In any industry, contract roles allow an employee to prove that he or she can produce results — and perhaps attain a full-time role at your company. The following interview questions for a contract position shed light on what you should be seeking in great candidates.

It’s not just about elaborating bullet points on the resume — so take a look at these probing questions before interviewing contract candidates.

8 Interview Questions For A Contract Position

Describe an instance where you didn’t get along with a superior or manager. How did you handle it?

A candidate seeking a contract role may have faced conflicts with superiors in the past. What’s important is how they learned from it. Did the disagreement end the candidate’s employment contract? How did the situation turn out? Try to uncover if it was professionally handled, and ensure that the candidate isn’t poised to repeat mistakes or stir up trouble.

What are your current job expectations and career goals?

Because a contract position holds the potential for a full-time job down the road, it’s important that the candidate has some career ideas in mind. Is this job intended as a stepping stone within the company? A candidate who’s driven, passionate, strategic and forward-thinking will most likely do well at your company. That’s why this is one of the top interview questions for a contract position.

Have you ever uncovered a procedure that didn’t work? If so, what did you do about it?

Find out if the candidate is an adept problem solver. Can he or she recognize room for improvement and effectively communicate that to a team? This situational question allows the interviewee to describe his/her method of taking charge and crafting a viable end result for a project.

Tell me about a project you saw from creation through completion.

As one of the top interview questions for a contract position, this invites the candidate to describe a project he/she spearheaded. Ask the candidate to describe each step in the process. Were there any bumps in the road or unexpected results? You might also follow this question by inquiring how well the candidate worked with a team throughout the project.

Describe your ability to work independently and unsupervised in case your managers or supervisors travel.

An excellent quality in a contract employee is the ability to work independently. A supervisor won’t always hover over the team, so make sure the candidate takes initiative when flying solo. After the interview, you might conduct a reference check to get further insight on this one.

What separates you from other applicants to this position?

While the contract role itself may not be particularly unique, the interviewee has the chance to personally shine. After posing this question, consider asking the candidate to share his/her strengths and weaknesses. Between a verbal response and visible body language, you should be able to tell whether the candidate cares about the role and goes beyond a generic, rehearsed response.

Tell me about a time you couldn’t meet a deadline.

Follow this by asking the candidate to describe his or her work style and process. What was the reasoning behind the failure to meet a deadline? What consequences did the candidate face? Use this topic to discover the scale of the project, as well as how the candidate bounced back from it. In contract roles — particularly because they don’t encompass full-time duties — project deadlines are all-important.

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person at work.

Much like the first question, this steers the interview toward how the candidate handles working with a team. How does he or she face office conflicts and various personality types? Look for a specific anecdote or two with this topic. The interviewee should ideally express the ability to communicate with all personalities at work.

What other interview questions for a contract position would you add to this list? Let us know! Contact TruPath today for any hiring help you may need.

As a trusted recruitment source for more than a decade, TruPath has the industry knowledge and a proven model to help our partners feel comfortable in their search for a candidate.

Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today to tell us about your staffing needs.