The Best Interview Questions To Ask Candidates

As an interviewer, you need an arsenal of insightful questions to make an informed hiring decision.

Are you struggling to find the right interview questions to ask candidates?

You’re not the only one. Many interviewers get stuck trying to come up with the best formula for interview questions that uncover professional and behavioral traits within a short time window.

Luckily, you can find plenty of inspiration in today’s article. This guide offers over # questions you can include in your next interview no matter the aspect you’re looking to assess.

How Are Interviews Structured?

Any effective hiring process involves an interview stage. To make sure you end up with the best insights possible, you need to thoroughly understand how an interview works.

1. Introductions

The interview starts the minute you call in the candidate. Note how they enter the room and the way they present themselves.

The interviewer should be the first to introduce themselves, followed by the interviewee.

Introductions break the ice, clear up roles, and set the tone for the rest of the interview.

2. Questions

Next, the interviewer directs questions at the candidate. These questions should cover both professional skills and personality traits.

Good interview questions help you learn as much as possible about the qualifications of the candidate and how well they fit the role and the company.

3. Open It up to Their Questions

This portion gives the interviewee a chance to share any inquiries they have.

Interviewers should be prepared to answer questions about the company, the position, and the hiring process.

4. Talk About the Next Steps

To wrap up the interview, the interviewer discusses the next steps with the candidate.

How long should they wait for a response? Is sending a follow-up email okay? When are they expected to come in?

What Is the Importance of Asking Good Interview Questions?

An interview isn’t only a series of questions that you fire at the job candidate and hope for an ideal answer.

It’s a whole process where each portion extracts different information about the interviewee.

The heart of an interview, however, is the questions portion.

In all types of interviews, from one-on-one interviews to panel interviews, asking good interview questions promotes a positive dialogue.

It also shows that the company is serious about its hiring process. Here are a few more reasons why you need to optimize your interview questions:

Giving the Candidate an Opportunity To Prove Themselves

Well-thought-out questions allow job candidates to better unveil their potential. They get to talk about their strengths and unique points, as well as their plans and ambitions.

Good questions bring out informative answers that help interviews prove they’re up for the challenge.

Getting To Know the Candidate Beyond Their Resume

A good resume gives interviewers an overall look at the candidate’s skills and past experiences. It also highlights the candidate’s progression pattern and relevant qualifications.

A candidate’s resume is how they “sell themselves”, which means it’s supposed to be a general view that emphasizes strengths.

Asking good interview questions allows interviewers to peer into the candidate as a professional and person beyond the CV.

It’s how interviewers find out information that the resume doesn’t show.

How a candidate would act if there’s a conflict, what the candidate’s values are, and the candidate’s adaptability are all examples of aspects that you can’t get insight into by reading a resume.

Help See if the Candidate Would Be a Good Fit

Asking perceptive interview questions is useful when you’re trying to determine if a candidate would fit into their role and the company.

As an interviewer, you can tailor questions that assess team collaboration skills, communication skills, and leadership skills.

You can also prepare questions that evaluate management skills, conflict resolution, business ethics, and role-specific skills.

Interview questions can help you analyze whatever skills and traits you think an applicant should have to become part of the company.

Interview Questions To Ask Candidates

Planning your interview questions is a fundamental practice of interview etiquette.

The following is a selection of effective questions that gauges different aspects of a candidate’s suitability to pass the hiring process and join the organization.

What Are the Top Questions To Ask a Candidate?

• Why do you want to work for our company?

This question helps the interviewer assess the job candidate’s motives behind choosing to apply for the job.

Is the potential employee enthusiastic about this particular company? Are they interested in the role itself regardless of the company? Is it a blind job search to upgrade positions?

• What would you say is your most impressive professional achievement?

This question gives the interviewer insight into the way that the job candidate views themselves and their capabilities. It also shows you the type of actions/results that the applicant considers an achievement.

Is the achievement related to their individual success? Is it a team-related accomplishment? Is it related to making changes and finding solutions or mainly focused on the outcome?

• What is your expected salary?

This question is important to determine whether or not the potential employee’s expectations are consistent with what the company can afford.

It also gives the hiring manager a chance to see if there’s room for negotiation and lets them know if the candidate is aware of the industry’s current pay averages.

What Are the Hardest Interview Questions?

• What would you change about your career if you could get a do-over?

This question helps you discover any professional regrets that the candidate may have but won’t directly state if you directly ask them.

When a candidate talks about what changes they would make, you can also sense their awareness of reality, adaptability, and willingness to discuss shortcomings.

• How do you handle failure?

Interviewers can get insight into the candidate’s ability to self-assess and admit mistakes. It gauges problem-solving skills and motivational skills.

Unveiling career-related mistakes also lets you know how well the candidate handled them to reach their current position.

• What would you say are your biggest weaknesses?

This question enables interviewers to determine if the job candidate has a sufficient sense of self-awareness.

You can also get a better understanding of the applicant’s ability to improve as a professional. It also reveals how they formulate plans to work on shortcomings.

What Are Professional Questions To Ask?

• What role do you typically play on a team project?

This question gives an idea of how the candidate usually interacts with colleagues. It also shoes how previous employers often viewed them when distributing responsibilities.

Were they usually working in leading roles? Were they more often a supporter? A thinker? Or maybe a coordinator?

• How do you think (a later credential or skill they included on the resume) benefits this position?

Resumes usually feature multiple credentials and skills that the candidate acquired apart from their main education. You can ask about these to evaluate how the candidate plans their development.

Does the credential/skill help them better do their job? Did they include it just for the sake of tweaking the resume or do they have solid knowledge and use for it?

• What strengths can you add to this role?

This question helps interviews determine how serious that candidate is about arriving prepared.

Did they adequately study the job description and consider how well their skills and abilities match your company’s needs? What do they deem as strengths and how do they think these strengths can bring value to the position?

What Are the Most Important Interview Questions?

• Do you prefer working alone or with a team?

This question gives you an idea of how well the candidate suits the role depending on its type.

If it’s a solo position (like a desk job), then candidates who show an inclination to work on their own make more sense to hire. The opposite is true if the job calls for continuous interaction with fellow employees.

Your best move is to consider a flexible candidate who can perform efficiently alone or with a team.

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

If your goal is to provide the company with highly-driven employees, then you need to start asking this question. It gives you insight into the engagement level that the candidate has invested in their career.

Do they have clear goals? Are they interested in professional advancement? Do they believe your company offers the opportunity to achieve their objectives?

• How do you handle deadlines?

Interviewers can use this question to get a better feel of how the potential hire manages their time on the job.

Do they tend to meet the deadlines set? Have they ever missed a deadline? Why?

This question also provides insight into the candidate’s organizational skills.

What Are Deep Interview Questions?

• Can you walk me through a difficult work situation and how you handled it?

This question lets you in on the type of situations that the candidate deems challenging.

If these circumstances arise often in the position, then you’d know the candidate may have a hard time adjusting to the company.

Base your final decision on whether or not the candidate convinces you of their proficiency after explaining their solution.

• How would your previous teammates describe you?

This question helps reveal the candidate’s extent of self-awareness.

Do they believe that everyone will have only good things to say? Will most colleagues criticize their work style? Will they present a balance?

The candidate’s answer will also uncover what they think are their most notable skills and traits. It’ll also give you insight into their interactions with co-workers.

• Can you tell me something about yourself that you didn’t share on your resume?

This question can help you peer into various aspects of the potential employee depending on how they answer.

Are they in touch with themselves enough to answer right away or do they take some time? Do they mention a professional aspect, clueing you on how much they prioritize their career? Or do they mention a hobby or non-work-related skill to tell you more about themselves as a human?

What Are Casual Interview Questions To Ask Candidates?

• What is a pet peeve of yours?

This question helps build a connection with the candidate as they share insider information about themselves.

You can relate their answer to the job to make a more well-rounded decision. For example, if their pet peeve is people asking too many questions, then a leader-type role won’t fit them.

• How do you spend your free time?

This is another chance to build a connection on a less-formal level. You can also gain insight into the type of worker the candidate is likely to be.

If they do team sports, then they are good communicators. If they’re into mind sports, then they’re probably good analysts. If they’re into arts, then creativity is more of their niche.

• How did you hear about this position?

This question is a great icebreaker to make the candidate more comfortable talking. It’s also an opportunity for you to see how prospects come across your company’s open positions.

What Are Strategic Interview Questions To Ask Candidates?

• Why are you leaving your current job?

The reason(s) that the candidate gives for leaving their current job will help you assess the expected company chemistry.

Knowing what drives them to work and what pushes them away, you can decide if their vision matches your company’s.

• Can you tell me about an instance when you had to collaborate with a colleague who didn’t match your work style or personality?

You can get a sense of the candidate’s interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills by their answer to this question.

Do they jump into saying how difficult it was to work with the colleague? Do they emphasize how compromising is key? Do they mention establishing communication routes to avoid conflicts?

• Are there other positions that you applied for?

This question is a mirror of the job seeker’s orientation.

If they say they’ve applied to other positions of the same type, this means they have a clear idea of where they’re headed with their career. If they only applied to your company, this can be a sign of specific enthusiasm.

If the candidate tells you they’ve applied for other positions of varying types, you can take it as a sign that they’re confused about their goals.

What Are Fun Interview Questions To Ask Candidates?

• How many marshmallows can you fit in a bag?

This question has no right answer. It’s a way for you to witness how the candidate thinks.

Do they get straight to guessing? Do they ask for more information? Do they attempt different approaches to reach a solution?

• What would you do if you won the lottery?

This question is an opportunity to see how imaginative the candidate can be or what their wildest ambitions are.

You can also gain insights into their priorities and line of thought. Do they think of their family first? Do they immediately talk about starting a business?

• What is your spirit animal?

The answer to this question gives an idea of how the candidate views their traits. Are they wise like an owl? Or resourceful like a fox? Perhaps Quick-thinking like a cat?

What Are Behavioral Questions To Ask Candidates?

• How would you handle a dissatisfied customer/client?

This question provides insight into the candidate’s problem-solving and communication skills.

Do they prioritize the client or the company? How do they address the customer/client? What solutions do they

• How do you deal with negative feedback?

This question is important to gauge some essential soft skills in the candidate. Communication, active listening, and problem-solving are a few examples.

Do they ask for further elaboration? Do they ask about the critic’s opinion of how they can fix the issue? When do they start working on improving?

• How do you handle repetitive tasks?

This question gives you an idea of the motivational tactics that the candidate uses. It also lets you know if they can thrive in a routine job or if they need constant challenges to shine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

Hiring managers in most companies conduct two rounds of interviews.

The first is to screen a pool of applicants and create a shortlist of candidates. Then the second is to closely evaluate the skills, experience, personality, behavior, and actions of each job seeker.

Insightful interview questions are crucial to making the best hiring decision for the company.

As always, leave a comment if you have any questions.

Preparing interview questions to ask candidates makes for a structured, fair process. It also helps you come up with a comprehensive plan to uncover each applicant’s potential.