By Ian Moriarty, operations director at Hooray Recruitment 

You've whittled down the shortlist of candidates you would like to meet with in person but what are the best questions to ask in order to get the very best out of this interview?

Being well prepared and posing the right types of interview questions will help your selection process significantly.

1. What attracted you to this role?

This will tell you how much research they have done into the role and your company. You want a candidate who has a clear idea of what the role encompasses and why they would be successful in it.

2. What are your main motivations?

Are they looking to develop their skills with your company or do they feel passionate about the industry you operate in?

3. What management styles do you work best under?

Does this match the type of management that they could expect to experience if they got the job?

4. What type of people do you like to work with?

Again, this will help you find out if they will fit into your existing team structure.

5. What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

Finding out how they turned a situation around can tell you a lot about an individual. It also lets you assess what they perceive to be a 'challenge'.

6. What has been your biggest career success?

It's always good to find candidates who are proud of their work and this gives them a chance to shine.

7. Tell me about a time you set difficult goals.

This question will help you gauge whether the candidate will be able to handle the goals you have in store for them. Ask follow-up questions like, "what did you do to achieve them?" Have the candidate walk you through the process and purpose of the goals they set out for themselves.

8. Do you have any questions for me?

This seems like a very simple and obvious question to ask at the end of an interview but it is surprising how often it gets missed. The type of question/s (or lack of) will give good insight into how much research they have done and also where their interests lie.

Hooray are wholly committed to providing an honest, transparent and ethical recruitment service and partners with many businesses across Gloucestershire.

For any advice and guidance on interview techniques/questions, please call us on 01242 300228 or drop us an email at hello@hoorayworks.co.uk and we would be delighted to help.

For more information visit https://hoorayworks.co.uk/ or visit Hooray's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn profiles.