25 Brilliant Spotlight Questions for Employees & Your Employer Brand

Employee Spotlight Questions are in essence, putting your team (across all of your different departments) in front of the camera and letting them share their stories and experiences.

But by doing this, you also have the perfect way to showcase your talented employees and boost employee engagement, without any heavy lifting at all.

All you need is a few simple and fun questions, and a modern video tool like Vouch so you can share these videos with your broader team, and help you grow your Employer Brand too.

Your spotlighting videos are also ideal for various social media platforms and internal communication channels to highlight your employees and reinforce a stronger company culture.

In this article, we go into 25 employee spotlight questions and best practices to help you acknowledge your teams hard work and talents, while growing your Employer Brand and Employee Value Propositions (EVPs).

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Why do Employee Spotlight Posts Matter?

By shining a light on team, you can give them the perfect chance to be recognized and appreciated for their hard work and contributions by the wider team and peers in their industry. This simple strategy helps create a positive work atmosphere, employee recognition and a feeling of belonging.

Furthermore, these videos strengthen team bonds. By learning about each other's experiences and interests, employees can connect and potentially collaborate on projects. This teamwork promotes productivity and a more unified work setting.

With these internal employee videos (further below in this article), you can improve employee retention and employee experience by recognizing employees.

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Do These Videos Help Improve Team Collaboration?

They sure do! Because while employee spotlight videos are individual videos, they play a key role in team-building and collaboration as these help colleagues understand each other better, fostering trust and camaraderie, which in turn enhances teamwork and productivity.

Moreover, these videos allow employees to share their successes, inspiring others to achieve their goals and builds a culture of appreciation and support, leading to increased engagement and morale.

Employee spotlight videos contribute to a positive and supportive work environment, highlighting the diverse talents within the organization and cultivating a culture of learning, development, and growth.

So let's dive in!

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5 "Career Growth" Focused Employee Spotlight Questions

When delving into your team's professional experience for your employee spotlight videos, you should aim to gain insights into their goals, achievements, and career development. These answers help you understand their skillset and aspirations while identifying areas for growth and improvement.

Professional experience highlights include:

1. What motivated you to pursue your current career?
2. Can you share your proudest professional accomplishments?
3. How do you maintain motivation and continue to develop professionally?
4. Are there specific skills or certifications you would like to achieve?
5. Can you share your most challenging professional experience?

Understanding an employee's professional journey helps employers recognize their dedication to growth and their impact on the workplace.

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5 "Interest Focused" Employee Spotlight Questions

For more personal and often engaging content about hobbies, interests, and family provide a glimpse into employees' lives outside work. These questions are a great way for a more personal connection and sense of camaraderie among colleagues.

Some personal life highlights include:

1. What are your favorite hobbies or interests outside of work?
2. Are there activities or sports you enjoy?
3. Tell us about your family, any kids or pets?
4. Do you have unique family traditions?
5. Do you have any hidden talents or interesting skills?

By showing genuine interest in your team's personal experiences, you can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.

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5 "Team Focused" Employee Spotlight Questions

Highlighting an individual's contributions to the team is a powerful way to recognize their impact on collaboration and overall success. Questions in this category focus on showcasing achievements and inspiring others to excel.

Examples of focusing on contributions to the team include:

1. What project or initiative are you most proud of and why?
2. Describe a time when you went above and beyond to support a teammate or resolve a team challenge.
3. How have your unique skills or expertise contributed to the team's success?
4. What are the most interesting project your team have worked on?
5. What's your ideal team event look like?

By highlighting these team events and projects, you can acknowledge and motivate employees to continue working towards shared goals, driving overall team success and employee satisfaction.

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5 "Deep Work Focused" Employee Spotlight Questions

Going deeper into work experiences is where you can often capture the magic, and it's these questions that are perfect for sharing on social media for Employer Brand growth and your Recruitment Marketing content. These questions encourage reflection, celebration, and a positive atmosphere by reminiscing about significant achievements.

Examples of favorite memories:

1. What is your most memorable achievement in your career, and why?
2. Tell us about a time when you felt proud of your work and why it was significant.
3. Share a favorite client success story and why it stands out.
4. Describe a team project or event that left a lasting impression on you.
5. What is your dream team project?

Sharing and celebrating favorite memories foster a sense of pride and appreciation among workers, boosting morale and overall engagement.

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5 "Work Habit" Focused Employee Spotlight Questions

Spotlight questions about work habits and preferences provide valuable insights into your teams productivity and satisfaction. Understanding their work style helps tailor the workplace environment to support their needs.

Examples of focusing on work habits and preferences:

1. What time of day do you feel most productive?
2. Do you prefer working independently or in a team?
3. How do you manage your workload and prioritize tasks?
4. What is your favourite drink at work?
5. When do you come up with your best ideas?

These questions help create a more supportive work environment by accommodating individual needs, ultimately enhancing engagement and motivation.

What Else Should Your Employee Spotlight Questions Cover?

The questions asked in employee spotlights are crucial in engaging and inspiring your team, and as such, the questions should allow employees to share their experiences and insights with your company. With every question, it's important to consider the following:

1. Personal and Professional Aspects

Employee highlights should cover both personal and professional aspects of your team's individual lives. This allows employers to build a deeper connection with other team members and adds authenticity to your Employer Brand and Recruitment. By asking about personal experiences, hobbies, and interests, employers can establish a more personal relationship. On the professional side, questions about achievements, skillsets, and contributions highlight the employee's value within the organization.

2. Alignment with Company Values

Another essential aspect of effective highlight questions is aligning them with the company's values and culture. By highlighting achievements or initiatives that align with the company's mission and vision, employers reinforce desired behavior and create a positive work environment. This alignment helps employees feel a sense of purpose and contribution, boosting their engagement and commitment.

3. Encouraging Self-reflection and Growth

Effective employee highlight questions should encourage self-reflection and growth. By asking about accomplishments, challenges, and goals, employers help people feel recognized for their progress and areas for further development and motivation. This self-reflection contributes to personal growth and professional development, creating a culture of continuous learning within the organization.

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What About Employee Spotlight Questions for Newsletters and Internal Communications?

Video interviews and Employee Spotlight Videos are perfect for your interbal newsletters and internal communications for building a sense of community. Try a weekly "spotlight post" to highlight one of your team's professional life, current role, and also to show their professional growth in your company.

Or, you can focus on fun employee spotlight questions to build camaraderie amongst individuals and your wider team, to help build a more transparent, positive workplace culture.

Employee highlight questions are a powerful tool to connect with your team on a deeper level, and the best part, all you need is a list of questions like the ones we've highlighted in this article!

What About Using Employee Spotlight Questions to Gather Feedback?

Employee Spotlight questions are also perfect for gathering feedback and insights, that you might not otherwise be able to achieve.

By asking simple questions like, "How has your career journey been?" and "What is the most challenging project you've worked on recently"? - you can start to piece together a few key pieces of information that you can share with senior leadership and help make more informed decisions.

Open-ended questions also work extremely well for gauging job satisfaction with a personal touch, and with video like Vouch you can see your employee's body language, communication style and tone, which can get lost between the lines with written questions.
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FAQs

What are employee spotlight videos?

These spotlights showcase your team's achievements, skills, and contributions, helping to build a more positive and inclusive work environment. Employee spotlight programs are easy to implement and the benefits can be immense.

How can employee spotlight videos enhance engagement?

Spotlights create a sense of belonging and recognition among employees, boosting engagement and create teamwork. Employee spotlight videos are not only for your outstanding people, the idea is to give everyone a voice to improve engagement and a more positive work culture.

Where can spotlight videos be shared?

Spotlight videos can be shared through internal communication platforms, blog posts for SEO and fresh content for Google, and of course social media posts for broader visibility and engagement. Just be sure to only share the content that would inspire your customers and future candidates for your company when you post any public content.

What are the benefits of using employee spotlight questions?

Building a culture of recognition and deeper connections among workers is the goal. Employee spotlight questions and videos recognize your team's efforts, boost morale, and encourage collaboration. This in turn helps you attract top talent through your Employer Brand and EVPs.

What types of questions should be asked in employee spotlights?

Recognition is always the goal. It's about them. Your spotlight videos should include engaging questions that cover both personal and professional aspects. Just make sure that all of your questions align with your company's core values and team culture.

Can spotlight videos help create a more positive work environment?

Yes, by celebrating accomplishments and fostering connections, spotlight videos contribute to a positive work atmosphere amongst your people. You can also spotlight your leadership team to make them more personable and transparent in your company, and even create a blog series around your team leaders, for example, as a first step so that your people are comfortable getting involved.

What questions should I ask for student spotlight?‍

For a student spotlight, you want to ask questions that will help highlight the student's achievements, experiences, and interests. Here are some questions you might consider:

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
2. What inspired you to pursue your field of study?
3. What are some of the challenges you've faced in your academic journey, and how have you overcome them?
4. Can you share a memorable experience or project from your time as a student?
5. How do you balance your academic workload with other interests or responsibilities?
6. Who has been a mentor or role model for you, and how have they influenced your academic or personal development?
7. What advice would you give to other students who are aspiring to achieve similar goals?
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Conclusion

Spotlights videos are a valuable tool for enhancing engagement, morale, fostering a positive work environment, and showcasing a company's unique culture. By asking the right queries and sharing your team's stories, you can create an environment where employees feel recognized and proud of their work and workplace culture.

Embracing the power of spotlight videos can also lead to highly engaging social media content, which is perfect for your Employer Brand, talent acquisition and hiring team.

The benefits of employee spotlight videos are immense. And the best part is that they are remarkably easy to produce with modern video tools like Vouch.
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Like to try Vouch?

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Be sure to book a Vouch demo today and chat with a video content expert.