Casual Interview Questions: Interview questions are designed to help the interviewer gain insights into whether a candidate is suitable for the role available. Setting the right questions will enable the interviewer to make the best decision on who is suitable for the position.
However, an applicant’s resume and cover letter may contain some relevant skills needed for the job. However, interview questions will enable you to get a clearer picture of why the applicant is a right fit for the job.
Conducting an interview can be tiring and confusing, especially if this is your first of conducting one. Therefore, in this article, we will provide you with 25 casual interview questions to ask candidates and their meanings.
25 Casual Interview Questions To Ask Candidates And Meaning
Without further ado, below are some of the casual interview questions you can ask candidates and their meanings:
1. What Can You Tell Us About Yourself That Is Not On Your Resume?
This is an introductory question that will enable the interviewer to gain more information about the candidate. Aside from the well-polished cover letter and resume, the interviewer may discover a few reasons why the candidate might not be a good fit for the job or if the candidate will perform well for the role.
2. What Makes You Apply For This Role?
As an interviewer, it is crucial that you find out if the candidate is willing to become a part of the company for good reasons or if they are less enthusiastic about the position. This question will enable the interviewer to know if the interviewee is a suitable match for the company.
3. What Do You Consider Your Highest Professional Achievement?
Asking about the candidate’s highest professional achievement will help you as the interviewer to check if their goals will align with the interest of the company. In most cases, some candidates will provide you with how well they can handle difficult tasks and how they were once rewarded for their skills and abilities.
4. What Do You Consider a Challenge In Your Previous And How Did You Handle It?
Asking about what they consider a challenge and how they handle the situation will help in gaining insight into the personality of the candidate and their interpersonal skills. In this scenario, you can easily analyze how they will act if they are faced with similar challenges if they are eventually employed.
5. How Do You Lead During a Team Project?
As an interviewer, asking potential employees about their leadership abilities will also help you decide whether they are suitable for the role. This phase will most likely help them reveal some of their leadership skills and how well they will perform when given a major role.
6. What Are Your Biggest Contributions To a Company?
This is a direct question that requires a straightforward answer from the applicants. What can the candidates offer the company? This could be to refresh skills that will enhance the profitability of the organization.
7. What Value Can You Add To The Company?
Asking about the values a potential employee can add to the company will help the interviewer discover if the candidate can become a part of the company’s growth. Also, this will help the interviewer to understand the values that are important to the interviewee.
8. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
If they are employed during the interview, you can ask them why they are leaving their current place of work. This question is important as it will enable you to see how they view their current place of work and if they are rude to their ex-employer or willing to work for a different organization.
9. Casual Interview Questions – How Do You Handle Deadlines?
Before hiring, you should know how responsible your potential employees can be. Hence, this question will help you decide whether they are the right person for the job. Are they responsible for deadlines? Or will they be willing to work harder to meet up with the deadlines?
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10. What Is Your Ideal Work Environment?
This question tends to describe the type of work environment the candidate would prefer. Moreover, the answer to this question will help you to check if the interviewee can work in the company and if they can adjust to the new setting.
11. What Can You Tell About The Gap In Your Employment?
There are several reasons a candidate can have an employment gap. This can range from good to bad (health issues, prison time, taking care of kids, or other life-threatening diseases). Therefore, If there is a gap in the candidate’s employment, it is important that you ask.
12. How Would Your Boss Describe You?
This question will enable you as an interviewer to gain insight into the relationship between the candidate and their boss. Are they on good terms? Is the previous employer happy about the candidate leaving the company? These questions will help you understand the personality of your potential employee.
13. What Do You Consider Before Making An Impacting Decision?
This question will aim at the applicant’s critical thinking skills, and it will also help you understand the applicant better. From the answers provided, you can observe the steps they consider before making important decisions.
14. What Do You Like Or Dislike About Your Job?
As an interviewer, asking potential employees about their dislike of their job will help you discover how they view their job. Also, you want to know if they enjoy working in their previous place of work. Is their previous place of work similar to the company? Can they perform better in your company?
15. Where Do You See Yourself In The Next Five Years?
This question is asking if the candidate is willing to grow with the company while contributing to its growth. Also, the question will enable the interviewer to observe if the applicant will include the company in their long-term plan.
16. What Are You Looking For In a New Position?
This question is asking if the applicant understands the role of the new position and how they utilize their skills and abilities. Can they work in regard to the advertised job? How can they contribute to the new position? What skills and value will they be contributing to the new position?
17. Have You Recently Applied For Any Positions?
This question will help the interviewer observe if the interviewee has recently applied for similar roles or applying to various job positions. However, if the applicant has been applying for similar roles, this will indicate that the applicant will most likely understand the requirements for the advertised role.
18. How Do You Handle Working Under Pressure?
It is important to ask about how well the applicant can work under pressure. Especially if your organization requires working under pressure. Hence, answers to this question will help you detect if the applicant can operate under pressure.
19. What Do You Do Outside Of Work?
As an interviewer, asking about the external activities of applicants will help you gain insight into what they are passionate about and how their interests can be helpful to the organization. This question will be focused on understanding the candidate’s interests and hobbies after work hours.
20. How Would Your Coworkers Describe You?
This question will enable you as an interviewer to gain insight into the relationship of the candidate and their coworkers. Are they on good terms? Are they known for good conduct? Are they abusive? These questions will help you understand the personality of your potential employee.
21. What Are The Things That Motivate You To Work?
This question is an important question to ask during interviews. Although it may appear like a casual question, it is crucial to know if the applicant is occasionally self-motivated or requires external help.
22. Why Should We Hire You?
As an interviewer, it is important that you find out if the candidate is willing to become a part of the company for good reasons or if they are less enthusiastic about the position. Also, this question will enable the interviewer to know if the interviewee is a suitable match for the company and get their view on why they believe they are a good fit for the company.
23. Do You Enjoy Working With a Team Or Working Alone?
Teamwork is crucial. If the available role requires teamwork, asking questions about how well they can work as a team will help the interviewer to know if they are the right person for the job. The answers provided will be helpful in the long run.
24. What Would You Want To Achieve During Your First Year As a Worker In This Company?
Asking about what the applicant would like to achieve during their first year as a worker in the company will help the interviewer discover if the candidate can become a part of the company’s growth. Also, this will help the interviewer to understand the values that are important to the interviewee.
25. What Questions Do You Have For Me, If Any?
Providing the opportunity for questions and answers will help you understand the applicant, and the applicants will also understand more about the company and the available role. As an interviewer, you should be willing to receive various questions from the applicants. However, personal questions are off-limits.
Conclusion on Casual Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
Interview questions are designed to help interviewers gain insight into the right person suitable for the advertised job. Answers to some of these casual questions will also help the interviewer understand the applicant in various ways.
Reference
- Apollotechnical.com
- Rotacloud.com
- Indeed.com
- Themuse.com
- Scienceofpeople.com
