What are the top questions to ask every potential employee during an interview?

Lauren,
One question I always ask is "why do you want to work for us/why should I select you over other candidates?"
I am not necessarily looking for a specific answer, but more about the quality of their thinking and their self directness.
I am a big fan of personal responsibility and personal competency. Thosr questions tell me a lot about both...

All responses have been great! An additional question might be directed at managing difficult situations, change and developing resiliency. Ideally, organizations would like to have employees who develop skills to manage difficult situations with finesse, can manage change - cruise through the change curve without upsetting business performance too much. What is the greatest obstacle/change you've had to overcome in your previous/current work? or what is the most difficult thing you've had to learn to improve your personal effectiveness? It's very hard to get to the authentic candidate - hopefully with all of these questions we can get to open, honest responses that help us determine if the candidate can and will do the job.

There are many conversation starters, but the questions that give me the best information are:

...What is it about this position that moved you to apply?
...In your career so far, what is your "shining moment"?
...Describe your ideal manager.
...What is the most important lesson you have learned that would give you an edge in this work?

Then of course, there are the usual...why did you leave your last employer...etc., etc.

What mistake did you learn the most from -- what happened and what did you learn.

Who was your greatest boss (company) and why and the inverse who was your least favorite boss or company and why.

Tell me about a time that you loved your work and the inverse tell me about a time that you hated coming in to work.

Hi, Lauren:

Tom and Mark highlight a few questions I like to ask. I like to ask questions that help me understand the individual and the potential fit for the organization, so I like questions such as:

1. What are some of the most important things you look for in a company and a job such as this one?

2. Tell me about a time in a previous job when you were faced with a problem that you weren't sure how to handle. What was it, and how did you ultimately handle it?

3. I'll ask the potential employee what they believe their greatest strengths are. Then I'll ask them, "If I were to ask your previous boss/supervisor what your greatest strengths are, what would they say?"

I'd like to echo #2 from Eric :

*Tell me about a problem you've had in the past that was an obstacle to your success. Next tell me how you overcame this obstacle.

Amazing the number of candidates with blank stares ... many were prepared with printed statements of their accomplishments, but were not prepared at all to discuss how they handled business conflicts & problems.

I have also, in the middle of position related questioning, interjected questions asking what their favorite book is, what movie they liked, what kind of food or a favorite restaurant. Beyond technical qualifications for the job, the candidate would need to be a good fit, socially, into the existing organization. You want a new hire to acclimate and enjoy working within the new-to-them climate, as well as wanting to avoid making any of the existing team uncomfortable or unhappy with the add.

Here's a question that is rarely asked and yet gets to the crux of what you're looking for:
If I hire you, how will you improve my bottom line? Specifically, what would you do to bring in more revenue, decrease costs or improve productivity?

Isn't this really what every hiring manager wants to know? Oddly enough it's never asked...

Cheers!
Eric

When interviewing face to face, I want to get to know someone as the candidate. I want to look beyond the way they are dressed and the facade they are taught to project.

This can only happen as someone is relaxed.

What I ask is what is your greatest achievement in your previous position. From their answer I continue to probe. As they converse, their abilities, passion, communication, and success all to the front.

Once I have a relaxed atmosphere, I follow up with their biggest failure in the last position. I probe also for details and show interest. I like to see the discomfort, ownership, and acceptance of responsibility.

Showing interest in an individual and getting them to open up is far more important than anything else in the interview.

The 1st question i mostly ask is, could you pls give a brief description of yourself?...it allows to pick from the attributes given to know more of the abilities and skills of the candidate as to determine His/her fitness for the job.
This is mostly used while interviewing for a graduate trainee or mid-level management position, and it has been satisfactory.

Some employers ask the same 300+ questions of all job finalists and the answers help predict future job success.