Quality candidates are getting harder to find. With an improved economy, low unemployment rate and stellar job market, many of the best candidates are already employed.

So, when you need to hire, quality candidates are few and far between. How do you ensure that you choose the best candidates for your open positions when there are more unqualified candidates to weed through? You need to do more during the interview process to identify quality candidates. These interview questions will help you determine what candidates are worth pursuing further:

Tell me about one of your recent accomplishments.

Quality candidates are driven, set goals, and work hard to produce meaningful results. You can learn if a candidate does all these things by asking them this question. Also, pay attention to how they deliver their answer. Are they passionate when talking about their recent accomplishment? Or are do they describe it like ticking off a box on a checklist? This question can also tell you if the candidate is self-motivated and will bring value to your organization.

How do you handle conflicts in the workplace?

Quality candidates have a high-level of emotional intelligence — the capacity to control and express their emotions appropriately. Asking this question will give you a good idea if they can keep a level head during times of stress and adversity. How did they handle the conflict? Did they display emotional intelligence?

How did you end up in your current role?

When you ask this question, you’ll get a better sense of a candidate’s career trajectory, as well as what motivates them. It’s also a good ice-breaker to ask at the start of an interview.

What interests you about the position?

When a quality candidate goes after an opportunity, they put in the research to make sure the role aligns with their career goals. This question will help you determine if they put thought into applying for your role, or if this is just another job for them. Their answer will also tell you if they understand the responsibilities of the position.

Describe a past work environment you worked best in.

This question will help you get a sense of whether a candidate will be a fit in terms of the culture. If they describe a small, informal culture – and yours is a big corporate one – then they might not thrive in your environment.

The interview questions you do end up asking are key to a successful hire. The best ones will reveal a candidate’s personality, strengths, knowledge, and abilities (or lack of). So before your next interview, be sure to carefully consider what questions you want to ask – so you can separate top contenders from the rest.

Get help finding quality candidates.

When quality candidates get this hard to find, many companies look to outside resources to help them with their hiring needs. At Burchard & Associates, we work with companies throughout the St. Louis area to help them locate and hire quality candidates. We meet with every candidate before presenting them to you, only providing the best people for your position. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us today or learn about our staffing solutions.