14 Personality Interview Questions Every Hiring Manager Should Ask

While having the right technical skills and years of experience determines a candidate’s eligibility for a position in your company, a unique personality or an excellent set of soft skills makes all the difference between a great hire and the rest.

Besides common interview questions, hiring managers focus on asking candidates personality interview questions to identify and gauge the right personality traits that would be a great culture fit for their company. Generally, these questions test candidates’ soft skills, some of which include:

• strong work ethic
• good communication skills
• teamwork
• time management
• problem-solving skills
• flexibility
• creativity

Because these questions aim to determine if a candidate is an excellent match for both the position and the company’s culture, it’s vital to ask the right questions.

Is asking personality interview questions important?

Unlike technical skills, you can’t determine a candidate’s soft skills on paper. Therefore, asking specific personality interview questions provides an opportunity for hiring managers to screen candidates for the right personality traits that ensure the new hires can be productive in stressful situations. Typically, personality interview questions will demonstrate:

• How a candidate handles criticism
• A candidate’s ability to be flexible
• A candidate’s ability to work in teams
• Goals and aspirations of the candidate
• Work ethic or work style of the candidate

Although there are numerous personality tests you can opt to use online, it is advisable to refrain from using them since they ask generic questions which produce generic answers, which may be misleading and result in hiring the wrong talent. Assessing candidate’s personality traits by asking these questions during interviews provides more room for candidates to justify their answers using quantifiable examples from previous experiences or projects, as well as allowing the hiring manager to ask follow up questions if need be.

Examples of personality interview questions

Soft skills are essential in all industries and every position because they determine how well a candidate interacts with other employees. However, as the hiring manager, it’s essential to decide on the personality traits which would best fit the role you’re hiring for, and ask the relevant personality interview questions. Below is a list of these questions:

1. If you could change something about your personality, what would it be?
2. If your manager asked you to complete a task you thought impossible at first, how would you go about it?
3. Describe a time when you missed a deadline. What did you do when you realized you are falling behind?
4. Do you prefer working in a team or individually?
5. Tell me about a time when your manager wasn’t satisfied with your work. How did you handle the situation and what did you do differently?
6. What are you passionate about?
7. What is the best idea you’ve ever come up with in your career? / Describe a time when you came up with a creative solution to tackle a problematic work-related situation.
8. Would you say you are the kind of person who always looks at the big picture?
9. Do you consider yourself a detail-oriented individual?
10. What is the most useful criticism you’ve ever received?
11. How do you handle stress and pressure?
12. Describe yourself using three adjectives.
13. Would you say you are easy to talk to?
14. What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?

Tips to consider when assessing candidates’ personality traits

1. Consider the fact that personality and personal interview questions significantly differ. Asking questions about a candidate’s age, religion, origin, criminal records or plans to have children isn’t appropriate. Know where to draw boundaries and focus on the relevant questions. Alternatively, consider seeking a second opinion from HR or the legal department to ensure you ask the right questions.
2. Not all personality questions are relevant. This is because some questions are only good icebreakers or for creating rapport and are not providing room for candidates to express their skills or knowledge, and how they are relevant to the role. Some of these questions include:

• What’s your favorite movie/TV show/quote/novel, and why?
• What are your pet peeves?
• Do you enjoy traveling?
• What types of activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

1. Ensure you give candidates adequate time to come up with responses. Consider the fact that interviews are stressful for most people. Therefore, as you evaluate their creativity and ability to come up with answers, be patient and give the candidates time to think through their responses.

Red Flags: Mistakes candidates make

• Lack of professionalism: An interview should be professional. Candidates who provide inappropriate answers, using too many jokes, may indicate their lack of seriousness when and if they are hired.
• Additionally, look out for candidates who aren’t upbeat about the interview or former job. Consider the fact that such candidates may not become engaged in their new roles.
• Candidates who lack a work-life balance. Consider the fact that hard-workers are not always the best performers. Candidates who lack a work-life balance are likely to develop toxic behaviors at the workplace, such as working extra-long hours and not taking time to recharge.
• Provide canned answers. Granted, candidates aim to impress the recruiter and land their dream job, so they are likely to come to the interview prepared with answers to common interview questions. If they provide generic answers, consider asking them follow-up (why, when, what, why or how) questions. If they fail to produce more profound answers, consider the fact that they may lack specific qualities.

Tips for candidates answering personality interview questions

1.  Review the job description

Job descriptions typically highlight all the requirements of a job position. Therefore, to adequately answer personality questions, make sure to match skills from the job description to the ones that you possess, and jot them down, illustrating how they’ll make you a valuable asset to the company. Include summarized examples from previous experiences that highlight the soft skills that you possess.

2. Leverage feedback
While demonstrating your personality traits is essential, using validation by referencing compliments you’ve received from a former employer or colleague is even better. For instance, instead of just saying that you’re a team player consider saying:

• “My manager constantly says that I’m a team player. I offered to work extra hours to onboard new staff in a new project.”

3. Choose the right keywords

As already mentioned, while technical skills are necessary, employers are more interested in soft skills. According to research, the list below includes the soft skills that are most sought after by employers:

• Adaptability
• Dependability
• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Respect

4. Be honest

When tackling any job interview questions, it’s vital to be authentic and truthful when giving responses. Consider sticking to qualities that you feel represent you best, and that you are most proud of. Additionally, identify and highlight traits that best fit the role and those you think you possess.