Bookman

Adam is on track suggesting that you should ask about specific job-related skills and behaviors. However, for those skills that it is not possible to test directly (i.e. you can administer a test for typing or ten-key speed if that is a job requirement) many people suggest asking questions that get the interviewee to relate a specific occurance where they have demonstrated the skill in question.

So, rather than ask a question like "Describe their problem solving process for a typical problem encountered on the job." I would say "Tell me about a time that you used problem-solving for a specific job-related problem." Their answer to such a question will reveal more than an academic knowledge of some problem-solving method; it will reveal what they think problem-solving is (which may not align with your views), how they approach it, and will also give you some insight into secondary characteristics as they describe how they approach work. Some other examples:

Instead of "What do you do when they come up against a wall and can't think of a solution?" say "Tell me about a time when working on a project where you were unable to find a solution. What did you do?"

Instead of "What are their views on documentation and formal design?" say "Tell me about the formality of the design process and the depth of the documentation for the last project that you worked on." with a follow-up like "Did the design and documentation process help or hinder the project in your view? Why?"

This style of questioning is sometimes referred to as "behavior-based interviewing" and you should be able to find ample material on it on the web.

Speaking personally, I have found it to be a very effective way to interview. It takes people out of the normal interview mindset (What's the right answer? What does he want to hear?) and gets them talking about themselves. It is remarkable the number of potentially negative things that people will reveal about themselves when they are talking about their past experiences.

Bookman

Bookman

Duplicate post, please delete.

Marduk

1. What is your greatest fault?

I like to come to work with a Tek-9 and shoot my co-workers

2. Have you ever been fired or forced to leave a previous job?

They wouldn�t dare!

3. When you have conflict with your co-workers, what is your course of action?

Didn�t I just answer that one you stupid sonofabitch!

4. Are you willing to put in long hours for low pay?

Fuckoff!!!

5. What personal obligations do you have that may prevent you from doing this job?

I have to be back to the prison by 5pm

6. How do you feel about President Dumbya?

I worship him as if he were a god

7. When given several equally important, yet totally opposing tasks - which must have been finished by yesterday... What do you do?

lunch

8. Do these pants make me look fat?

Yes, very

9. How often are you sick and/or too lazy to come to work?

Every other day or so

10. Are you sure that you will be comfortable as cog in this wicked, controlling, dictatorial heirarchy of a faceless, soulless and corrupt corporate culture?

Oh yes!

11. Will you please step into this cruelly lit room and give us a urine sample?

I�ll give you one right in the face!

12. Do you find my daughter attractive?

no, She�s a hogstress

13. Honestly, is your flatulence as bad as your references indicated?

Oh yes!!!

14. what do you see yourself doing in five years?

your wife!!

mikester

1. why do you think you'd be the best candidate for this position?

2. what are qualities support that?

3. how do you deal with difficult situations? (examples are good)

4. how do you feel about spending extra time to get a task done?

5. how do you deal with problems with coworkers?

6. are you comfortable handling leadership roles?

...

i cant think of anymore at the moment, but i think that's a good start.

Psycho Economist

No offense, but nobody here can help you tailor your questions to the job you're interviewing people for. The whole point is most of these canned interview questions are asked by HR people who will be interviewing people for lots of different jobs, some of which they have no clue about.

This is my question for you, and you don't have to answer it here...

What do you need out of an employee for this position that you can't get from any guy walking down the street?

Then think of maybe ten to twenty questions that can ferret this out of a potential hire... And then if you can, change up one or two of them so that the appropriate answer, when given, sounds wrong... so that someone you wouldn't want to hire gives falls for giving you the answer you're "looking for". But keep the questions short and simple... the more subtle you can make the one or two hardball questions, the better.