This information provided by HR Answers:
Developing the Interview Guide
As the interview is the most important screening tool for the “soft” skills, the questions you ask must get at the things you are interested in.
Use the job description
Non-discriminatory
What skills, traits, and knowledge are necessary?
Create purposeful and meaningful questions
Competency review (Can Do the Job):
Skills
Knowledge
Abilities
Job behaviors (Will Do the Job):
Stability
Initiative
Loyalty
Ability to get along with others
Confidence
Traits to consider (Best Fit for the Job):
Job motivation
Fit with supervisor’s management style
Elements candidate is seeking
Organization’s culture
Use a mix of behavioral, situational, and job-related questions
Really Tough Questions
Covering Competencies
Describe a few situations in which your work was criticized.
Are you analytical? Give an example.
Are you creative? Give an example.
Can you delegate responsibility? Give an example.
Job questions Imagined situations that test a person's job knowledge. "What would you do if...?"
Can you describe for me a typical day in your job?
Tell me about the people you hired in your last job. How long did they stay with you and how did they work out?
What specific strengths did you bring to your last job that made you effective?
What have been the biggest failures or frustrations in your business life?
What did you do in your last job to make yourself more effective?
Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
Tell me about a time in which you had to use your spoken communication skills in order to get a point across that was important to you.
Can you tell me about a job experience in which you had to speak up in order to be sure that other people knew what you thought or felt?
Give me an example of a time in which you feel you were able to build motivation in your coworkers or subordinates at work.
Describe a situation in which you felt it necessary to be very attentive and vigilant to your environment.
Give an example of a time in which you had to use your factfinding skills to gain information for solving a problem then tell me how you analyzed the information to come to a decision.
Describe the most significant written document, report or presentation that you have had to complete.
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you.
Describe a situation in which you were able to effectively "read" another person and guide your actions by your understanding of their individual needs or values.
What did you do in your last job in order to be effective with your organization and planning? Be specific.
Describe the most creative workrelated project that you have carried out.
Give me an example of a time when you had to carefully analyze another person or a situation in order to be effective in guiding your action or decision.
Describe a situation in which you were able to positively influence the actions of others in a desired direction.
Covering Job Behaviors
Do you like to work? Why?
What interests you most about this position?
What interests you least about this position?
What do you want to be remembered for?
What other kind of job would you be interested in doing besides the one that you are applying for?
What risks did you take in your last few jobs and what were the results of those risks?
What do you do when you are having trouble solving a problem?
Describe a time on any job that you've held in which you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills. What did you do?
Give me an example of an important goal that you have set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
Give me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Describe a time in which you felt it was necessary to modify or change your actions in order to respond to the needs of another person.
Give me an example of a problem that you faced on any job you have had and tell me how you went about solving it.
Covering "Best Fit"
Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and subordinate.
What Not To Ask
Questions, which imply preferences as to race, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, and disabled status, are violations of federal and state laws. Below are topics of discussion which are of questionable legality and should not be asked, in any form, during the interviewing of an applicant..
Birth date or age, asked before hiring.
Any inquiry as to arrests.
Any direct inquiry as to citizenship.
Specific inquiries concerning spouse, spouse's salary, or employment, children, childcare arrangements or dependents.
Any inquiry into present or past marital status or name which would divulge marital status.
Type of discharge, request for discharge papers, inquiries as to experience in other than U.S. Armed Forces.
Inquiries into birthplace, ancestry, mother tongue, etc.
Inquiries concerning applicant's religious denomination, religious affiliations, church, parish, pastor, or religious holidays observed.
Inclusive list of organizations to which applicant belongs.
Whether applicant rents or owns home; names of persons with whom applicant resides.
Names and addresses of any relative other than those listed as references.
Any inquiry concerning race or color of skin, hair, eyes, etc.
All.
Inquiry into original name where it has been changed by court order or marriage.
Inquiries about a name which would divulge marital status, lineage, ancestry, national origin or descent.
Request that applicants submit a photograph mandatory or optionally, at any time before hiring.
All questions as to pregnancy and medical history concerning pregnancy and related matters.
All questions relating to physical or mental health.
Any inquiry regarding past claims, injuries, etc.
Any question about sexual orientation