find the right candidate for a position you need filling within your business.

Do you have a set number of questions you ask the candidates or do you have a specific question you always ask?

There is one question that is very powerful and can give you an opening to many more questions. You will also get a better understanding of the candidate and how they could fit in with your business and the role they are applying for.

The Question: Throughout your whole career, what would you consider your biggest achievement?
Thinking about this question in your head, what would your answer be? The candidate may take a few moments to answer but when they do you could follow on with a number of other questions like;

1. How did this achievement make you feel?
2. What job role were you in at the time?
3. What was it that you felt you achieved?
4. What were there figures or results achieved?
5. What plans did you put in place to make this achievement happen?
6. Do you think this achievement helped you better your role?
7. Looking back if you did this again, is there anything you would change or do differently?
8. Did you get any recognition from your managers?
9. Did you use any specific skills to reach this achievement?
10. How did this achievement come about, was it an idea you or someone else had, was it a project you needed do as part of your daily duties?

As you can see using that one simple question has so many follow on questions you can ask. Not only are you getting a better understanding of the candidate but, you are getting to know them as a person rather than asking tough and clever interview questions.
Sharon Rose-Bloy