3 questions to ask during an interview

By Scott Miller

The only three true job interview questions are:
1. Can you do the job?
2. Will you love the job?
3. Can we tolerate working with you?

Really??? Let's look at this shall we... . Isn't an interview a deeper in-depth inquiry of one's background? Yet when we stop and think about it these three questions are at the very core of what we are driving at when selecting a candidate for a position, right? We technically ask these questions, but we use different words or phrases in a variation of driving ultimately to these three points - Strengths, Motivation, and Fit.

Here are some excerpts from an article written by George Bradt, Contributor to Forbes who spoke with Kevin Kelly, CEO from Heidrick & Struggles:

Can You Do the Job?

"You can’t tell by looking at a piece of paper what some of the strengths and weaknesses really are…We ask for specific examples of not only what’s been successful but what they’ve done that hasn’t gone well or a task they they’ve, quite frankly, failed at and how they learned from that experience and what they’d do different in a new scenario.Not only is it important to look at the technical skill set they have…but also the strengths on what I call the EQ side of the equation in terms of getting along and dealing or interacting with people."

Will You Love the Job?

"…younger employees do not wish to get paid merely for working hard—just the reverse: they will work hard because they enjoy their environment and the challenges associated with their work…. Executives who embrace this new management style are attracting and retaining better employees."

Can We Tolerate Working With You?

"A lot of it is cultural fit and whether they are going to fit well into the organization… The perception is that when (senior leaders) come into the firm, a totally new environment, they know everything. And they could do little things such as send emails in a voicemail culture that tend to negatively snowball over time. Feedback or on boarding is critical. If you don’t get that feedback, you will get turnover later on."

Therefore when you are preparing for an interview, review these questions at their raw core.

Can you really do the job - what if anything is there that could keep you from performing to the standards or surpassing them if hired.

Will you love the job - I chuckle at this one because we say there are jobs we love and jobs we hate and lets face it we can truly enjoy the work we do but I am not one who believes that I love a job simply for the sake of the work. I think there is more to the level of satisfaction of the work. However the question is simple is this a job that you will truly enjoy for a long period of time or will you leave it after a year. Who can answer this question with the utmost degree of certainty? I know I couldn't but I could look at all the variables and derive an answer that would satisfy first my desire for the position and then increase the desire for the prospective employer to hire me.

Can we tolerate working with you? NO! I'm kidding, it is a very important question, think about it. Can people work with me, are there instances in my past where I was not liked or I did not mesh well with a particular team? Tough question to ask one's self.

Food for thought - can you tolerate working with them which ultimately leads back to "Will you love the job?" & "Can you really do the job???"

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