Why These Questions During an Interview?

Do you sometimes wonder why a hiring manager asks you certain questions and what responses he wants to hear? Here, I am offering to look at the job interview process from the hiring manager's point of view. While it may not provide all the answers you are looking for, it may allow you to understand the agenda of the hiring manager interviewing you. No big secrets will be revealed in this article; it is just meant to show an interview in the manager’s shoes.

I am a hiring manager. Although I do not work in the biomedical field and do not hire for positions you will apply for, the ultimate goals of hiring a manager should be similar, like we all humans are more alike than different. I also want to clarify that this is my personal experience as a hiring manager, and opinions expressed here will probably not be shared by other hiring managers.

I will start with apparent and self-evident statements. If a candidate for a job is looking to get hired, the hiring manager's goal is to hire the best candidate. While trying to hire the best candidate is important, the hiring manager stresses even more about NOT hiring the wrong candidate. It is believed that people are motivated more by fear than reward. This is why it is more important for managers to recognize potentially bad employees rather than choose the perfect one.

I would define the biggest worry for management for the candidate who

1) will likely quit shortly after being hired;
2) will be a liability for the company either by
a) not able to perform essential job duties or
b) unable to work with the other members of the team if multiple employees are involved in the project.

And this is why. If a person does not plan to work in a company for some duration of time and only uses working in the company as a transition until he finds something better, it is a waste of money for the company to train this person. Even if the company does not train, hiring such a person means that some ongoing projects might be delayed while they look for a replacement. Looking for and interviewing for a replacement is also extra effort on management, which could have been avoided.

If the person is a liability to the company due to a lack of professional skills or work ethic, it threatens the ongoing project and may force other team members to work harder and be stressed.

Finally, some people are great workers and professionals but unable to work with other team members due to their personality traits. While this quality does not look very important compared to lacking technical skills, it could be crucial when multiple people work on the same project. One person can literally run other employees away or make them demotivated. So, by adding this person to one’s team, one risks gaining one but losing five team members. It is also harder to get rid of this person because, on the performance level, there is nothing this person can be fired for. So, it would be best if such a person was never hired.

It is worth mentioning that management usually does not like to fire staff. First, telling the person that he or she is fired is unpleasant. Secondly, it can affect the current project the company is working on if there is a need to replace this person in mid of the project. Finally, there could be legal issues with firing someone. There is always a case in which a person can legally argue that he or she has been fired fairly. Therefore, picking the bad apple in the pool of candidates is crucial.

Typically, managers who hire many people have their own impression of who will work out and who will not. This impression is based on their previous experience. For example, the manager was never successful with candidates who answered certain questions in a certain way, so he probably watched for these answers. Other managers may have different opinions, but these are some of my red flags.

Job records indicate that a person changes jobs often. It suggests that no one can work with this person; he is unwilling to work or a poor employee. It is the liability regardless.

High compensation expectations or high compensation on previous job. He will quit when he finds something better!
The person stated that he is willing to work at any compensation level. It is a very desperate person! The question is, why is he desperate for this job?

A person who looks overqualified. Exceptions happen, but this person will likely quit when he finds something better.
A person who is too good to be true for the small position I am hiring for. It is either a person who knows how to present himself or has inherent problems that do not allow him to find or keep a better job. People who can present themselves so well are usually mediocre workers for positions I hire for. They may work better in the other positions.
A person who does not ask any critical questions (i.e., salary, hours). He is desperate for a job or not really interested in getting a job.

Behavioral questions are targeted to find out if a person is negative. Negativity is the main reason a person cannot get along with the team.

Negative things about previous employers. This person finds excuses. It is a really big red flag!

Here are a few things I look for. On a special note, I do know that managers usually do not like candidates who ask about salary during an interview. I am the opposite! Perhaps a candidate should not start with these questions, but if a person absolutely does not display interest in compensation, hours, or benefits, it is inhuman and odd, in my opinion. Maybe he is not looking to be hired in the first place. My personal experience with these candidates was poor. A lot of candidates talk only about how they love the company. Managers seem to like this. I am the opposite! In my experience, it is not an indicator of anything but that person trying to get hired. It is my personal impression on this matter. I do not encourage using it, but it gives the idea that no one answer will fit all managers.

If I were to be asked to give general advice, I would say, please do ask questions about the job. It shows that you actually plan on working at the job you are applying for.
I just gave a brief and broad overview, but I hope it helps.