The One Interview Question You Should Always Ask

When recruiting a potential employee for a job there are many questions to ask such as relevant work experience, salary expectations, and more. In addition to these common questions, here at Coley Company, we believe there’s one crucial question you should always ask that often gets overlooked—what do you want to do? And not in relation to the specific job or company but rather where the candidate sees their future career going and what would make them happy. Here are the reasons why you should ask this one question, in order to get the most qualified candidates that are going to be the best fit. 

• Job may not align with candidate’s long term goals 
  Some recruiters are so focused on the hard sell, they don’t take into consideration the job may not be a good fit for the candidate’s long-term goals. While it is important to put the position in the best light, it is also crucial to ask the candidate what they want to do. This question can offer insight into what they hope to gain from their career and ensure that this particular job is the best fit for both the candidate and the company.

• A different job may be a better fit
  It’s easy to focus on checking off certain boxes, such as what skills the interviewee offers or why they are looking for a new job. In focusing on these questions, both parties can lose sight of the fact that other opportunities may be a better fit. By learning the candidate’s long-term career goals, you can gauge if this job is the right one or if there’s another job that may be a better fit.

• Candidate may accept but end up leaving job shortly after
  After interviewing, finalizing the offer and onboarding the new employee, if the candidate is not happy with the job or realizes this is not what they want for their career, they may end up leaving shortly after starting work. Not only does this waste valuable time but it also wastes the resources of onboarding and training. 

Here at Coley Company, we believe that the recruiting process should be more like a great relationship and less of a hard sell, where all parties are happy at the end of the process. If after speaking with candidates it becomes clear the potential job is not what they want for their career long term, we do not have them interview and instead try to find a better fit. Asking what the candidates want to do upfront, saves time and money for both the company and the job-hunter. We’re experts at finding the best candidates in the Apparel, Textile and Nonwoven industries, but we also genuinely want to help people with their careers. 

If you are a company that’s looking to find the best candidate for an open position or a job-seeker looking to advance your career, change jobs, or find a new role, we have over 25 years of experience leveraging candidates’ unique skills and placing them in new career opportunities. Call ( 336-218-6637) or email us today.