No matter the extent of your network or the length of your timeline, interviews are one of your most powerful tools for a successful hire. Your chance of finding a DNA match hinges on your ability to articulate, live out, and identify your mission and values.
Open-ended questions invite candidates to reveal their own calling, values, and motivations, without asking outright if they align with yours. Carefully chosen questions will allow matches to reveal themselves in authentic conversation. Here are five questions every mission-driven leader must ask to dig deeper in interviews and identify their match.
1. “Describe a workplace culture you’ve thrived in—and one where you didn’t.”
The candidate’s answer will give interviewers insight into how well the candidate will fit into your organization’s environment. They will reveal what team values they value and how they see themselves within a team. Listen for reflections of your own team’s values, or strengths that could support your team’s weaknesses.
2. “What’s the hardest feedback you’ve ever received?”
The candidate’s genuine humility will come through when invited to explain valued feedback. You are looking for someone who carries gratitude for shaping moments where their superiors supported their growth. Personal experiences confirm a candidate’s ability to give and accept humble feedback on their next team, meaning you could hire someone with an appetite to grow. This attitude heals conflict and frees teams to pursue their mission together.
3. “What’s one area where you’re still growing professionally?”
This question also will reveal a candidate’s humility and commitment to personal development. This is an opportunity for the candidate to reflect their values and reveal alignment with your team’s values.
4. “What does our mission mean to you personally?”
When you ask for a personal connection, you invite the candidate to reveal experiences and motivations that lead them to contribute to your mission. Anybody can explain why an organization’s mission is important, but a personal connection is required for a leader to have a lasting impact on a team.
5. “What do you do when you’re unmotivated but still have to deliver?”
Your candidate’s answer may reveal their discipline (or lack thereof) and intrinsic motivation. In addition to a personal connection to your mission, the right leader will be motivated to carry out their duties even in a mundane pattern. Carefully listen, and you could find a dependable leader to join your team.
Asking the right questions isn’t about stumping an interviewee. It’s about scratching the surface and getting to know the candidate’s heart, despite the high-pressure environment and limited timeframe.
Every hire is a strategic decision with the power to support or set back your impact. These five questions help leaders go beyond checking boxes to discover how a candidate thinks, leads, and shows up for the mission they believe in, ensuring the long-term health and impact of your organization, even as your team changes.
