You Asked So Here They Are: My favorite interview questions

I am a lucky gal. I’ve had the pleasure of hiring fantastic people in the education and nonprofit sectors. Every person I have ever hired has worked in some way to support the development and facilitation of a learning organization.

While HR is not my area (by any stretch), I have a knack for asking questions (a trait that more than likely stems from the evaluator and researcher in me).

Occasionally, I have been asked to sit in on interviews, serve on interview panels, help with searches, or sit in when a committee member is unavailable. Each time I ask a question that catches people’s attention and cultivates a response that sheds light on an applicant’s outlook, skills, and knowledge regarding teaching, learning, collaborating, and more.

I’ve shared this not as an end-all-be-all list but as a point to consider the questions we ask, the answers we receive, and the insights that both can shed on who we hire and why. As you read through this list, you will probably have a gut reaction at some point and hear yourself saying, “You can’t ask that.”

Well, friends, that’s where your handy HR expert comes in. I’m just here to get you thinking. So take these as ideas, and before you jump in, do your due diligence to be sure you don’t break any rules.