Whether your company is a small startup or a corporation with a large accounting department, your hiring strategy needs to clarify the minimum requirements and aspirational qualities you are looking for in the role. For example, by the time you get to the interview stage, you should already know whether your top candidates are certified public accountants (CPAs), have an MBA, or an MS degree in accounting.

The best accountant interview questions will help you select the most qualified candidate for your organization by:

1. Building rapport
2. Exploring their experience
3. Testing their knowledge
4. Focusing on technical skills
5. Assessing interpersonal and soft skills
6. Gauging management style

1. Build Rapport

Nearly everyone is nervous when they interview for a new job. Ice-breaker questions help to ease tensions, allowing candidate to feel less self-conscious and more open to sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge. Employing a few questions that allow your candidates to talk about the elements of work they most enjoy will give you a better sense of who they are.

Accountant interview questions that build rapport might include:

• What do you most enjoy about accounting?
• As technology evolves, what accounting principles do you believe remain constant?
• Why are you interested in working with us?

2. Explore the Candidate’s Experience

During the next phase of the interview, encourage your candidate to talk about their past experiences and how they might be applied to the role in question. Again, at this relatively early stage of the interview, focusing on a candidate’s past employment experience allows them to talk about something they are familiar with. The best candidates will likely be excited to tell you about some of their past career highlights, from the problems they solved to the efficiencies they helped to implement.

Accountant interview questions that explore experience might be phrased as follows:

• Tell me about a time when you discovered an accounting discrepancy. What did you do to resolve the problem?
• What role have you had in measuring business metrics in your past positions?
• Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge. How did you approach it?

3. Test Their Knowledge

Now that your candidate is at ease, it’s time to test their knowledge of the field to see if they will meet your needs. If you discover that they might need more training, this portion of the interview will reveal to you how extensive-and expensive-that training might be.

You might phrase interview questions that test knowledge in the following manner:

• What recent legislative rules regarding accounting do you think might have the most impact on your work in this role?
• Which accounting processes have you used most in your past roles?
• Can you describe an accounting system that you either developed, improved, or were responsible for implementing?

4. Focus on Technical Skills

Experienced accountants have likely worked on multiple platforms, but that doesn’t mean that all are equally adept at adapting to technology or implementing it to its full advantage. You may need someone who can quickly get up to speed, in which case knowledge of your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system would be an asset, unless you’re able to train them. Either way, ascertaining a candidate’s comfort level with technology can be useful in determining how well they will fit into your organization.

Accountant interview questions that focus on technical skills might include:

• What business platforms have you used? Which do you prefer and why?
• Tell me about a time during your career when you had to adapt to new technology. How did you transition to new technology while still meeting deadlines?
• Have you used an ERP system? If so, which one did you use? If not, what systems have you used to manage business enterprises?

5. Assess Interpersonal and Soft Skills

Though accounting is often seen as a technical field, it requires a number of soft skills, including integrity, interpersonal skills, management skills, and more. If clients feel they can’t trust their current accountant with their money, they will quickly take their business elsewhere.

Because an accountant’s workflow is so closely tied to annual and quarterly tax schedules, it is a profession that is closely tied to deadlines and subject to cyclical periods of intensity. As a consequence, you’ll want to know how applicants handle time management and deadline pressure.

Here are a few accountant interview questions that can help gauge soft skills:

• How do you make it clear to your clients that they can trust you?
• How do you prioritize between competing deadlines?
• How do you handle difficult discussions with clients and/or coworkers?

6. Gauge Management Style

Accountants are often called upon to lead, whether they’re heading up a small unit of assistants, a large department of CPAs for a large corporation, or fill an executive role (CFO, for example).

The following questions can help determine whether a candidate’s management style will enhance or disrupt your workplace:

• What is your approach as a manager? Can you give me an example of a time you served as a mentor to an accounting assistant or a colleague new to the field?
• If you’ve never served in a management role before, tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project, or about a former boss whose management style you admired.

Put Your Accountant Interview Questions to the Test with a Free Job Posting

Asking the right questions will help you narrow down your field of candidates. But how do you find top talent? Let us help you attract quality candidates with a free job posting.

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First, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with standard web developer classifications, skills, and education so that you understand the inevitable “tech-speak” that will occur during interviews. Also, writing a clear, detailed job description that explains both the technical and project management skills required for the role will increase your chances of attracting suitable candidates.

Once you’ve lined up interviews with your top candidates, the next step is to develop a set of web developer interview questions that uncover each candidate’s qualifications, temperament, and other important attributes. The three main areas you’ll want to cover in the interview process are:

1. General background, experience, and expertise
2. Technical proficiency and specific skills
3. Communication and project management skills

1. General Background, Experience, and Expertise

Start off on the right foot by asking open-ended, “icebreaker” web developer interview questions that allow the candidate to speak freely about their overall experience and expertise. The answers to these questions will also provide you with a roadmap for conducting the rest of the interview. They may include questions such as:

• What made you decide to become a web developer?
• How long have you been a web developer?
• What do you enjoy most about your job?
• What do you consider the hardest part of being a web developer?
• What are your primary skills and expertise?
• Do you consider yourself a full stack developer?
• Why are you interested in working with this company?
• What are currently some of your favorite websites or mobile apps?
• Who do you look up to in the tech and web development fields? Who in the industry do you follow on social media?

2. Technical Proficiency and Specific Skills

It may be difficult for non-technical hiring managers and business owners to get the full picture of a candidate’s technical abilities based solely on questions about business requirements or project management. You can use online pre-employment assessments as convenient screening tools for the nuts and bolts of technical knowledge, but they won’t provide the full view.

The following web developer interview questions will help you uncover if the candidate has the level of technical proficiency needed to successfully fill the role in your business:

• Which web development tools do you use?
• Which programming languages are you most comfortable using?
• Are you most comfortable with front-end or back-end development work? Why?
• Explain the differences between a responsive and non-responsive website.
• Which content management systems do you have experience using?
• Describe your approach to troubleshooting a JavaScript error on a website.
• How have you used APIs in previous web development projects?
• Do you have hands-on experience using SQL to support a website’s functional database requirements?
• How do you manage web development in a mobile-first environment?
• What are the key differences between designing for desktop and mobile?
• Tell me about a web application you’ve built, redesigned, or maintained.
• What factors influence a web page’s load speed? Why is page load speed so important?
• Describe a successful web development project you worked on (or are proud of.)
• Describe a web development project that didn’t go as planned.
• What is the most recent web development tool you learned to use?
• How do you stay up to date with web development trends?

3. Communication and Project Management Skills

Technical know-how is only part of what makes a successful web developer. Web projects can take weeks or months to complete, and often involve multiple stakeholders. That means asking web developer interview questions that focus on project management and communication skills should also remain top of mind when meeting with candidates. Such questions may include:

• What do you do when you realize you’re going to miss a deadline?
• Have you ever managed other web developers or outside contractors?
• Describe your process for kicking off a web development project?
• How do you handle project scope creep?
• Are you comfortable letting your manager know when they request something that isn’t a best practice?
• How do you handle negative feedback?
• How do you address competing priorities?
• Give an example of how you explain technical web development projects to non-technical project stakeholders.
• What do you consider your top three non-technical skills?
• What are the top three non-technical skills all web developers should have?
• Are you used to managing a budget for web development projects?

A Better Web Presence Starts With Finding the Right Talent

Adding a high-performing web developer to your team will have a positive impact on your business’s web presence and bottom line. Put your web developer interview questions to use and get started on finding the perfect candidates. You can connect with top developer talent today with a free job posting on Monster.

The post Web Developer Interview Questions To Ask appeared first on Monster.com.

Once you understand how to hire a head chef and what to look for based on your restaurant’s specific requirements, you’ll need to create a list of chef interview questions that ensure you find the right candidate.

A thorough interview will allow you fill in the blanks that even a strong resume and an in-person cooking test may leave. Whether you’re hiring an executive or head chef, the following interview questions will help guide you through the candidate screening process.

General Icebreaker Chef Interview Questions

The first part of the interview should focus on setting the tone for the conversation. Ask open-ended questions that encourage the candidate to share freely about themselves and their experience. Avoid overly-personal questions or those that may inadvertently violate fair hiring laws. Also, steer clear of “flat” questions that the candidate can answer with a simple yes or no. Some general chef interview questions to jumpstart the conversation include:

• When did you decide to become a chef?
• What is your signature dish? What do people love about it
• What is your favorite or least favorite dish to prepare? Why?
• How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?
• Name the three kitchen tools you can’t do without?
• Why are you considering a new position?
• What made you apply for this head chef position?
• Describe your management style.
• Name two of your strengths and two of your weaknesses as a chef?
• What chefs do you follow on social media (or admire their work and career in general)? Explain why.

Chef Interview Questions to Assess Background and Skill Level

Restaurant owners routinely use evaluation tools like cooking demonstrations, tastings, and mystery basket challenges to get a first-hand account of a chef’s skills in the kitchen. Well-crafted interview questions allow you to dig deeper and uncover the inspiration and thought process behind how the potential executive chef executed the demo portion of the interview. Such questions may include:

• Tell me about any formal training you’ve received.
• Do you have any relevant industry certifications?
• Where did you receive the most hands-on training?
• Have you ever been responsible for creating or updating menus? Describe your approach.
• What menu concepts do you have experience executing
• Do you have experience creating seasonal or region-specific menus?
• How do you approach modifying dishes for dietary restrictions?
• Have you ever had to include wine and spirits pairing to a menu?
• How do you control the quality and consistency of dishes to ensure customer satisfaction?
• What is the biggest staff you’ve managed?
• Do you have experience managing diverse, multilingual employees?

Scenario-Based Chef Interview Questions That Show Problem-Solving Skills

Between managing staff, liaising with vendors, and ensuring customer satisfaction, an effective head chef must know how to stand the heat in more ways than one. Fast-paced, demanding environments like restaurants require ahead chef who demonstrates strong leadership and problem-solving skills. The ability to multi-task, remain organized, and pay attention to detail also top the list of qualities for a successful executive chef.

The follow scenario-based chef interview questions will help you get a true picture of how the candidate manages typical back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house restaurant challenges:

• What steps do you take when a staff member is underperforming?
• How do you manage conflicting schedule requests from employees?
• Describe an instance where you had to manage a conflict between the kitchen staff and the wait staff? How did you resolve the matter?
• How do you manage ordering too much or too little of a food item for the week?
• What is your process for replacing along-time vendor that no longer meets the restaurant’s needs?
• How do you work with the wait staff during peak business hours to keep customers happy?
• Describe two or three team-building techniques you use to keep employees engaged during stressful situations?
• When was the last time you had to fire an employee? How did you manage the process?

Questions that Uncover the Chef’s Business Savvy

Profit margins for full-service restaurants generally range between 3 and 5 percent. For many restaurants, the executive chef is responsible for managing two of a restaurant’s biggest expenses: staff and cost of food and beverages. In addition to controlling costs, a great head chef understands how to create a well-thought-out menu that easily doubles as a marketing tool to attract new diners. That’s why learning about a candidate’s business expertise in both operations and marketing is an important step in hiring an executive chef who will help your restaurant grow.

Questions that uncover a candidate’s business knowledge include:

• How do you incorporate food costs into your menu development process?
• Do you have a process for comparing food and beverage costs to make sure you’re maximizing the budget?
• What strategies do you implement to control labor costs without endangering production or quality?
• Describe how you address food waste as a means to decrease overhead.
• Do you have experience optimizing menus for premium pricing opportunities or upsells?
• What food and beverage trends do you follow?
• How do you incorporate food and beverage trends in your menus to help with marketing efforts?

Put Your New Interview Knowledge and Skills to Work

Whether you operate a start-up restaurant or an established eatery, much of your business’s success depends on solid leadership and proven culinary expertise from your head chef. The right chef interview questions are value tools for finding the right head chef for your restaurant. Move one step closer to putting those tools to work by posting your job for free on Monster.

The post Chef Interview Questions: What to Ask appeared first on Monster.com.

A good architect has the technical skills to design beautiful and structurally sound buildings. A great architect has the soft skills to collaborate with clients, stick to timelines and budgets, and build strong relationships with coworkers and contractors.

The key to finding a great architect is to ask insightful interview questions to understand a candidate’s previous work experience, skills, and professional values. So, how do you find someone who can confidently take you from blueprint to building? Here are some key architect interview questions you can ask, and insight into what their answers may reveal.

Learn About an Architect’s Work Experience

You’ve got the candidate’s resume and cover letter, but there is only so much you can tell from two pieces of paper. Get more in-depth information by asking about their previous roles and responsibilities and their credentials.

Ask the architect interview questions about their background, such as:

• Please walk me through your resume. What were your main responsibilities and the skills you gained?
  • Keep in mind that an architect who hasn’t tackled every responsibility in your job description can still be a great fit for the role. A candidate may have the necessary transferable skills from similar tasks and projects.
• Do you specialize in residential, commercial, or industrial projects? Have you done them all?
  • If you are hiring someone for your personal project, it may be easier to find someone who has worked on a similar project. If you are hiring an employee to work at your firm, consider if you have the resources to teach them. With the right resources and a good manager, a driven architect could quickly outshine someone with years of experience.
• Do you have the necessary certifications and licenses to work in this state? What certifications, licenses, and accreditations do you hold?
  • You likely listed the non-negotiables on the job description, but it’s so important that you’ll want to double-check during the interview.

Evaluate the Architect’s Hard Skills

Certain technical skills, or hard skills, will be necessary depending on your needs. At a baseline, architects will need to prepare blueprints and make sure all state and local building codes are followed. An architect also may be required to pitch new business, manage the client relationship, determine the project cost and timeline, and oversee engineers and construction workers.

Ask the prospective architect interview questions related to the skills and techniques they’ll need to get the job done, for example:

• What computer-aided design (CAD) software have you used in the past? Do you have experience with 3D modeling?
  • It would be great if a candidate knew the specific software your firm uses and could dazzle clients with their 3D modeling skills on their first day. However, a smart architect can quickly learn new skills and software with some training.
• What is your typical involvement in the construction process? Do you oversee the construction process on-site and manage the budget and timeline?
  • The ideal answer to this question depends on what you need. Do you just need someone to draw the blueprint or are you looking for someone who can manage the entire construction process? See if they’d be willing to bridge the gaps.
• Please tell me about three of your favorite projects from your portfolio. What was your strategy?
  • Look for a candidate who can clearly describe their projects and strategy. An architect will need to be able to explain their design to clients and coworkers and why they made certain architectural decisions.

Ask the Architect Interview Questions That Showcase Their Soft Skills

An architect needs certain interpersonal skills, or soft skills, to be successful. An all-star architect is a strong communicator, a fast problem-solver, and can work independently and with a team. It is also essential that they are detail-oriented, responsible, and trustworthy because a small mistake could cause a big problem.

A candidate could say they’ve got all those soft skills and more, but do they actually? Reveal a candidate’s soft skills by asking behavioral interview questions that prompt the candidate to reflect on past roles and projects and consider how they’d handle situations they may face in this one.

Here are a few architect interview questions that show a candidate’s soft skills in action:

• Please tell me about a time you worked with a difficult client. How did you handle it?
  • You want to hire someone who is calm, professional, and doesn’t make a habit of burning bridges. A good answer would be something along the lines of, “I worked with a client on a home renovation, and they wanted to make a change that I knew could cause problems. I worked with them to create a similar floorplan that would be structurally sound.”
• What would past clients say are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Look for someone who has the strengths you value most and who shares an actual weakness (not that they are a perfectionist) and how they are working to improve it. For example, maybe they’re taking classes to learn new tools and techniques, or they hired an assistant when they realized they couldn’t spend as much time on site visits as they could before their business was booming.
• What steps would you take if you thought you were going to go over budget?
  • Ideally, the first step would be bringing it up with their manager or the client right away. Next, they might suggest ways to make the project less expensive, like using different materials or making updates instead of a total gut renovation.

Find an Architect Who Measures Up

You know the most revealing architect interview questions to ask and you’re ready to find someone who has all the answers. Get there faster by posting a job on Monster for free to reach a large pool of qualified candidates.

The post Architect Interview Questions and Answers appeared first on Monster.com.

But, how do you find the best candidates to interview, and what are the right social media manager interview questions to ask to ensure the best fit for your business?

If you’ve used a clear, detailed job description, the pool of social media manager candidates includes people who understand that the role is about more than taking cool photos, writing witty captions, and sharing funny memes. That’s why the questions you use during the interview should focus on discovering how candidates understand social media as a tool for growing your business.

Beyond the technical requirements of the job, understanding personality traits and preferred work styles is also a key component to finding the right fit for your team. The questions below will help you gather the information you need to make a solid hiring decision for this important role in your business.

Social Media Manager Interview Questions That Reveal Background and Skills

Because it’s a relatively new role in an ever-changing field, the social media manager candidates that you interview will likely have more experience in other roles. You’ll want to take a more holistic view of candidates’ background and experience, specifically other transferable skills from areas like general digital marketing, project management, and content planning and production.

One of the most important transferable skills that a social media manager should have is the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. More specifically, this person must be able to use words, images, and multimedia to convey your brand voice and personality across various social platforms. Get a more well-rounded view of their background by posing questions like:

• How did you get started as a social media manager?
• What other positions have you had that prepared you for social media management?
• Name three or four skills you believe make you a great social media manager.
• How do you define brand voice?
• Give examples of two or three brands with strong, consistent brand voice on social media.
• What is your process for managing social media projects and campaigns?

Interview Questions About Social Media Experience

Strategic thinking and tactical know-how are the winning combination for a social media manager. As you evaluate potential candidates, be sure to use social media manager interview questions that assess how they approach using various platforms as part of an overall marketing strategy. Hypothetical scenarios based on your company’s real-life needs are a great way to get an idea of their experience and grasp of marketing principles. Consider asking questions like:

• What social media platforms do you have the most experience with?
• What social media metrics do you think are most important to track social media ROI?
• Describe your most successful social media campaign or project.
• Describe your least successful social media project and what you’d do differently.
• Based on what you know about our company, what do you think should be the social media platform we focus on?
• What’s your philosophy about how often a company should post?
• In your past roles, how did you keep up with competitors’ social media activity?
• How would you handle negative comments on our social media posts?

Social Media Manager Interview Questions to Assess Personality and Work-Style Preferences

For many social media managers, being a marketer’s jack-of-all-trades comes with the territory. They’ve likely had previous roles that required social media skills not directly associated with managing accounts (like editing images and video, writing copy for captions, and pulling analytics reports to evaluate social media performance). If you’re looking for a social media manager to fill a similar “generalist” role in your company, be sure to ask questions that help you gauge their soft skills, work style, and ability to switch hats quickly and often. Such questions may include:

• What photo editing software or apps do you use?
• What tools have you used for scheduling posts?
• Do you experience writing both long and short-form posts?
• Are you used to managing freelancers or other contractors for producing content?
• Have you managed a social media account during a company crisis? If so, describe your process.
• How do you work with other team members to produce social media content?
• How do you keep track of your social media budget?

Take Your Social Media Presence to the Next Level

Staking your claim in the Wild West of social media can be exciting-and a bit scary at times. But asking the right social media manager interview questions can save you time and prevent you from walking away with fool’s gold. When you’ve finalized the job description and are ready to hire the perfect social media manager for your business, find great candidates by posting your job listing for free on Monster.

The post Social Media Manager Interview Questions appeared first on Monster.com.

From general administrative skills to graphic design and social media management, today’s virtual assistants have skills and offer services that allow business owners to add any extra support they may need in almost any area of their business.

Here are some sample virtual assistant interview questions to help you get a better picture of the candidates you interview.

Use a Strong Job Description to Bridge to Your Interview Questions

Writing a clear, detailed job description helps filter the pool of virtual assistant applicants and allows you to focus your questions on the prospective hires with the skills you need.

As you move from your job description to your short-list of applicants to interview, your questions will serve as a vital tool for narrowing that list even further to get to the best fit. There are a few best practices to consider when preparing an interview with a candidate. However, most of the questions you ask during the interview will vary based on your specific requirements.

Virtual Assistant Interview Questions That Assess General Background and Skills

Asking your prospective virtual assistants questions about their general professional background and skills is a great way to break the ice and open dialogue. As with any conversation, steer clear of personal questions until you’ve set the tone and both you and the interviewee have achieved a good comfort level with the process and such questions would be appropriate to the position.

Questions that will help you get a general understanding of the candidate’s background before you dive into the details include:

• What made you decide to become a virtual assistant?
• How long have you been a virtual assistant?
• What do you enjoy most about your job?
• What do you consider the hardest part of being a virtual assistant?
• What are your primary skills and expertise?

Educational Background and Professional Experience Questions

You already reviewed your candidate’s educational and professional background before deciding to move forward in the hiring process. But with 85 percent of candidates exaggerating their skills and experience, there’s only so much a resume and cover letter can tell you. That’s why you should use the interview as an opportunity to ask specific questions that get below the surface of yes/no answers and reveal what they have accomplished and learned.

The following virtual assistant interview questions will help you dig deeper into their educational background and work experience to get a better sense of their qualifications:

• Describe the most complex project you completed using [fill in the software program]?
• What are two or three valuable lessons you learned in your last position as a virtual assistant?
• Tell me about two or three of your favorite projects you’ve completed as a virtual assistant. What made them your favorite?
• Have you ever supported more than one client at a time? If so, how do you manage competing priorities?
• Do you have experience supporting clients outside of your time zone?

Questions That Gauge a Virtual Assistant’s Behavior, Personality, and Work Style

Technical proficiency with the appropriate tools should be important factors when choosing candidates to interview. And, if your business is part of a specialized field that requires heavy time investments to train a new employee, hiring a virtual assistant with industry experience may also rank high on your list of requirements. Indeed, a candidate who lacks certain must-haves, such as proficiency with your preferred computer system, won’t make the cut no matter how strong they are in other areas.

However, employers have found that soft skills like adaptability, problem-solving, and clear communication hold equal weight during the evaluation process. Answers to this group of questions most often determine if the candidate is the right fit for you and your company. Virtual assistant interview questions that focus on communication skills and personality traits will complete the picture for you as you make your final hiring decision.

Here are some questions to help you learn more about a candidate’s soft skills, personality, and work style:

• What is your preferred method of communication?
• How quickly do you respond during your working hours?
• How do you handle a non-responsive client when you need input to move forward on a project?
• What steps do you take when you’re not clear about a project you’ve been assigned?
• Describe an incident where you had to inform a client that a deadline that he or she set wasn’t realistic.
• How often do you check in with a client during a project that will take several weeks to complete?

Now That You Have the Right Questions, Get the Right Candidates

You’ve finalized the job description and are prepared with effective virtual assistant interview questions to ask your top candidates. But where can you find the best candidates? Get your search for a virtual assistant started with an expert with years of experience matching candidates to employers. Start talking to great candidates today with a free virtual assistant job listing on Monster.

The post Virtual Assistant Interview Questions appeared first on Monster.com.

Finding the right fit starts with a clear job description outlining the job responsibilities and requisite skills. Be sure to include details like the weight they’ll need to lift, necessary certifications like a Department of Transportation Physical and Commercial Driver’s License, the vehicle and equipment they’ll need to use, the time commitment, the location and how far they’ll need to travel, and whether they’ll need to use their own car or truck.

After sifting through resumes and making screening calls, it’s time to have longer interviews with candidates. You want to ask insightful delivery driver interview questions to better understand a candidate’s previous work experience, skills, and professional values so you find someone that you can trust to get your product where it needs to go.

Learn About a Prospective Driver’s Work Experience

Get more in-depth information than what’s on the driver’s resume and cover letter by discussing their previous jobs. Focus more on their tasks and responsibilities than their title, keeping in mind that plenty of job seekers without delivery experience may be ideal candidates.

For instance, other job experiences with transferrable skills may include being a bus driver, a taxi or ride-share driver, a warehouse assistant, a forklift operator, a shipping and receiving clerk, or a stocker.

Questions that reveal a candidate’s experience may include the following:

• Please tell me about your previous work experience.
• What were your main responsibilities?
• What have you delivered?
• What types of routes are you used to driving?

Evaluate Their Hard Skills, Behind the Wheel and Beyond

Certain technical skills, or hard skills, necessary for delivery drivers include driving safely (which should be reflected in their driving record), operating equipment, tracking shipping and deliveries, performing safety inspections, planning routes, and loading and unloading inventory. Even though you’ve included it in the job description, use this time to double-check that the candidate has all the necessary licenses and qualifications.

Ask the prospective delivery driver interview questions related to the skills and techniques they’ll need to get the job done, such as:

• How do you ensure deliveries are done on time and correctly? Please walk me through your process from pickup to delivery.
• What driver’s licenses do you have, and do you have a clean driving record?
• Are you comfortable using delivery management software to accept jobs, track job status, send alerts to customers, and set or stick to routes?
• What are some skills you’ve developed in the past that can help you succeed as a delivery driver?

Make Sure They Have Those Valuable Intangible Skills

A delivery driver also needs strong interpersonal skills, or soft skills, to be successful. A star delivery driver has strong communication skills, a great work ethic, the ability to work well independently and as a team, a positive attitude, sharp problem-solving skills, and attention to detail. Your delivery driver is a representative of your company from pickup to drop-off, so it is essential to find someone you trust to make a great impression.

Ask these delivery driver interview questions to see if they’ll go the extra mile:

• Tell me about a time something went wrong like a delayed pickup, a major traffic jam, a missing package, or an upset customer. How did you handle it?
• A customer complains about not receiving a package you know you delivered. How do you resolve this situation?
• What would your previous manager say are your main strengths and weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you as a delivery driver? What are the qualities that make you stand out?

Ask Questions to Determine if a Candidate Would be a Good Fit

An interview is a two-way street. A delivery driver who enjoys the role, company culture, and benefits is likely to be in it for the long haul.

At this point in the interview, discuss the hourly rate, how far they’ll drive, and perks like health insurance, paid time off, a 401(k), and an employee discount. This is also a good time to make sure they are on board with other aspects of the job like gas reimbursement (if they drive their own vehicle) and the time commitment.

These questions will help you and the candidate decide whether it’s a good match:

• What excited you about this delivery driver role?
• Now that you know more about the hourly rate, job requirements, perks, and schedule, will this position work for you?
• Are you comfortable with the necessary equipment and physical labor?

Post a Job on Monster and Find a Driver Who Truly Delivers

Ready to kick off the hiring process? Take these delivery driver interview questions for a test drive and find the right person to move your precious cargo to your valued customers. You can speed up the process with Monster and find the right candidates quickly with a free job posting today.

The post Delivery Driver Interview Questions appeared first on Monster.com.

The first step is to write a detailed job description that clearly explains the responsibilities and skills they’ll need in order to be considered. Be sure to include any requirements, such as Certified Nursing Assistant or Home Health Aid certifications, and any CPR and First Aid training that may be needed.

The next step is to conduct interviews to find out more about the candidate’s experience, skills, and what they want from their next role. Ask insightful caregiver interview questions that will give you the assurance you need to make the right hire.

Assessing a Caregiver Candidate’s Experience

Ask about the candidate’s past roles and responsibilities to see if they have experience with the types of tasks the job may require, such as taking clients to doctor’s appointments and errands, reminding them to take their medication, buying groceries and preparing meals, and keeping records.

While experience working with clients who have similar needs is helpful, an experienced caregiver will be able to learn quickly and adapt. These caregiver interview questions will help you to better understand a candidate’s background:

• Please tell me about your previous roles and responsibilities.
• Please walk me through a day in one of your caregiver roles. What did you do throughout a typical day?
• What qualities do you think make you a good caregiver? What are your strengths?

Determining Whether They Have the Right Skills to be a Caregiver

There are technical skills that are necessary for caregivers, which often include providing transportation, remembering deadlines for medication, monitoring and reporting symptoms, doing light housekeeping, and helping with Activities of Daily Living.

Additional necessary skills will depend on the client’s needs. For example, a caregiver may need to operate a wheelchair and wheelchair-accessible vehicle, know how to use accessibility technology, or understand best practices pertaining to a certain condition.

Do they have the technical know-how to handle this caregiver role? These questions can help you find out:

• Are you comfortable working with someone with [cognitive difficulties, eyesight or hearing loss, diabetes, mobility difficulties etc.]?
• What tools or techniques do you use to stay organized throughout the day, from remembering doctor’s appointments, to keeping track of necessary errands, to reminding your client to take their medicine on time?
• Do you keep a health log or daily notes about a client’s daily behavior and symptoms? What’s your process?

Sizing up a Caregiver’s Interpersonal Skills

A great caregiver is responsible, organized, caring, patient, positive, attentive, and can communicate well with the client, family members, and any other caregivers who work with the client. Sure, anyone can say they’re a strong communicator, a good problem-solver, and attentive, but are they in practice — particularly during stressful situations?

You can get a sense of their interpersonal or soft skills by asking behavioral interview questions. For instance, you might ask about times they’ve needed to use a particular soft skill in the past and by asking how they’d handle situations they are likely to face in this caregiver role.

These caregiver interview questions will help you evaluate a candidate’s soft skills:

• Please tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation with a client. How did you resolve it?
• How do you keep family members informed of a client’s well-being? How do you decide what to share?
• What would you do if you were concerned about your client’s health?
• Have you experienced a medical emergency with a client and, if so, how did you handle the situation?

Caregiver Interview Questions That Help Determine Personality Fit

A job interview isn’t just about learning whether the candidate is a good fit for your needs, it’s also an opportunity for the candidate to see if they want the job. This is a good time to make sure the time commitment, job responsibilities, and pay work for them. Ideally, you’ll find someone who will work with your family member, facility, or agency long-term, so it’s important for the caregiver to know what to expect before they accept.

These questions will help you understand what the candidate wants next and if this position is right for them:

• Why did you apply to this caregiver role? What attracted you to the position?
• What is your hourly rate and does this hourly rate work for you?
• Now that you know more about the client and their specific needs, are you comfortable with the daily responsibilities? Do you have any concerns or questions for me?

Put Your Caregiver Interview Questions to the Test Today

It can take time to find the right caretaker for your client’s needs, especially if you don’t have access to the right pool of candidates. That’s where we can help. When you post a job with Monster, we’ll advertise it on our global site, network sites, hundreds of local news sites, and our app to make sure you can connect with qualified candidates. Find out how you can hire the right caregiver by posting a job for free today.

The post Caregiver Interview Questions You Should Ask appeared first on Monster.com.

It starts with a clear job description outlining the job responsibilities and skills they’ll need in order to be considered a qualified candidate. Once you’ve narrowed down the field of candidates, you’ll need to conduct an interview to help you choose the right person for the role.

Asking the right personal assistant interview questions will help you learn about a candidate’s previous work experience, skills, and professional values so you find your right-hand person faster (and cut your to-do list in half).

Ask Questions That Gauge a Candidate’s Experience

At this stage, it’s important to get to know the candidate beyond the resume and cover letter and learn about their experience at a more granular level. This is the time to find out whether they’ve been a personal assistant before or whether they have transferrable skills from similar roles, and to generally get a better sense of their past tasks and responsibilities.

Are they able to hit the ground running or would there be a learning curve? If a candidate hasn’t been a personal assistant before, they still might have the necessary administrative skills from other roles, such as filing expense reports, booking travel, calendar management, and phone and email communication. A candidate who has been a secretary, office manager, bookkeeper, or receptionist may have the transferrable skills to seamlessly make the move to a personal assistant role.

Questions that reveal a candidate’s experience include the following:

• Please tell me about your previous work experience.
• What were your main responsibilities?
• Have you worked for one executive or multiple executives at one time?

Determine Whether a Candidate Has the Necessary Hard Skills

There are certain technical skills, also known as hard skills, that are necessary for the day-to-day responsibilities of a personal assistant, such as scheduling and managing meetings, booking travel, filing expense reports, creating invoices, answering phone calls, ordering office supplies, taking minutes at meetings, and preparing reports and presentations.

If there are specific project management, calendar management, travel coordination, and accounting tools your company uses, you can ask the candidate if they’re familiar with them or have used similar tools. Typically, candidates with experience learning new administrative skills and tools should be able to adapt.

Ask the prospective personal assistant interview questions that get at the heart of the skills and techniques the position would require, such as:

• What is your process for scheduling meetings and managing an executive’s calendar? Are there tools you use to stay organized?
• An executive needs to go on a last-minute trip and will need flights, a rental car, a hotel room, meetings with clients, and suggestions for lunch and dinner meetings. Please walk me through the steps you would take to plan the trip.
• How do you stay on top of budgets, expense reports, invoices, and other necessary financial tasks? What software have you used?

Don’t Forget to Assess a Candidate’s Soft Skills

Personal assistants need to have specific interpersonal skills, or soft skills, to get the job done efficiently and effectively. These aren’t easy to glean from a resume or cover letter and include traits that align with a candidate’s character and emotional intelligence. Some must-have soft skills to look for in a personal assistant are organization, time-management, problem-solving, clear communication, and attention to detail.

Key higher-level soft skills closely linked to character and maturity include professionalism, trustworthiness, work ethic, a positive attitude, and the ability to confidently and calmly work with everyone from the CEO to a customer service representative.

The best personal assistant interview questions — those that reflect your own values — will help you understand if the candidate has what it takes, such as:

• What would a former boss say are your biggest strengths and areas for improvement?
• As an executive assistant, you’ll be juggling emails and phone calls, scheduling, filing, expenses, and other assignments in a given day. How do you stay organized, prioritize, and meet deadlines?
• Please tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult boss, colleague, client, or vendor and how you managed the situation.

Find Out About the Candidate’s Values to See if They’d Fit In

It’s essential to find someone who will be successful in the role and at the organization. These interview questions can help you understand the candidate’s professional values and what they want out of their next role. People are more successful and dedicated if they have the necessary skills, strong working relationships, feel valued, and enjoy the company culture.

You’ll know that you’ve got the right personal assistant when you don’t know how you could have managed without them. To help you find a candidate who can be your go-to person for years to come, consider the following questions:

• Why do you want to work here?
• What is your desired salary?
• What is your ideal company culture?
• What do you value most in a boss?

Use Your Personal Assistant Interview Questions to Find Your Next Hire

Sure, you’ve read their resume. But finding the right person is a multistep process and can make or break your organization’s success. Now that you’ve prepared the ideal personal assistant interview questions, it’s time to find the right candidates. Create a free job posting on Monster and watch the resumes roll in.

The post Personal Assistant Interview Questions appeared first on Monster.com.

Perform an Interview Test Run

It can reflect poorly on you and your company if you’re unable to connect or struggle to use the video conferencing platform. “To conduct the most successful video interview possible, interviewers should familiarize themselves with the technology in advance,” says Peter Baskin, chief product officer of enterprise hiring software Modern Hire. “This way, [you] can troubleshoot and solve any potential difficulties before the conversation takes place.”

Additionally, be sure to check that your computer’s audio is working, test your computer’s webcam, and ensure that your internet connection is stable and that the device you’re using to conduct the interview is fully charged. If you’ll need to share your screen with the candidate, make sure you understand how to do so before the interview.

Provide Instructions for Using the Video Conferencing Platform

Whether you use Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or any other video conferencing platform like SparkHire, keep in mind that the candidate may not be familiar with your platform of choice.

Will the candidate need to download any software? Create a username and password? Provide step-by-step instructions for accessing the platform, so the candidate can seamlessly connect to the video interview.

Jason Patel, founder of Transizion, a college and career prep company based in Washington, D.C., recommends testing the interview software from the interviewee’s perspective. “You want to make sure they have all the relevant information to arrive at the interview without unnecessary delays. This means providing them with passwords, dial-in information, and links at least three business days ahead of time.”

Additionally, you might consider giving the candidate a backup phone number in case they experience any problems connecting to the video conference, and ask them to share the same with you.

Schedule Separate Meetings and Budget Time Accordingly

Consider scheduling more time on your calendar for a video interview than you typically would for an in-person interview. Between technical difficulties that may arise and candidates who provide long-winded answers to your questions, the interview can go longer than anticipated.

If you’re conducting back-to-back interviews, Biron Clark, an executive recruiter for multiple Fortune 500 firms, recommends setting up separate meeting rooms for each candidate. “I’ve heard multiple horror stories of employers using the same meeting room and access code for multiple job seekers,” he says. “This results in a potentially awkward situation if one job seeker decides to load up the video software 10 minutes early while you’re still interviewing another candidate.”

Set up a Professional, Well-Lit Space to Conduct the Video Interview

Even though you might not be in a traditional office setting, it’s important to set an appropriate scene for the interview. This means that the space should be well-lit, clean, and free from background distractions.

“Make sure the environment behind you is professional,” says Ronald Magas, founder of Magas Media Consultants, a public relations agency based in New York City. “Actually take a picture of what the other person would see when they are looking behind you through the computer. Make sure you have appropriate pictures, awards, etc., behind you. If you would not put it in a corporate office, move it outside of the camera view.”

Magas also stresses the importance of good lighting. “Since most people don’t have professional lighting in their house, most of the time if you are facing an outside window, you will cast enough light on your face that you can be seen clearly,” he says. “If there is direct sunlight, close the shades so that you are not blinded. Do not put the window to your back because you will probably show up very dark on the screen.”

Prepare Your Interview Questions Ahead of Time

As with any interview, don’t try to wing it. It’s important to have the interview questions you’d like to ask planned ahead of time. Have those questions in front of you to help keep the interview on track and ensure all your questions get answered.

During the video interview, consider starting with some icebreaker questions to help put the candidate at ease. Keep in mind that video interviews can be just as unusual for the job seeker as they are for you.

From there, you can move on to asking more in-depth interview questions. For example, you might ask some general questions about the candidate’s skills and prior work history, as well as a few behavioral-based interview questions that delve deeper into the way the job seeker has used critical skills in past positions.

Patel also recommends having an intro script prepared to help you start the interview off on the right note. “Write down a few lines so that you can speak almost verbatim when the video interview starts,” he says. “This ensures a smooth start and that the optics are good.”

Try to Control Background Noise

Find a quiet location for your interview. When conducting interviews from home, it’s best practice to give everyone in your household a heads up to prevent children and spouses from interrupting. You’ll also want to mute any notifications on your computer and phone and close out of any apps to help ensure a quiet setting.

Sometimes background noises are going to be inevitable or out of your control when you’re conducting a video interview from home. Your neighbor might decide to mow the lawn, your dog might start barking, and your efforts to create a quiet, professional environment might seem thwarted.

Since you’re the one conducting the interview, it’s up to you to keep a level head. “As an interviewer, if you’re going to have background noise, acknowledge it from the start so that it looks like you’re in control,” Patel says. “No one likes surprises in a professional setting. By establishing that there might be noise, you’re controlling the dialogue and ensuring the interviewee doesn’t need to feel awkward.”

Appear as Professional and Personable as You Would in Person

From what you wear to what you say to how you act, there shouldn’t be much difference from how you would conduct an in-person interview. Even if it’s just your top half, dress appropriately like you would if you were meeting the candidate in person. When listening, smile, nod, and sit up straight to show the candidate that you are engaged in the conversation.

Eye contact is key here, too. When making eye contact during video interviews, you should look directly into the webcam, not at the candidate on your screen.

“Pausing to ensure the candidate has finished his or her response before moving on to the next question is also crucial when remote since the same cues that a candidate uses to show he or she has answered a question aren’t often available during a video interview,” says Baskin.

Additionally, Walden says it’s important to realize that you won’t be communicating as freely via video as you would in person. “There are subtle gestures we do in person and a certain presence we carry that doesn’t translate to a camera,” she says. “Because of this, your tone can easily be misconstrued. Choose your words even more carefully, and keep jokes to a minimum. The last thing you want is for a prospective hire to interpret [you] in a way you didn’t intend.”

Follow up With Next Steps

Whether your interview is in person or over video, it’s best practice to follow up with candidates afterward. Especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, job seekers are more stressed than ever before, and not hearing back from an interview can amplify that stress.

“Even if you don’t have a decision yet, a quick email letting people know where you are in the process can alleviate this anxiety,” says Jill Panté, director of the Lerner Career Services Center at the University of Delaware. “Even if you are emailing that they aren’t being hired, at least they know. You don’t want to brand yourself or the company as someone who ghosts candidates.”

Learn More Best Practices for Managing a Remote Team

These video interview tips will help you recruit top candidates. Get more hiring and management best practices with Monster’s free ebook, The Remote Workforce: From Recruitment to Retention.

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