While many industries struggle to find good candidates during this talent shortage, it’s imperative that hiring managers don’t settle for what’s available rather than find a really good fit for their team.

Once you get to the interview stage, there are a few key things a candidate needs to do to impress your hiring manager. Sure, submitting a great resume, displaying great communication skills, and having that je ne sais quoi factor are all great indicators of a successful interview. However, there may be one part that is most telling: that is the questions at the end of the interview.

Often considered the last chance for interviewees to leave a lasting impression, this is your chance to give your candidate back the responsibility of researching whether this would be a good partnership. This is your chance to get a glimpse of what they are actually curious about in the position, the application process and the company.

I’ve been in recruitment for decades. Here are five questions candidates ask that jump their resumes to the top of my pile.

1. “What have former employees done to succeed in this position?”

If you’re looking for high achievers to bolster your team, keep an eye out for this question. Doing this during the early application process sets a candidate apart from the competition by letting the recruiter know that they intend to succeed in the role and become a valuable asset to the team.

They are looking for examples of success as a model to follow once they get into the role. This is a great indicator of initiative and drive.

2. “How do you evaluate success in this role?”

As with the question above, this is indicative of a candidate seeking clarity on how to impress their superiors from the start, and looking for a role with clear goals and communicative leaders.

By asking this question right away, the interviewee shows that they are goal-oriented and looking for a roadmap for how to thrive at the company.

3. “How do you see the company growing in the coming years?”

Looking to the future and thinking about how you can help a business succeed in the long run will always appeal to hiring managers. A candidate asking this question is thinking to a recruiter that they are looking for a long-term position and have no intention of growing your company’s revenue.

This question refers to a candidate looking for how they can benefit the company as it grows and evolves. It also indicates that they are looking at how this new role can mature in the coming years and how they can develop their position to help achieve the company’s macro goals.

4. “I read about your CEO in Inc. magazine. Can you tell me more about this?”

When a candidate comes into an interview after doing the proper research about the company they are applying for, it shows immediately. This question highlights the fact that a candidate has done their homework by looking closely at news about the company and its leadership team.

It also shows that they are genuinely interested in this field and the company they are applying for. Want to go one step further? Ask the candidate questions about your competitors in the news to really gauge their interest in the industry.

5. “What’s one of the most interesting projects or opportunities you’ve worked on?”

When given the opportunity, most candidates will ask what a typical day in this position will be like. While this question is beneficial from the perspective of day-to-day operations, it misses something important, which is the excitement that comes from those career-defining projects that make the company so attractive to new hires.

This question is great because it can lead to a lively discussion about passion projects and motivate a candidate to join the company. Of course, understanding the day-to-day duties and duties in the position is important, and I wouldn’t write off a candidate for inquiring about them; but candidates who follow this up by asking about exciting projects with a bigger picture are more likely to make a splash during the application process.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not Inc.com’s.

This post Your best candidates will ask these questions at the end of the interview was original published at “https://www.inc.com/mandy-gilbert/find-your-best-candidates-by-asking-these-end-of-interview-questions.html”