When interviewing job candidates, are you stuck in the rut of asking the same old questions and getting the same old answers? Maybe it's time for some new questions. Here are some of the more creative questions used by other in-plant managers in selecting the right candidate for the job. 

Position-Focused Questions

Why does this position appeal to you?

How does this position serve as a stepping stone to your long range career goals?

Describe your ideal work environment? Your ideal manager?

What do you feel makes you stand out as a candidate for this position?

On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in this job?         

If we made an offer, how long would it take you to make a decision?      

Why should I offer you the job?

What can you do for us that someone else cannot?       

What do you know about us?    

How far along are you in the interview process with other organizations? 

What reservations do you have about working here?

What would be the first, second and third things you would do if selected?

What kind of things do you feel most confident doing?  

What things frustrate you the most in doing your job?    

Printing-Focused Questions

When you look at a job, what do you look for to ensure that the job was done accurately? 

What is the most important part of printing?  Quality control, customer service skills?

Do you have any printing certificates showing your level of expertise?

Elaborate on which machines you have used and for how long.

What has been your biggest challenge on the equipment you have used? How have you overcome the challenge?

Give an example of when you needed to perform maintenance on your equipment or needed to quickly fix a mechanical issue.What tools did you use and what was the outcome?

How comfortable are you with using basic tools to repair and replace parts on the machines?

Customer-Focused Question

Give an example of a time when you knew the customer was wrong, but you had to accommodate their wishes. What did you say? What did you do? How did you feel about it?

Tell me about a situation where you anticipated a customer's needs before the customer.

Is there ever a time when a customer is wrong & should be confronted? Give an example.

What is your philosophy of service excellence? Describe a time that you embodied that philosophy.

Project-Focused Question

Give an example of a project that you were responsible for organizing from beginning to end. How did you deal with changes that arose? How did you ensure that the project stayed on track? What was the final outcome? What did you learn from this experience?

Change-Focused Questions

How do you feel when you are first confronted with change?

Share a time you faced a great deal of personal criticism from others. How did you handle it? Did you modify or change your position in the face of this criticism?

Give an example of a time when you had an idea and had to abandon it. How did you recover?

Describe a time when you received negative feedback from your manager.

Do you like rapid changes or do you prefer slow methodical changes?

How have you changed the position you are currently in since you first started?

Describe a time that your work priorities changed dramatically from what you expected?

Mistake-Focused Questions

What is the worst business decision you ever made? What made it the worst? Would knowing what you do now have helped you to avoid making that decision?

Describe an error that you caught prior to a job being completed. How was it corrected?

Describe how your attention to detail helped you avoid making a mistake or prevented a mistake.

Describe an error you caught that others had missed.

Tell me about a project you were involved in that was a train wreck...if honest, everyone has one of these.

Team-Focused Questions

Give an example of one of the most significant contributions you made as a member of a high performing team. What in your opinion made it a high performing team?

Give an example of a situation where you had difficulties on a team.

Describe how you felt about a decision the team wanted to make, but you didn't.

Give an example of when you were on a team that failed to meet its objectives

Education/Training Focused Questions

What books/magazines have you read or classes have you taken to keep abreast of new trends in the industry?

What learning activities have you been involved with since college/high school?

Give an example of when you were able to apply a concept, theory or knowledge to work a problem or situation

Give an example of when you did not know enough about something to be effective.

Personality-Focused Questions

What is your greatest achievement?

How do you plan work priorities?

What person from history do you most admire? Why?

How quickly do you make decisions?

Give an example of a time when you had too many things to do in your personal life and your work life. How did you handle it and describe how you went about prioritizing your time.

What is the best way to motivate you?  

What kind of rewards are most satisfying to you?          

How much time do you spend getting organized on a daily basis?

How do you personally define the difference between activity and results? 

Talk about what you're good at - instinctively?  (Negative traits can also be talents: e.g., nervousness, obstinacy). What behaviors (good or bad) do you actively manage?

Some people prefer well laid out tasks and others prefer ones in which the work changes frequently. Which do you prefer and why?    

How much time did you spend working alone? With others?

What type of person is easiest for you to get along with? 

Do you consider yourself to be proactive or interactive?          

What will your boss say when you resign?

Questions that Can Be Answered without Asking

Behavior when applying, leading up to the interview (e.g., lack of patience with the process)

Articulation in the cover letter

Resume organization/layout

Spelling errors; grammatical errors

Appearance.