With a variety of job interview styles, we want to help our community prepare and put their best foot forward in interviews. We asked experienced HR Professionals for their favorite interview question and what it tells them about the candidate.
Rob Brown | Talent Acquisition Adviser, Expedia Group
“Tell me about your approach to acknowledging the contributions of your colleagues.”
At Expedia Group being humble is one of our Guiding Principles. None of us have all the answers, so we listen, we are curious and we are always looking to learn from others around us. Whilst we take our responsibilities incredibly seriously, we never take ourselves too seriously.
Sarah Cooper | Head of People & Culture, WORK180
“What’s the most recent example of how you’ve supported a colleague to be successful in their role?”
I must confess that I’ve adopted this question from one of our endorsed employers Microsoft. It allows the candidate to demonstrate their ability to be a team player and their respect towards their colleagues. This is crucial and critical information when you’re trying to enhance and foster collaboration.
Hannah Leach | Employee Experience and Culture Director, Carnival
“What moment in your career are you most proud of?”
One of our organizational core values is ‘Better together’ and when I ask this question, it’s a good indicator as to whether someone takes joy and pride in creating success collaboratively as opposed to driving an individualistic agenda. We want to build an inclusive community where people feel valued and that they belong. So that means we want team members who recognize the value that perspective and skills diversity brings.
Natasha Corbin | Head of Talent Acquisition, Badoo
“What do you know about Badoo and what do you think of our app?”
The Badoo app, our main product, and so many of our roles focus on the product and its features.
In a world of very similar dating apps, Badoo stands out. We want to make sure that candidates have taken the time to get familiar with it and be able to discuss features they like and any observations they have as a potential user.
Gemma Hewitt | HR Manager, Nexus
“At Nexus we believe in making public transport great. Our internal and external communities are really important to us, how will you engage with them during your story?”
This question is important because we want all of our people to demonstrate our core values no matter where they work in the business. Our vision is to make public transport great for our environment, economy and communities. We are ‘Passionate’ about the communities we serve, ‘Positive in our approach and ‘Professional’ in our conduct. Our vision is important to use so we can provide the best possible service. Linking our interview questions to this vision gives us an opportunity to explore our values and associated behaviors in more detail.
Roshnee Khandelwal | Senior HR Business Partner, DHL
“Tell me about a time you have had to deal with people who have different mindsets, backgrounds and attitudes. How did you handle it and what lesson did you learn?”
This question is one which challenges our candidates. Whether we are interviewing for an entry level position or a senior manager, DHL wants motivated people who can adapt whilst working with our diverse workforce. When a great example is shared it demonstrates both self-awareness and empathy for others they engage with.
Karmen Tucker | Business Transformation Program Manager, Air Liquide
“What do you do to deal with pressure or stressful situations?”
The reason I chose this is because it asks the person to reflect on how they handle themselves, both at work and on a personal level and how they process the emotion/feeling.
Helen Tomlinson | Talent Acquisition Manager, Hargreaves Lansdown
“If you weren’t in your current career, what other career path would you liked to have gone into?”
I would ask them this as it can give an insight into their personality and interests, but can also provide some validation behind the career choices they’ve made up to this point.
William Murray | European Recruiter, Brown-Forman
“How have you supported diversity in your company? Can you share a specific example?”
We ask Diversity questions in all interviews for middle management and senior roles as Diversity and Inclusion is very important for us at Brown-Forman. We are really keen to find out a candidate’s experience, knowledge and passion in this area.
Kate Rand | People & Ops Director, Beyond
“What is your passion project?”
At Beyond, we are all about continuous improvement, in ourselves and our organization. Learning is not a linear, structured process and evolution over preservation makes for flexible and inspiring culture. We want to hear what people do in their spare time that helps them develop through their passion. It could be their side hustle, a marathon or a hobby. one of our values is “Be Smart” which translates to #neverstoplearning. Show us how you embody this!
