A quick overview of application questions
Here are some common examples of questions on a job application for potential candidates:
How well do you know this industry?
Including a question in your job application that asks how well a potential hire knows your particular industry is essential for every position, not just for management. Applicants’ answers help you determine their overall working knowledge and experience in similar positions, including little-known issues with the industry. Additionally, if candidates have never worked in your industry before, this question shows whether they care enough to research what your company actually does before applying.
Provide an example of a time when you demonstrated leadership abilities.
Leadership matters for everyone, from the lowest to highest in your company hierarchy. Even if an employee starts out at the bottom, it doesn’t mean they have to stay there. That’s why asking for examples of leadership skills makes a good application question for every candidate, not just potential managers. This question and subsequent answers should help employers determine if candidates have what it takes to lead other employees, including the ability to delegate responsibilities and handle conflicts.
What are your IT and programming language capabilities?
In today’s world, most businesses rely on technology in one way or another, so a combination of tech savviness and the capacity to learn new programming languages come in handy. Asking applicants to detail their IT and programming language capabilities helps you determine where they might fit best within your organization. By knowing what they know based on critical skill sets, you can better leverage their knowledge, which can also lead to a happier hire for improved retention rates.
Do you have experience mentoring others?
Inquiring about mentoring experience is a helpful application question when hiring both managers and employees with the responsibility of training their peers. It can give an employer insight into how the candidate might guide team members as a manager or as a coworker on a tight-knit team.
7 good job application questions to ask candidates
Here are seven good application questions examples to ask candidates on both job applications and during the interview process.
1. Why do you want to work for our company?
This is an excellent job application question because it helps you assess the candidate’s passion for the job they’re applying for and their overall knowledge of what your company does and how it operates.Any candidate should’ve researched the company they’re interviewing with, but the expectations are much higher at the management level.
Keep your expectations appropriate, based on the role you’re hiring for, with managers needing to know the most. For instance, a successful cashier candidate for a grocery store may provide answers such as good pay or great benefits. Managers, however, should have answers based on factors such as market share, growth potential and belief in your products or services.
2. What are your greatest achievements?
When it comes to questions on a job application, you never want to leave this one out. By directly asking candidates about their strengths or achievements on their application, you can gauge their abilities and determine what they can bring to your company. Look for candidates with especially creative answers that recount their accomplishments with passion. You want someone who can bring enthusiasm to the role and wants an opportunity to add new achievements to their list of “greatest professional hits.”
3. What have you learned from your previous work experience?
This question helps you assess the skills that candidates have acquired in previous positions they’ve held. You can then align their proven experiences with the qualifications required for the position and determine whether they’re capable of fulfilling the role. As candidates describe their previous work experience, you also have the chance to better understand their personality and skill sets and determine whether those things fit your organization’s needs.
Even if a candidate has less experience, don’t immediately reject them. Test them to see if they understand the basic procedures and terms, and gauge how interested they are in growing and learning new things. If a candidate has innovative ideas and is eager to learn and grow, they may still be well-suited for the role.
4. Give an example of a time you resolved a team conflict.
Conflicts can occur when multiple people with unique personalities work together as part of a team. However, good leaders can use these experiences to improve communication and promote camaraderie within the team.
By asking candidates to provide a specific example of conflict resolution, you can assess their approach, what they learned from the experience and what they’d do differently. You want people on deck who don’t shy away from defusing conflict when it’s necessary to solve problems.Answers to this question are especially important in high-stress roles with little direct supervision and more individual autonomy.
5. Why are you the best candidate for the job?
This question helps you assess why a candidate believes they’d be the best candidate and what they can bring to the role. A strong candidate backs up statements with examples and tailors their responses to the requirements for the position.
6. How does this position fit in with your long-term career goals?
Inquiring about goals and career aspirations in a job application is a good way for employers to determine whether an applicant envisions a lasting future with the company. This question iscrucial for businesses that tend to promote from within and require employees to commit to a specified amount of time before they’re offered raises or certain benefits.
7. What is your first goal if you get this role?
This question can be challenging to answer because the candidate doesn’t yet have insight into the company, its goals or even the department where they’d work. But a creative candidate should still have some answers for you based on guesses they can make about the business. Depending on the role they’re applying for, their answer might be about making strategic, financial or operations goals. Whatever the case, look for someone who’s excited about making an impact on your business.
The right application form brings the right candidates
Many of these questions may feel detailed, and you may wonder if you should save them for the first interview. But if you’re looking to fill a vacancy quickly, asking these specific job application questions can help. Someone who’s excited about working with your organization should have no problem taking the time to answer these questions. This way, you get the answers you need upfront, so you only spend time interviewing high-quality candidates suited for the role.
FAQs about application questions
Here are some of the most common questions employers ask about job applications.
Why is it important to have candidates complete a job application?
Job applications give you consistent information about each person who applies for a position. With a job application, you can perform a side-by-side comparison of all the applicants and decide which ones you want to bring into your office for an interview.
If you use an applicant tracking system (ATS), the application automates the process of collecting a candidate’s information, automatically filters for the top candidates and ensures consistency throughout the hiring process. This type of system is especially important in large corporations where hundreds of applicants may apply for a single position.
What additional information should be included in an application package?
In addition to employment history and other information required to complete an application, you may also want candidates to provide supplemental information. This can include references, writing samples, links to online portfolios, transcripts or copies of certifications. Applicants should be prepared to provide this supplemental information along with their applications.
