Ready to recruit? When hiring it's easy to fall into the habit of using the same old interview questions time and time again. Maybe it's because you know exactly what answers you're looking for from a candidate. Or perhaps you simply don't have time to research a new set. 

We've compiled our top 10 interview questions to help you identify the best applicant for your business in 2018. We've also included our explanation to why these questions work best and how you can use them to match a candidate's values and traits to your business. 

2018 is in full swing. A new year. And thus, a new pool of candidates to draw from. Now, when we sit down to an interview with a prospective candidate, we all have a pool of questions floating around our heads ready to reel off. But with every new year comes new expectations, both from your end of what you need from an employee and from the candidate regarding what they want from an employer.

Below are just a few questions that you may want to incorporate into your next set of interviews. These questions should help you assess your candidates character and fit within the business. 

1. Why do you want to work for my company?

Obviously, you want to find out why they have applied to your company as opposed to the countless others out there. But there is a second reasoning for this question. When putting out advertisements you need to know which aspects of your adverts resonated with your candidates.

2. What would you say are your most vital values?

Now, no doubt your company will come with its own set of values. Ideally, you would like a candidate whose values are in line with those of your business.

3. How do you overcome challenges – be they professional or personal?

Navigating through life has never been smooth sailing. It's like working through a minefield. And your candidate may have faced challenges in their life that they have had to work to overcome. Adversity is always a good measure of character, so be sure to ask about the challenges. You may be able to rely on that mindset later on.

4. How would you support a fellow employee through a possible crisis?

A team of employees needs to function as a whole. And support needs to be not just professional, but also personal. If an employee is feeling overwhelmed with all of life's pressures, then you need to know that the candidate will be able to provide sufficient support, be it professional or moral.

5. What kind of environment are you hoping to work in?

People are often at their most productive when working in a certain environment. You need to ascertain whether the working environment you have to offer would be a match made in heaven... or counter-productive to your business.

6. What motivates you to succeed in your job?

For some people, their job is their sole passion in life, for others, it's the financial rewards that come from a well-paying occupation. For others... it's merely a way to pass the time until clocking out time. Whatever that possible motivation is, you need to know whether that motivation is consistent with the needs of your business.

7. What previous skills and / or experiences will you be able to bring to this role?

Your vacancy will be envisioned with a fairly singular function. With this question, you can find out more about the candidate's background and see how they can draw on past experiences that they feel are relevant to this job.

8. What kind of skills/training do you hope to acquire during your time with us?

Contrary to what some people think, employees don't come into the workplace gift-wrapped with all the skills they'll ever need. They may want to develop skills that could be relevant to the job in the long-run. This question will not only allow you to gauge what kind of training they may benefit from in the future, but demonstrate a vested interest on your part in their long-term career.

9. What do you consider to be your biggest successes in life?

A wide-covering question, this one. For someone who has an established career, they will no doubt have success to their name. But regardless of what point people are at in their working life, this question will not only give you an idea of what they are capable of, but also how they measure success.

10. How do you hope to progress in this role?

This question has the double benefit of finding not only how they hope to progress – gauging their intended career orientation in the process – but will also allow you to see whether they have envisioned a future with your company... and whether they intend to stick with you in the long run.

These questions will allow you to identify a candidate's suitability for the role in question, how their personality can be applied to that role and by extension the entire company, drawing on past experiences that could define future experiences. We wish you the best of luck with your next interview process!