Human Workplace CEO Liz Ryan Shares Four Bad Questions You Should Stop Asking Candidates

The CEO of Human Workplace named Liz Ryan recently went on LinkedIn and gave her two-cents about a few of the most common hiring questions. The post addresses some of the most basic questions when it comes to hiring and according to her, these could be ineffective.

The four bad questions

The first most popular question is why does the applicant want to work for the company.
The second question is asking the applicant what is their greatest weakness.
The third question is asking the opinions of their previous employers.
The fourth question is asking the applicant straight up why you should hire them.

Liz Ryan then explains why these are really bad questions

First question

For the first question, the applicant might not even know if they want the job yet. Both sides came to the interview in order to learn more; you invited them over to learn more about them and according to Liz, wouldn't it be the same as if the candidate asks why would you want to hire them?

The explanation behind this is that if you want to hire professionals, you might also want to show that your company is worth working for as well.

Second question

The second question is a bit flawed according to Liz because "weakness", according to her, is only an opinion and not a scientific fact. This also means that even if they really do have weaknesses, why should it be the employer's business to know?

Liz states that it is better to ask what the applicant can bring to the job.

Third question

The rationale to the third question as mentioned by Liz is that some managers are in fact amazing leaders while some are still terrible at their jobs. This also means that just because someone is actually a boss does not mean that their own opinion matters.

Fourth question

The candidate is definitely not going to meet the other candidates for the position. As a recruiter, you should already know what you are looking for. The applicants don't.

The recommended questions to ask instead

The first question should ask why the applicant is interested in the job or what part about the job is interesting to the applicant (also note something that stood out on their resume)
The second question should ask how the applicant will use their background and talent for this job.
The third question should ask what else the applicant wants to know about the job.
The fourth question should ask the applicant how this job could further advance their career.

Reinvention Roadmap author Liz Ryan gave her opinion about the four most common hiring questions. Although everyone has different processes when it comes to hiring, it is good to note that every person is unique and what is effective for some may not be for others.