As companies try to hedge their bets against an environment rife with war, social unrest, inflation and artificial intelligence, hiring is no longer a straightforward proposition. Recent college graduates and even my fellow Millennials are running smack dab into that uncertainty.
Organizations can help themselves and their prospective hires by having a focused set of questions that clearly signal the competencies they need in today’s job candidates: learning and adaptation. Based on the current environment, here are five questions companies should be asking candidates to see if they exemplify these competencies.
Question 1: What are two potential paths you see for yourself in 10 years and how will this job help you get on either one?
Why it matters: This question taps into candidates’ ability to envision multiple potential future states. This is increasingly necessary as uncertainty increases and we face conflicting potential realities. This question also lets companies assess how well candidates’ senses of purpose align with emerging organizational strategies, how well candidates might find meaning in the current job (and thus stick around), and how conscientious they will be about their present-day contributions.
Question 2: When was the last time you failed and how did you respond?
Why it matters: Resilience is a buzzword in conversations about the U.S. economy. Regardless of age, candidates need to demonstrate they can get back up when they’re knocked down. Even the admission and detailing of failure signals how much candidates are willing to experiment, and how they prefer to learn to move past adversity. This lets companies know what kinds of developmental opportunities they might need to provide to help candidates grow.
Question 3: When was the last time somebody failed you and how did you respond?
Why it matters: This question can help companies know how an individual candidate self-regulates and demonstrates emotional intelligence. But if their response to someone not meeting expectations or breaking trust is adaptive, it also demonstrates that the candidate is able to lift others up through compassion, relationship repair and promoting learning. These kinds of qualities can contribute to the collective resilience organizations need today.
Question 4: Can you share about a time you had to say, “I’m sorry” or “I don’t know” or “Can you help me?” to someone else you were working with?
Why it matters: Edgar Schein’s concepts of humble inquiry and humble leadership describe how leaders encourage learning in themselves and others by acknowledging what they don’t know, and admitting when they need help. Candidates who willingly place themselves into humble positions not only empower others but increase the range of knowledge they can access from others.
Question 5: Imagine you’ve been promoted and now need to advise the person about to step into your current job. How would you coach them on how to listen well?
Why it matters: While we often frame leadership in terms of “telling others what to do,” today’s environment and the world of tomorrow demand continuous learning. Listening helps us learn about the world around us. As a plus, being able to articulate to someone else how to listen demonstrates how well a candidate has mastered such insights and can empower others with those insights. ●
John Paul Stephens, Ph.D. is Associate professor of organizational behavior at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management
