Some out of the box questions for job applicants – by Nancy Friedman

Sometimes companies hire people because they’re breathing. We all get desperate. And it’s not fair to anyone – the prospective employee, the current employee, the employer, the entire company and eventually the customer.

If you interview applicants, you know, of course, there are rules, guidelines, things you can never ask them; things you shouldn’t ask them and they’re usually the questions you really want to ask them. Most of us know the difference between legal and illegal questions. A few simple examples:

Illegal: Do you have a car?
Legal: How will you get to work?

Illegal: How many sick days did you take last year at your last job?
Legal: How many days of work did you miss last year?

Illegal: Have you ever been arrested?
Legal: Have you ever been convicted of fraud or theft?

These helpful tips are all over the internet. But here are a few more. Years ago, I came up with some out of the box questions and have been using them for a while. Some of the employees who got those questions 15 – 20 years ago are still with us. They’re simple questions that will get a bit more information than, “Where do you want to be in 3 or 5 years?” “What did you think of your former boss?” Or “What will your former employer say about you?”

All good questions, absolutely. Not to be discarded by any means. All those questions we’ve read in hiring books are well thought out ones and should be used. I share these with you to ADD to them, not to replace them. If any of these help you, enjoy. Here goes.

1. What type of theatre background do you have? Actor – large or small part. Or any part of theatre: grip, stage manager, director, assistant director. Any part of the performance. Any part of theatre brings along a sense of urgency, being on time, listening skills, following direction, eye contact, and so much more. Again, whatever part of the performance they were in is a plus.

If they have never had any contact with theatre, go for dance, cheerleading, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis, any sport where, again, timing is critical along with all the other talents above – listening skills, following direction, eye contact and more. Those active in sports (dance, cheerleading, etc.) where they were part of a ‘team’ and had to rely on others and vice versa is great information and, in most cases, what they learned in those activities will transfer over into work related situations.

Sports that you play alone (i.e tennis, golf, and non-team oriented sports) are usually a more competitive personality.

2. What was the last book you read? Or what kind of books do you like? This question will give you an idea of their hobbies and social life without asking, “What do you like to do in your spare time?” It’s also a great rapport building question to get the ball rolling.


3. What was the last movie you saw? Again, an insight to a bit of their personal preferences. Questioning them about the film will allow you to see if they’re detail oriented. If they know author’s name, a BIG plus. Shows they can give credit, an important office talent.

4. Please tell me about yourself in 30 seconds. The old ‘elevator’ speech. This is really a great question to see how they handle stress and if they are quick on their feet. If they ask you, “Well, what would you like to know?” That’s not the answer to the question. They didn’t follow directions.

5. What clubs where you involved in as a youngster/teenager? Look for Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H Club, and things of that sort. Great upbringing.

A few other hiring tips we’ve learned along the way:

Interview in groups. Instead of one on one, get 4 or 5 applicants or even more in at the same time. Ask them all the same questions and see how original some folks are. Watch for those that follow what someone else says with, “Well, that’s what I was gonna say.”

A must: Have a phone interview with the applicant before allowing them to get in to see you. Or at least at some time during or after the initial interview. Hiring someone without talking with them on the phone can be a recipe for bad results. They need to “EARN” the interview. It doesn’t need to be a long phone call; 3+ minutes or so will let you know if the person is speaking properly, difficult to understand and a whole lot of other things. Phone interviews are a critical part for most job positions, but should be mandatory, in my opinion, for any phone related position (i.e. call center, handling of customers) including internal.

Breakfast or Lunch: Depending on what the job entails, especially if working face-to-face with clients, consider a short, inexpensive meal with the candidates. Seeing etiquette and manners is a key element often overlooked.

Nancy Friedman, customer service keynote speaker, is president of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training and a featured speaker at franchise, association, and corporate meetings around the world. A popular TV guest, she appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, FOX News, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning, as well as hundreds of other radio, television and print outlets around the world, including the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. The author of 9 books on her chosen topics, Nancy helps corporate America improve their communications with their customers & co-workers. You can see her 9 books here. For more information, log on to Nancy Friedman’s website www.nancyfriedman.com or call (314) 291-1012. Oh yeah you can email her at nancyf@telephonedoctor.com. Nancy is a recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame Award – St. Louis Small Business Monthly

Cleaning Business Today is a publication of Tom Stewart and Derek Christian, who also partner in Castle Keepers, one of the fastest growing professional house cleaning services in the US.