A thoughtfully prepared interview is an important step in making a successful hire. The questions asked are the tools used to uncover a candidate’s abilities, mindset, and potential that a resume cannot convey. Asking insightful questions allows an interviewer to move beyond surface-level qualifications and gain a precise understanding of how an individual might perform and integrate into a team.
Structuring the Interview Flow
A well-organized interview provides a professional experience and ensures all necessary information is gathered efficiently. A logical structure helps manage time and keeps the conversation focused. The process has three phases, and explaining this structure at the outset helps the candidate understand what to expect.
The beginning of the interview is for building rapport and setting expectations. This involves introducing the interviewers, briefly outlining the company and the role, and explaining how the interview will proceed.
The middle portion is the core assessment phase, where you will delve into the candidate’s skills and experience by asking prepared questions. The goal is to have the candidate do most of the talking, providing detailed examples of their work.
The end of the interview focuses on wrapping up and outlining the next steps. This includes providing a clear timeline for when they can expect to hear back and inviting them to ask their own questions.
Core Interview Questions to Ask
By categorizing questions, an interviewer can systematically explore different facets of a candidate’s professional profile. This structured approach ensures a comprehensive evaluation that goes beyond what is written on a resume.
Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions are designed to understand how a candidate has handled work-related situations in the past. The principle is that past performance is a strong predictor of future behavior. These questions offer insight into skills like conflict resolution and problem-solving.
Example questions include:
“Tell me about a time you had to handle a conflict with a coworker.”
“Describe a situation where you had to work under pressure to meet a tight deadline.”
“Give an example of a time you had to go above and beyond your duties to get a job done.”
Situational Questions
Situational questions present hypothetical scenarios to gauge a candidate’s problem-solving abilities and judgment. These forward-looking questions assess how a candidate might handle future challenges, allowing for consistent comparison among applicants.
Example questions include:
“What would you do if you were assigned multiple projects with the same deadline?”
“Imagine your team is resistant to a new policy you’ve introduced. How would you handle it?”
“What steps would you take if you discovered a significant error in a project right before the deadline?”
Skills and Experience Questions
These questions aim to validate the technical abilities and experiences detailed on a candidate’s resume. They prompt the candidate to elaborate on their qualifications and provide concrete evidence of their skills and the context of their achievements.
Example questions include:
“Walk me through the process you used in your last role to accomplish a specific, complex task.”
“What are your strongest technical skills, and how have you applied them in a professional setting?”
“Describe your experience with a particular software or methodology mentioned in your resume.”
Culture and Motivation Questions
These questions help determine if a candidate’s values and work style align with the company’s culture, which is important for retention. A good cultural fit can lead to higher job satisfaction and productivity.
Example questions include:
“What kind of work environment helps you do your best work?”
“What are you looking for in your next role that was missing from your previous one?”
“What do you know about our company, and what specifically attracted you to apply here?”
Closing Questions
Closing questions provide a final opportunity to gauge a candidate’s interest and address any remaining concerns. These questions can reveal how seriously a candidate is considering the role and whether they have any hesitations.
Example questions include:
“Is there anything about this role or our company that gives you pause?”
“After our conversation, what part of this job are you most excited about?”
“Do you have any final questions for me about the role, the team, or the company?”
Questions to Avoid Asking
Knowing which questions to avoid is as important as asking the right ones. Certain lines of inquiry can introduce bias or lead to legal risks, so an interviewer must focus on questions directly related to a candidate’s ability to perform the job.
It is illegal to make hiring decisions based on protected characteristics like age, race, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. Questions about these topics can create legal liability. For example, ask if a candidate is over 18 rather than asking their age. Inquiries about marital status or family plans are inappropriate; instead, focus on their availability for the required work schedule.
Some questions are simply ineffective. Yes/no questions provide little insight, while leading questions suggest the desired answer and prevent an authentic response. Hypothetical questions are also unhelpful if they are disconnected from the realities of the job.
Evaluating Candidate Responses
To reduce bias and ensure fairness, use a structured evaluation method. This involves assessing all candidates with the same set of criteria to make an objective and informed decision.
A scoring rubric or scorecard is an effective tool for this. Before interviews, identify the competencies for the role and create a rating scale to score each candidate’s responses. This system provides a quantitative basis for comparison and standardizes the evaluation.
When listening to answers for behavioral questions, the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—is a useful framework. A strong response will describe the situation or task, explain the specific action taken, and detail the result. Listening for this structure helps determine how well a candidate articulates their experiences and demonstrates the impact of their work.
Allowing the Candidate to Ask Questions
When the candidate is invited to ask questions, it is more than a courtesy; it is a valuable source of information. This is an opportunity to gauge the candidate’s level of engagement, preparation, and priorities. The nature and quality of their questions can be revealing.
Insightful questions demonstrate that the candidate has done their research and is interested in the role. Questions about team dynamics, growth opportunities, or company goals suggest a candidate is thinking about a future with the organization. A lack of questions might indicate lower engagement.
By paying attention to what a candidate asks, you can understand their motivations and if their expectations align with what the company offers. For example, a candidate asking about culture is assessing their fit. A question about how success is measured shows a desire to perform well.