The key to an effective employee spotlight interview is drafting and asking the right employee spotlight questions. Thoughtfully designed questions prompt the interviewee to offer genuine responses that capture the audience’s attention.
Employees’ voices matter; they have a profound influence on organizational culture. Employee spotlights are valuable for listening to your employees’ opinions and showcasing their career journeys within the company.
Sharing employee spotlights externally gives prospective talent and clients an insider’s point of view of your company. This, in turn, humanizes the brand, making the company more relatable and approachable to potential candidates and customers.
Contents
What are employee spotlight questions?
The benefits of employee spotlights
35 employee spotlight question ideas to spark yours
Employee spotlight interview formats to use
What are employee spotlight questions?
Employee spotlight questions are designed to reveal personal insights, professional achievements, and the unique qualities that employees bring to their work environment. These questions help create engaging and relatable content for employer branding, internal communications, and team building.
Employee spotlights are typically published on the company website, within internal communications, or on social media. Organizations often use them to introduce leadership teams, celebrate work anniversaries or promotions, highlight learning and development efforts, acknowledge a new or successful department, or present a variety of employees on a rotating basis.
The benefits of employee spotlights
Featuring employees across the organization’s external channels can have several benefits, including:
- Demonstrating that employees are noticed and valued for their unique contributions
- Cultivating organizational culture and inspiring employees by celebrating achievements
- Boosting internal communications and creating an honest and open environment that fosters respect and appreciation for employees as individuals
- Promoting a trustworthy employer brand to potential recruits and customers.
35 employee spotlight question ideas to spark yours
When you create employee spotlight questions, focus on the ones you think will produce the most meaningful answers. Once you’ve determined the purpose of the interview, select questions that target the information you want from the interviewee, whether it’s about their hobbies, career, or an interesting anecdote.
Also, be sure the questions have the appropriate tone, style, and formality for your organization.You can use any of the following 35 example questions, sorted into four main categories below:
Personal attributes
1. Where did you grow up, and what brought you to your current city?
2. Describe your ideal weekend.
3. What is your favorite food or cuisine?
4. What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people?
5. What is your favorite hobby, activity, or creative outlet?
6. Where would you most like to travel to and why?
7. Do you have a personal aspiration you’re working toward?
8. What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?
Career journey
9. What drew you to this field, and how did you get started?
10. What other types of jobs/industries have you worked in?
11. What is your favorite part about your job and why?
12. Which of your professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
13. Is there anything people don’t understand about your job that you wish they did?
14. What has most significantly influenced your success?
15. Who or what inspires you professionally?
16. What are you looking forward to doing in this role?
17. Who would your ideal mentor be?
18. Is there a professional skill you’d like to develop?
19. What advice would you give someone just starting their career in your field?
20. Do you ever imagine yourself in another occupation? If so, which one and why?
Perspective on the organization
21. What about this job and company appealed to you?
22. What does the company’s mission mean to you?
23. What aspect of the organization makes you proud to work here?
24. What do you enjoy most about working with your colleagues?
25. What is your favorite memory from working here?
26. How would you describe our work environment?
27. How would you explain to your friends and family what working here is like?
28. What is the best perk about your employment here?
Work preferences and habits
29. What techniques do you use to ensure you’re productive and efficient?
30. Do you have a tried-and-true method for structuring your day?
31. What is your typical approach to problem-solving?
32. What is your most effective strategy for dealing with stress?
33. How do you best collaborate with colleagues?
34. What are your favorite work tools/technologies?
35. How do you achieve a balance between work and your personal life?
HR tip
Align employee spotlight questions with your organization’s mission, culture, and values as much as possible. Look for topics and stories that amplify the achievements and behaviors the company strives for. You can further reinforce this by adding related spotlight snippets to applicable sections of your website.
Employee spotlight interview formats to use
Before you gather your employee spotlight answers, give some thought to how you will present the employee spotlight information.
Some examples of formats include:
- Written profiles: Written profiles are straightforward narratives that summarize the interview questions with descriptive language. They can be composed from an in-person interview or written responses. In-person interviews provide unfiltered interactions that produce less rehearsed replies. This format is best for internal and external channels like the company intranet, the career page, or recruiting materials.
- Video features: Conducting a spotlight interview on camera captures so much more than a written format can. A video provides a personal glimpse into your employees’ personalities and could better convey your company culture. A podcast format can also be a more cost-effective alternative.
- Live sessions: Interviewing an employee during a team meeting, webinar, or an in-person or virtual town hall setting introduces your employee within a live setting and can help to make an immediate personal connection. Audience members can also participate and ask their own questions. The sessions can also be recorded and uploaded onto various platforms.
Guidelines for creating employee spotlight questions
No matter how you present an employee spotlight, you need productive questions to bring it to life. The questions should draw the interviewee in, encourage them to speak openly and provoke answers that uncover interesting information.
Here are some guidelines to consider when you’re selecting employee spotlight questions:
- Keep it light: An employee spotlight should be upbeat, enjoyable, and conversational. The main goal is to reveal the human side of your organization and generate positive sentiment. Avoid heavy topics and lean towards lighthearted employee spotlight questions that encourage creative answers. This will help the audience relate to and connect with the individual as they get a glimpse of their personality.
- Maintain relevance: You can cover only a limited number of questions, so stay focused on the point of the interview (for example, highlighting achievement, emphasizing company values, or fostering appreciation). Include questions that relate to the type of employee spotlight you’re creating, and don’t get lost in unrelated details.
- Be inclusive: Employees in various organizational roles and levels should be able to relate to the questions. It’s also important to consider cultural diversity and ensure the questions are respectful and inclusive of all backgrounds. In some instances, you may need to accommodate language barriers some employees may face when accessing spotlights. Avoid subjects that employees may find controversial or too personal.
- Encourage storytelling: Ask open-ended, thought-provoking questions that urge the interviewee to elaborate and tell a story about themselves or their experience. Also, don’t hesitate to be flexible. While you should keep the interview on track, you should feel free to omit or add questions if the conversation takes a new direction.
- Vary and edit questions: Ask some standard questions for every employee spotlight to maintain consistency, but try to also make each interview unique. Update and tailor questions to suit each role and situation. And, while posing many questions can help you gather plenty of information to choose from, keep it concise when editing. Select the ones with the most informative and captivating answers and cut out the rest.
HR tip
Invite team members to compose testimonials on spotlighted individuals. Supplementing employee spotlights with additional insights and praise will promote authenticity and goodwill.
To sum up
Employees are at the heart of any organization’s success. They work hard, support their team members, and innovate to achieve goals. Many remain behind the scenes while impacting the organization.
Spotlighting different types of employees is a great way to create content that can demonstrate how your company works, recognize efforts, and build camaraderie. Spotlight interviews need well-written questions that lead employees to answer in a way that draws in, informs, and inspires the audience.
