One of the best interview questions you can ask a job applicant is “If I handed you a million dollars right now, what would you do with it?”  You’ll learn a whole lot more about what makes an applicant tick than you would by asking the person to explain the details of information shown on her or his resume.

     Open-ended questions put an applicant more at ease than requests for formal recitations of what you already have in front of you on paper, or can easily find out.  Open-ended questions can give you true, realistic, unrehersed insights about an individual’s ambitions, values, key relationships, sense of loyalty, spirituality, and even bad habits, among other things.  Ask and then listen.  Don’t interrupt.  Take notes. 

Oh, so you think you’d take off for the

 islands and live as a beachcomber?

     Then ask questions about the answers you get to “the million dollar question.”  Oh, so you think you’d take off for the islands and live as a beachcomber?  Which islands would you most likely consider and why?  Would you take up exotic foods and drinks?  What kinds of transportation would you take to get there?  (Fly there in a rush . . . or take your time, plan your routes, and see the sights along the way?)   

     In responding to open-ended questions, people often tell more about their real selves than what’s on a resume.  And if spontaneity and creative thinking are qualifications, you’ll get a taste of what an applicant might bring to the table.  The more you know about a job applicant, the better your odds for success with making the right employment decision.                halalpiar