As attrition rates continue to climb, many IT hiring managers are seeking to fill dozens of open roles while struggling to identify qualified talent. Digital transformation shows no signs of slowing in 2022, and organizations set to tackle an infrastructure overhaul next year need strong developer teams to support their initiatives.
Job interviews have expanded from being a tool used to vet candidates into an opportunity to sell your organization to prospective employees. Depending on the parameters of your recruitment process, the interview may be your only opportunity to develop a connection with applicants and should be treated with care.
Beyond standard questions and problem sets that assess the hard skills of your tech job applicants, you have a unique opportunity to pose questions that are in line with your organization’s goals for 2022. The employees you bring on in Q1 will help shape and implement new flexible work policies.
3 key IT job interview questions in 2022
As you prepare for your next round of hiring, consider asking candidates these three questions:
1. Tell me about a time when you had to relearn something you thought you knew.
An emerging theme across many industries struggling to secure talent is the notion of reskilling and upskilling. Reskilling and upskilling can help close talent gaps and often result in increased employee satisfaction, according to McKinsey research. CIOs and talent managers should be prioritizing these practices and thinking about them as they hire.
This question is applicable to candidates at all levels, regardless of previous experience. The way a potential employee chooses to answer says a lot about their professional personality and potential to succeed on your team.
[ Want more hiring advice? Read also: Remote hiring: 4 essential tips for leaders. ]
At the surface, a candidate’s response can point to their aptitude for change – have they recently shifted their thinking in response to evolving conditions? How the candidate is able to talk about change can be indicative of their ability to step into a new skill or expand their learning as the industry demands.
Further, this question can give you a sense of how the interviewee thinks through a challenge. Did they speak about their work on a team? What valuable lesson did they take away from the experience of relearning? Asking this question can help you determine if you are hiring a flexible employee – a vital quality as we enter the future of work.
2. What are your salary expectations?
Though this question can seem presumptuous, especially in the early stages of an interview, it can be valuable to both the interviewer and the candidate to be upfront about compensation.
After months and months of pandemic-born uncertainty, candidates across all industries are looking for stability and security. Moreover, many candidates are seeking new opportunities because they were unhappy with the work-life balance they had in their previous roles.
According to data from LinkedIn, 61 percent of participants surveyed indicated that compensation was the most important part of a job description. It can be assumed that this trend has been amplified by the “Great Resignation” and the increased competition for qualified talent. Simply – potential employees are less likely to entertain an opportunity that may or may not meet their expectations.
3. What has the pandemic taught you about balancing work and personal time?
Working during the pandemic left many employees burnt out and frustrated. Now, those same employees have had time to digest their previous work experiences and have high expectations for their next one.
Employees and potential employees are far less reluctant to accept employer mandates in the age of flexible work. It is important for hiring teams to realize that much of the power lies in the candidates’ hands – you are trying to impress them as much or more than they are trying to impress you.
Acknowledging that your organization is aware of the risk of burnout from the start can show your interviewees that you are taking an active approach to mitigate work stress. Further, posing this question gives the candidate time to disclose how they operate in a flexible work environment.
[ Get exercises and approaches that make disparate teams stronger. Read the digital transformation ebook: Transformation Takes Practice. ]
