How to Write Interview Questions Based on Core Values

Interview Day is one of the most exciting parts of the interview process. It’s when you get to meet your candidates face to face and learn more about their experience, skills, and personality.

But in order for Interview Day to provide you with enough information to make a hiring decision, you need to know what questions to ask.

If your questions aren’t strategic or specific, you could potentially leave important details and information unsaid and unaddressed. 

If you don’t ask the right kinds of follow-up questions—to probe for specifics—you will not be able to uncover the aptitudes and value system you know your candidate needs to have to be a culture fit for your company.  

So where do you start? You start with your Core Values.

What are Core Values?

Core Values are the guiding principles that define who you are as a company. They are the values you live and breathe every day, make decisions against, and use to hire, fire and evaluate employees. 

So first and foremost, make sure you have defined the core values for your company. If they are buried in a drawer, pull them out, dust them off, and start referencing them with every decision you make for your company—including during Interview Day.

Why Interview for Core Values?

Finding candidates who have a certain skill set you need is one thing. But finding candidates who also share your core values is another. One could argue that a core value fit is even more important than a skill fit. Skills can be learned. Value systems cannot.

To determine if your candidate is a core values fit, you can frame your questions around your core values. For each core value, you will ask one close-ended question followed by an open-ended question.

For example, if one of your core values is trustworthiness, you would first ask the candidate a close-ended question, such as:

“Do you consider yourself to be trustworthy?”

The candidate will (hopefully) answer “yes.” And you will follow up with the second question—an open-ended question that probes for more information—such as:

“Please tell me about a time in your last job when you demonstrated that you were trustworthy.”

This prompts the candidate to think about an example that shows you how they have lived your core value. Give them time to answer, but if their response is vague or they are talking in hypotheticals, press them again. You could ask a question like, “I am beginning to understand you as a communicator. However, can you please illustrate your point with a specific example of how you showed trustworthiness?”

You can sprinkle this question style into the interview for each of your core values. If the candidate is unsuccessful at thoughtfully and specifically answering these types of questions, it may be a red flag that the candidate is not a value-fit for your company.

 If you have questions about writing interview questions, Interview Day, or the hiring process, VisionSpark can help. We have led Integrator searches for hundreds of companies running on EOS®, helped them find the right people for the right seats, and ultimately hire with confidence! We can help you, too. 

Visit our website for more information about our services or contact us today.