The employment market is improving, and today candidates have more options than ever; therefore, hiring the right person for the job is becoming increasingly difficult.
Before meeting your candidates face-to-face or via videoconference, you need to think out precisely what you are looking for in a new hire. Today, businesses look for people who resonate with company values.
Many organizations have already implemented value-based interviews to get qualified employees who embody organizational values.
How do you define company values?
The values of the company are the standards that guide the way they do their business. They influence the organizational culture. While business strategies may change, the core values usually remain the same.
From a business perspective, a core set of values makes it easy for a company to foster teamwork, make decisions, quickly communicate principles to customers, and onboard new hires.
What is a value-based interview?
Value-based interview questions are on the rise as companies seek new employees who share their organizational values.
Most companies usually have a base set of questions for each candidate and specific questions for every role.
The interviewer has the task of exploring employees‘ beliefs and values to determine if they fit in with the long-term ambition and company values.
Why do companies ask value-based interview questions?
Valued-based interviews have been around for several years.
Employers choose specific questions to identify a candidate’s both personal and professional strengths and work ethics.
Value-based questions are vital because they help business owners determine if an applicant aligns with their business values.
You can find many employees who would, for example, be able to fix a hacked website, but this is not what you are looking for when finding a new employee with a value-based interview.
The individual may be an expert and super qualified, but they will not fit in if they go against the company’s values.
Examples of the most common business values:
Adaptability
The ability to easily adapt to any changing circumstances is a crucial value to possess for your prospective job candidates. A sudden change may create challenges of employees can find hard to navigate, so adaptability is one of the most important values.
Loyalty
When employees are loyal, they will be more likely to invest in their work and innovate new ideas.
Collaboration
Employers ask questions about collaboration to check a candidate’s ability to work well as a team member.
Integrity
Integrity highlights whether a candidate is responsible and honest. Honesty helps build trust between an employee and an employer.
Prepare for the interview
Looking for quality candidates is not easy, but you can take advantage of online community platforms. After listing and choosing the best candidates, you can focus on preparing the interview structure. Also, you can leverage Zoom call and its alternatives as per your need for better communication with your prospective candidates’ screening.
Prepare for the interview by going over the candidate’s CV and cover letter and evaluating your hiring position.
Help the candidate get comfortable
To have an honest conversation with any candidate, you need to make them feel comfortable, especially in the virtual setting. Ask them how their day was, make eye contact, smile, etc.
You need to start an interview by introducing yourself. Tell the candidate your name, your role in the hiring process, and how long you have been in the organization.
Inform the interviewee about what they should expect during the interview, including its value-based format.
Ask the right questions
Now it’s the right time to start asking questions that get to the core of your company’s values. Have some questions that you regularly ask that reflect values, and know what behaviors you are looking for.
Ask situational questions that show how candidates react in certain situations and understand their problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration approach.
A candidate’s behavior from the past is a predictor for future behavior, so how applicants reacted earlier is a way to find out if they share the company’s values. Be consistent in what you ask so you can compare different candidates.
Value-based questions
- What is important to you in your workplace and why?
- Do you consider yourself flexible when it comes to changes at work?
This question and the candidate’s answer show if there was a time when the applicant couldn’t adapt to the workplace. Ask your interviewee to describe a situation when they had to adjust to a sudden change at work.
- Tell me the thing about yourself that is not on your resume.
Job seekers craft their resumes carefully so as to provide a full summary of their professional experience. At the same time, you can’t learn everything from what they typed on paper. That’s why, according to factoHR, forming a series of common questions for the interview process will help to know more about the candidate and their professional front for the job.
This question allows the interviewee to decide if they would like to share something job-related or not. They might choose to tell you something about volunteer work or another defining experience.
- Could you tell me about a disagreement you had with your teammate and how you handled it?
Disagreements cause confusion and misunderstanding in the workplace, but an adaptable candidate can turn it into a positive learning experience. The interviewer can ask about differences to find out whether a candidate is patient and communicating well.
Also Read: 5 Common Teamwork Challenges Every Team Encounters
- What is your most outstanding work achievement, and how did you accomplish it?
This question helps an employer measure an applicant’s accountability, determination, and general professional goals. By asking the potential employee to share their unique career accomplishment, you allow them to share a career highlight and understand the type of work that makes them fulfilled.
- How would you handle learning new software that changes the way you work?
Some changes at work, like introducing new technology or alternative production methods, may cause skepticism and doubts. Employers can focus on this question to determine an employee’s adaptability and willingness to learn new things.
- What are your greatest weaknesses?
This question is a regular one, popular among recruiters for a simple reason – it helps you learn a lot about a candidate in a short time. This question enables you to conclude two things:
- Could the candidate’s weaknesses conflict with your job requirements
- Is the applicant self-aware enough to know their shortcomings without thinking of it too long
Give candidates the chance to ask questions
Give your interviewees time to ask their questions about the company, position, and teamwork. This allows them to evaluate if the job is a good fit for them and you to check out their understanding and interest in the company.
Describe the next steps
Close your interview by explaining what the candidate should expect in terms of the next steps. This is the right time to inform applicants of your intended timeline for filling the position.
Optional: record the interview
When you conduct an interview via a computer screen, you have an option to record it for further reference. You can use the screen recording to show to your boss or review it once again when you make the final decision about a potential employee. First, however, it’s important to notify the candidate that the meeting will be recorded.
Additional tip–help your new employee to adjust
Using a presentation template could be a great way to explain your organization’s culture and what you expect new employees to fit.
Onboarding should start immediately after a new colleague’s start date to introduce them to your organization and inform them of company policies. Your job is to answer all their questions and concerns and lead them through the starting process.
Conclusion
A typical job interview is a bit more than a social call with predictable choreography. A conference-room meeting, a CV, and the standard questions like – “Where do you want to be in five years?”
Put your candidate in a situation where they are more likely to show their true selves.
Using value-based questions in an interview, you can get into the heart of every interviewee and understand their behavior and personality better than you would from a standard interview.