Hiring, according to top corporate leaders, should not just be the standard job interview, which has become predictable and routine, but something creative and challenging.
One has to find new ways to find out how a person thinks, taking them out of their ‘seat of comfort’. Allowing candidates to speak their mind, or providing them challenging situations to work on can be a better indicator of their employability.

The Art Of Hiring

Leadership

One has to check if the candidate is genuinely interested in the job or is just checking all boxes of dressing right and talking right to land up with an offer letter. 
How they treat and interact with others (like the guy handing them the coffee) also helps gauge their personality. One can take the candidate on a tour inside the company building, noticing how they ask questions, or how curious they are.

Interview, Unplugged

Sharing a meal provides the recruiter with a big opportunity to observe the candidate, like how they make eye contact, how polite they are, or the way they ask questions.
One can see what frustrates or flusters them and if they are patient or agitated. The whole personality of the candidate can be gauged by one meal with them.

The Interview Meal

Skills, which can be taught, are not as important nowadays as the candidate’s self-awareness and mental agility where he/she is prepared for out-of-the-box questions and surprises. 
Asking unusual questions that illuminate the creative side of the candidate while providing valuable insights into their personality are much better than the usual fare, which the candidate is already expecting.

Unusual Questions In Interviews

<ul>
<li>What is Your Natural Strength? This takes a broader look at the candidate’s abilities.</li>
<li>What Kind Of Animal Would You Be? And Why? This may be a fun question but the ‘why’ part provides the interviewer with new insights about the candidate.</li>
<li>What Is The Biggest Misperception People Have About You? This question reveals how self-aware the candidate is, and how honest he can be.</li>
</ul>

Examples of Unusual Questions For Interviews

<h1>How to Hire the Right Person</h1><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">By <a href="https://www.twitter.com/nytcorneroffice" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Adam Bryant</a></div><div dir="ltr">Illustrations by Antoine Corbineau</div></div>Over the course of speaking with almost 500 leaders for my weekly “Corner Office” series, I’ve asked every one of them, “How do you hire?” Their answers are always insightful because after years of interviewing countless job candidates, they’ve learned the best approaches to help them get right to the core of who a candidate is and how he or she will work with a team. Learn the strategies these chief executives have developed through trial and error to help you go beyond the polished résumés, pre-screened references and scripted answers, to hire more creative and effective members for your team. And if you’re on the other side of the job hunt, you can gain insight on what your interviewer is really looking for in a candidate. 
<h2>Avoid the Standard Job Interview</h2>Use these basic principles to avoid the common pitfalls of the interview.A typical job interview is little more than a social call with some predictable choreography. A conference-room meeting, a pristine résumé and the standard questions: Where do you want to be in five years? What do you consider your biggest failure? What are your strengths and weaknesses?Add in some small talk — maybe the candidate and the interviewer have something in common, like an alma mater or an acquaintance from an earlier job — and that’s largely it. The candidate seems good, and the references check out. So an offer is made, and fingers are crossed that everything works out.Then, a month later, the new hire misses an important deadline or starts complaining about the work. Cue that sinking feeling: You start wondering if hiring this person was a mistake.Of course there’s a better way. Here are three principles that can help you hire the right person:<OL><LI>Be creative. Every candidate will be prepared for commonplace interview questions. Find new ways to truly understand how a person thinks.</LI><LI>Be challenging. Put the candidate in situations where they are more likely to show their true selves.</LI><LI>Allow your employees to help. You are not the only person who is going to have to work with this candidate. There is likely already a team of employees you trust that will have to interact with him or her every day. Their opinion should matter.</LI></OL><h2>Get Away From Your Desk</h2>You’ll have a much better sense of your candidate if you get them out from behind a desk and watch how they behave.<figure><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/02/08/well/move/how-to-hire_section_illo-slide-N33K/how-to-hire_section_illo-slide-N33K-jumbo.jpg" alt="" width="652" height="435"></figure><h3>The Goal</h3><BLOCKQUOTE>“I can get a really good sense of whether I want to be working with somebody when I walk them through the place.” —<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/%E2%80%9Dhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/business/patty-stonesifer-of-marthas-table-zigzag-your-way-to-the-top.html%E2%80%9D" dir="ltr">Patty Stonesifer, chief executive of Martha’s Table.</a>&nbsp;</BLOCKQUOTE>As you’re sizing up job candidates, there are two key qualities to check for:<UL><LI>Is the person genuinely interested in the work of the organization?</LI><LI>Do they treat people as equals, regardless of their title?</LI></UL>If you take them out of the office or conference room to see how they interact with others, you’ll get a better sense of their personality.<h3>Take Them On a Tour</h3>Stay in the building and show the candidates around your company, and maybe introduce them to some colleagues.Things to pay attention to:<UL><LI>Are they asking questions about what everybody does and how things work?</LI><LI>Are they curious?</LI><LI>Do they treat everyone they meet with respect, and show interest in what they do?</LI></UL>For Patty Stonesifer, who now runs Martha’s Table, a Washington nonprofit, the tour is a key test for any job candidate.“I can get a really good sense of whether I want to be working with somebody when I walk them through the place,” said Ms. Stonesifer, a former top Microsoft executive who also ran the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation for years. “I’ll stop and introduce them to a half-dozen people, and see if it’s just a handshake or whether there’s some curiosity and interest.”&nbsp;<h3>Share A Meal</h3>Take a candidate out for lunch or dinner. Going to a restaurant will reveal all sorts of clues about someone. For many leaders, this is the most important part of the interview process.The key is to watch whether the candidate is considerate of others — an essential quality of effective team players.Things to pay attention to:<UL><LI>Are they polite to everyone who is serving them?</LI><LI>Do they look people in the eye (a sign of respect)?</LI><LI>Are they irritated or flustered by problems?</LI><LI>Can they keep a conversation going, with smart questions?</LI><LI>Do they barrel through the restaurant, or let others go first?</LI></UL>“You learn so much in a meal,” said <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/business/26corner.html" dir="ltr"><ins dir="ltr">Carol Smith, the publisher of Harper’s Bazaar.</ins></a> “It’s like a little microcosm of life.”The candidate’s personality comes out during a meal, providing answers to key tests for Ms. Smith: “Are you going to connect with us? Are you going to be part of the team, or are you going to be one of these independent players who wants to take all the credit? Are you good with assistants?”

Over the course of speaking with almost 500 leaders for my weekly “Corner Office” series, I’ve asked every one of them, “How do you hire?” Their answers are always insightful because after years of interviewing countless job candidates, they’ve learned the best approaches to help them get right to the core of who a candidate is and how he or she will work with a team. Learn the strategies these chief executives have developed through trial and error to help you go beyond the polished résumés, pre-screened references and scripted answers, to hire more creative and effective members for your team. And if you’re on the other side of the job hunt, you can gain insight on what your interviewer is really looking for in a candidate. 

Career

Over the course of speaking with almost 500 leaders for my weekly “Corner Office” series, I’ve asked every one of them, “How do you hire?” Their answers are always insightful because after years of interviewing countless job candidates, they’ve learned the best approaches to help them get right to the core of who a candidate is and how he or she will work with a team. Learn the strategies these chief executives have developed through trial and error to help you go beyond the polished résumés, pre-screened references and scripted answers, to hire more creative and effective members for your team. And if you’re on the other side of the job hunt, you can gain insight on what your interviewer is really looking for in a candidate.

Use these basic principles to avoid the common pitfalls of the interview. A typical job interview is little more than a social call with some predictable choreography. A conference-room meeting, a pristine résumé and the standard questions: Where do you want to be in five years? What do you consider your biggest failure? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Add in some small talk — maybe the candidate and the interviewer have something in common, like an alma mater or an acquaintance from an earlier job — and that’s largely it. The candidate seems good, and the references check out. So an offer is made, and fingers are crossed that everything works out.

Then, a month later, the new hire misses an important deadline or starts complaining about the work. Cue that sinking feeling: You start wondering if hiring this person was a mistake. Of course there’s a better way. Here are three principles that can help you hire the right person: <ol><li>Be creative. Every candidate will be prepared for commonplace interview questions. Find new ways to truly understand how a person thinks. </li><li>Be challenging. Put the candidate in situations where they are more likely to show their true selves. </li><li>Allow your employees to help. You are not the only person who is going to have to work with this candidate. There is likely already a team of employees you trust that will have to interact with him or her every day. Their opinion should matter. </li> </ol>

You’ll have a much better sense of your candidate if you get them out from behind a desk and watch how they behave. As you’re sizing up job candidates, there are two key qualities to check for: <ul><li>Is the person genuinely interested in the work of the organization? </li><li>Do they treat people as equals, regardless of their title? </li> </ul>If you take them out of the office or conference room to see how they interact with others, you’ll get a better sense of their personality.

Stay in the building and show the candidates around your company, and maybe introduce them to some colleagues.Things to pay attention to: <ul><li>Are they asking questions about what everybody does and how things work? </li><li>Are they curious? </li><li>Do they treat everyone they meet with respect, and show interest in what they do? </li> </ul>For Patty Stonesifer, who now runs Martha’s Table, a Washington nonprofit, the tour is a key test for any job candidate.

“I can get a really good sense of whether I want to be working with somebody when I walk them through the place,” said Ms. Stonesifer, a former top Microsoft executive who also ran the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation for years. “I’ll stop and introduce them to a half-dozen people, and see if it’s just a handshake or whether there’s some curiosity and interest.”

Take a candidate out for lunch or dinner. Going to a restaurant will reveal all sorts of clues about someone. For many leaders, this is the most important part of the interview process. The key is to watch whether the candidate is considerate of others — an essential quality of effective team players. Things to pay attention to:

<ul><li>Are they polite to everyone who is serving them? </li><li>Do they look people in the eye (a sign of respect)? </li><li>Are they irritated or flustered by problems? </li><li>Can they keep a conversation going, with smart questions? </li><li>Do they barrel through the restaurant, or let others go first? </li> </ul>“You learn so much in a meal,” said <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/business/26corner.html"><ins dir="ltr">Carol Smith, the publisher of Harper’s Bazaar. </ins> </a>“It’s like a little microcosm of life.” The candidate’s personality comes out during a meal, providing answers to key tests for Ms. Smith: “Are you going to connect with us? Are you going to be part of the team, or are you going to be one of these independent players who wants to take all the credit? Are you good with assistants?”

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

The Hiring Manager's Guide to Hiring the Right Person - Business Guides

The Art Of Hiring

Interview, Unplugged

The Interview Meal

Unusual Questions In Interviews

Examples of Unusual Questions For Interviews

Job Interview Tips from Fortune 500 CEOs and Top Hiring Execs

How to Conduct an Effective Job Interview

The rise of never-ending job interviews

Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

The Hiring Manager's Guide to Hiring the Right Person - Business Guides

The Art Of Hiring

Interview, Unplugged

The Interview Meal

Unusual Questions In Interviews

Examples of Unusual Questions For Interviews

Job Interview Tips from Fortune 500 CEOs and Top Hiring Execs

How to Conduct an Effective Job Interview

The rise of never-ending job interviews

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career