30 Interview Questions for Successful Hiring
You’ve written a job advert and drawn up a shortlist of candidates, but before you can go ahead with a job offer, you need to go through the interview process. We’re here to help by looking at interview questions to ask candidates for more efficient hiring.
Conducting job interviews – whether they are competency-based, panel or over video – is a crucial part of the hiring process. It’s your opportunity to delve beyond a candidate’s CV and explore their suitability for a role. But how do you ensure that you’re asking the right questions?
In this guide, we’ll look at 30 questions to ask in an interview as an employer or hiring manager to navigate the complexities of assessing candidates. These are split into basic, intermediate and advanced questions.
The basics
These questions serve as a foundation for understanding candidates’ backgrounds, motivations, and suitability for the role.
“Tell me about yourself…”
This open-ended question allows candidates to provide an overview of their background, work experience, and career aspirations. Listen for their ability to articulate relevant details concisely and highlight key achievements.
“What do you enjoy outside of work?”
Understanding a candidate’s interests and hobbies can provide insights into their personality and potential cultural fit within your team. It also helps build rapport and establish a more well-rounded view of the candidate.
“Walk me through your CV…”
Ask candidates to explain their CV in detail, emphasising work history, education, and notable achievements. This will allow you to assess their ability to communicate effectively and present a coherent career narrative.
“Tell me about your current job…”
Gain insights into candidates’ current role, responsibilities, accomplishments and relationship with their previous employer. Look for specific examples that demonstrate their skills and alignment with the position you’re hiring for.
“Why do you want the job?”
Assess what made a candidate apply for this position and if their motivations align with your values, mission, and culture. Try and establish if the candidate has genuine enthusiasm and a clear understanding of the role’s responsibilities outlined in the job description.
“Describe your ideal work environment…”
This question allows you to assess a candidate’s preferences and their compatibility with your culture. Be on the lookout for indications of their desired level of autonomy, collaboration, and the working conditions that bring out their best performance.
“How do you stay organised/manage your workload?”
Understanding how candidates handle time management and prioritisation is important, particularly if the role involves project management or working to tight deadlines. See if the candidate can provide effective strategies and systems they use to stay organised and meet deadlines.
“What are your salary expectations?”
Discussing salary expectations helps ensure alignment between the candidate’s expectations and your salary benchmarking. It also allows you to gauge their understanding of market rates and whether their expectations align with the role’s responsibilities and requirements.
“Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?”
Inquiring about candidates’ five-year goals allows employers to better understand their ambitions, commitment to the company, and alignment with growth opportunities. This helps assess the potential for advancement and a mutual long-term partnership.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
Encourage candidates to ask questions to assess their engagement and interest in the position and the company. Look for thoughtful inquiries that demonstrate genuine curiosity and that they have taken the time to do their own research.
Intermediate
These intermediate questions delve deeper into candidates’ problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and potential contributions to your team.
“What does the ideal workday look like to you?”
Assess a candidate’s work-life balance priorities and their expectations for a fulfilling workday. Look for indications of their desired level of challenge and autonomy following their initial onboarding.
“What are your strengths?”
Use this question to invite candidates to discuss what they view as their key strengths and how they relate to the position. Look for a combination of technical skills and soft/transferable skills, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability.
“What are your weaknesses?”
Evaluate a candidate’s self-awareness and their ability to reflect on areas for improvement. You’ll want to see candidates demonstrating honesty, willingness to learn, and highlighting examples of how they have actively worked on addressing their own perceived weaknesses.
“What do you know about our organisation?”
Assess a candidate’s research and knowledge about your company. Look for indications that they have taken the time to understand your industry, mission, values, and recent achievements ahead of the interview.
“Where does this job fit into your career path?”
Understand a candidate’s long-term career goals and how this position aligns with their aspirations. Explore if candidates see the role as a stepping stone towards their professional development and where it fits into their long-term goals.
“Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it…”
Evaluate a candidate’s problem-solving skills and their ability to navigate challenges. See if the candidate can provide specific examples, outline their thought processes, and the outcomes they achieved in difficult situations.
“How do you deal with tight deadlines?”
Assess a candidate’s time management and prioritisation skills. This will help you learn more about the candidate’s strategies in managing competing tasks and their ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
“Describe a time you fell behind schedule. What went wrong, and what would you do differently next time?”
Understand a candidate’s ability to reflect on past experiences, take accountability, and learn from mistakes. Look for their proactive approach to improving their time management and overcoming obstacles.
“What motivates you to work?”
Use this question to gain insight into a candidate’s sources of motivation and their alignment with the job and your company. This will help you better understand their passion, purpose, and the desire to make a meaningful impact.
“Do you work best alone or as part of a team?”
Understand a candidate’s preferred working style and their ability to collaborate effectively with other team members. Look for indications of their ability to contribute to team dynamics and work well with others.
Advanced
For candidates who have proven their mettle, these questions explore how they handle delicate situations and demonstrate both resilience and leadership qualities.
“Why are you leaving your current job?”
Explore the candidate’s reasons for seeking new opportunities and professional development goals. Lookout for responses that indicate ambition for career growth, enthusiasm for new challenges, or alignment with your company’s values.
“If you’re successful, what do you think would be most challenging in this role?”
This question is used to assess a candidate’s awareness of the biggest challenges they may face and their ability to address them, allowing you to explore their ability to think critically and provide an honest opinion of their expectations for the role.
“Tell me about a time you’ve turned a negative into a positive”
Evaluate a candidate’s resilience and their problem-solving skills in challenging situations. This will allow you to assess their ability to find opportunities for growth and success despite suffering setbacks.
“Give an example of a time when you had to adapt to change in the workplace…”
Evaluate a candidate’s adaptability and flexibility, which are essential qualities in a dynamic work environment. Look for specific examples of how they have embraced change and achieved successful outcomes.
“When conflict arises at work, how do you handle it?”
Assess a candidate’s conflict resolution skills and their ability to maintain positive working relationships. Here you’ll want to see candidates demonstrating an approach to resolving conflicts with empathy, collaboration, and communication.
“How do you deal with failure?”
Understand a candidate’s mindset and coping mechanisms when faced with professional failures or setbacks. Listen out for answers that demonstrate a candidate’s ability to learn from their own mistakes, take responsibility, and bounce back stronger.
“How do you determine or evaluate success?”
Evaluate a candidate’s perspective on success and their ability to set and achieve goals for themselves. This provides an opportunity for candidates to highlight their drive, self-motivation, and alignment with your company’s values.
“Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback…”
Assess a candidate’s emotional intelligence and delve deeper into their soft skills. This will allow you to learn more about their ability to provide constructive criticism and their approach to maintaining positive relationships in challenging situations.
“Give me an example of a time when you had to think or react quickly in response to a delicate situation…”
Evaluate a candidate’s ability to handle high-pressure situations using tact and diplomacy. Use this question to assess a candidate’s thought process and the outcomes they have achieved while navigating delicate situations.
“Describe a time when you had to work with a colleague you didn’t get along with…”
Assess a candidate’s interpersonal skills and their ability to work effectively amidst challenging team dynamics. Here you’ll want candidates to demonstrate their ability to manage conflicts, find common ground, and collaborate towards shared goals.
FAQ: Interview Questions
What common questions do candidates have for employers?
Be prepared for candidates to ask questions about company culture, team dynamics, growth opportunities, role responsibilities, and the next stage of the recruitment process.
What can you not ask a candidate?
Avoid questions related to age, gender, marital status, religion, etc., to ensure fair and compliant interviewing practices that help to reduce bias.
How should you structure a job interview?
Start the interview with introductions and specific questions about candidates’ skills and experiences, then provide an opportunity for candidates to ask their own questions.
How should you take notes in an interview?
Jot down key details about the candidate’s background, qualifications, and responses. Note strengths, weaknesses, and standout qualities and use your notes as references for follow-up questions.
Why should you use follow up questions in interviews?
Use follow-up questions to gain deeper insights into candidates’ experiences, skills, and problem-solving abilities. Active listening and relevant follow-ups foster meaningful conversations, leading to more comprehensive assessments and well-informed hiring decisions.
How do you close an interview?
Express gratitude, summarise the discussion, and manage expectations for the next steps to leave a positive impression and ensure a positive candidate experience.