For insight into what’s behind candidates’ actions, ask why?

I KEEP six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When 

And How and Where and Who.

– Rudyard Kipling, British writer

There may be hundreds of followup questions that interviewers can use to learn more about candidates than is often revealed in their initial responses, but most can be distilled down to six words, which journalists sometimes refer to as the “5 W’s and H.”

Editors instruct them to write articles that answer these questions— who, what, where, when, why and how—and to do so within the first few paragraphs:

What happened? Who was involved? When did this happen? Where did it happen? Why did this happen? How did it happen?

Get answers to these questions when interviewing and you will know most of what you need to decide which candidate is the right person to hire.

As the interview progresses, it may become less necessary to ask these questions. When you follow up candidates’ initial responses with the 5W’s and H, you establish a pattern that candidates may begin to follow as the interview progresses.

While getting answers to all these questions is important, there may be one question that produces the most valuable information, but it may be the most difficult to ask.

“Why did you do what you did?” can provide insight into the candidate’s underlying values and beliefs. The answer can help you understand the decision making that led to the candidate’s action.

The challenge associated with asking “why” is that these type of questions are often perceived as an attack on the person’s motives or actions. The candidates become defensive.

Having used other words earlier in the interview to reduce the candidate’s stress, it would be unfortunate if it was increased by using this one word. Candidates who feel relaxed in the interview are more likely to share more of what you want to know. 

Fortunately, it  is possible to obtain the information you seek without the question becoming an impediment.you gathering what you require to make a good hiring decision. 

Instead of beginning your question with why—which may immediately raise the candidate’s defences—consider placing this threatening word later in your followup inquiry:

“I would love to hear why you decided this would be the way to proceed.”

“It would help me if you told me more about why you took this approach.”

You might also eliminate the word completely from your followup:

“Please tell me more about how you decided to approach this situation in the way that you did.”