Why You Must Ask Follow-Up Questions in an Interview

You know that part of effective hiring is asking candidates good interview questions. But how often do you follow-up on each candidate’s answer?

As a staffing agency in Houston, TX, Murray Resources knows that if you don’t, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to properly vet your candidates. In fact, the answers that candidates give to a follow-up question can typically offer you more insight into who they are and what they can do for you.

Some examples of typical follow-up questions include:

• Really? Tell me more.
• Why do you think that happened?
• How did you make that happen?
• What would you have done differently when faced with similar issues?
• What specific steps did you take to achieve that?
• How would you go about achieving the same results here?

Still not convinced you need to ask follow-up questions? Here are a couple of reasons why it’s so important:

You Can Dig for More Information.

When you ask a candidate a question, their first response is typically programmed. It’s the answer that the candidate practiced for hours in their living room or in their car on the way to the interview. The second response, however, is closer to the truth. That’s why it’s so important to ask follow-up questions…you get the opportunity to dig a lot deeper. In addition to asking follow-up questions, you can also ask important questions more than once, just in a different way.

You Can Better Assess the Information.

In canned answers, candidates will typically offer vague information, rather than specific details. Follow-up questions enable you to dig for those details. However, if a candidate is still offering you vague answers, then that could be an indication they’re lying or embellishing what really happened. If a candidate is truly responsible for the results they say they delivered, then they should be able to offer you very real numbers and specifics.

The bottom line is that the better you are at asking follow-up questions, the more effective of an interviewer you will be. By asking good follow-up questions, you’re able to dig deeper for relevant facts and information and then evaluate whether a candidate is the right fit for you.

Need Help Interviewing…So You Make a Great Hiring Decision?

If you simply don’t have the time or resources to devote to interviewing and hiring, let us know. As a leading staffing agency in Houston, TX, Murray Resources can work with you to identify your human resource needs and locate top talent, all while you focus on other priorities. Contact Murray Resources today to learn more.