By Burke Franklin

Small businesses are feeling the strain of the down economy. So how do small business owners ensure they’re hiring the right candidates to move their company forward? Taken from Business Black Belt, here are five uncommon questions and answers to consider when interviewing candidates for your company:

1. “Tell me what you’ve done or continue to do to educate yourself.”
What someone has studied since college is a good indication of a continuing interest in learning. Further education shows the candidate is interested in continuing to learn, he or she is improving his or her skills constantly, and he or she will probably continue to keep reading and learning.

2. “Does your present employer know you’re looking?”
Candidates who respond with a “Yes” seem to be more forthright overall. They’ve spoken with their employers about their positions and their interests. They’ve made every attempt to adjust their current job to their liking, and they have openly involved their employers in that process. Obviously, their employers could not accommodate them and they are now looking elsewhere for a better fit. As their future employer, I’d like the opportunity to discuss their situation and work something out before they jump ship behind my back.

3. “What did you learn from your parents?”
Wouldn’t you like to know what influences — not shown on their resumes — applicants grew up around? You never know what extra benefits a potential employee may bring to your party from this informal education. It also gives an indication of what influences his or her thinking or point of view as he or she approaches the job with you.

4. “Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.”
A good candidate should smile and admit he or she has several doozies to choose from. A healthy attitude and answer to this question demonstrate that the person isn’t afraid of being a little vulnerable and has plenty of self-confidence. It also shows that he or she is willing to face his or her mistakes and learn from them. This kind of person can bring a lot of good experience — mistakes that don’t need to be repeated — to your business.

5. “Tell me about your vacations.”
What someone chooses to do on vacation provides tremendous insight into other interests he or she may have. Instead of hearing about fantasies and something this person may like to do someday, you hear about what someone actually did and what experiences he or she actually had. Vacations represent people’s freest choices and give you some further insight into their natural tendencies.

Burke Franklin is the originator of the popular BizPlanBuilder® business planning software and the founder of JIAN, the company behind a suite of successful business development software tools. He is also author of Business Black Belt: Develop the Strength, Flexibility, and Agility to Run Your Company (Career Press).