37 Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates in a Job Interview
In a job interview asking the right interview questions is integral to finding out what you need to know about candidates, to identify a skill fit and the perfect candidate for the role. We often get asked by hiring companies about the best interview questions to ask when interviewing candidates for a job role. So, here we share with you the top questions we recommend you ask candidates in the job interview.
Interview Questions to identify interest in the role and your company
How much do you know about the vacancy/firm?
This is a great question to test the candidate’s knowledge of the firm and establish how much research / preparation they had conducted before the job interview. It also helps to gauge their interest in your firm.
Why are you interested in the position?
A great question to gauge whether candidates are career driven and have a real interest in the company. For example, whether they want to progress in their career and view your company as somewhere where career progression can be achieved.
What do you see as the satisfactions of the job?
A question that allows candidates to express why they are passionate about the role and allows you to get to know a bit about them as a person. For example, it could be helping others or growing the business.
Interview Questions to understand their interpretation of the role
What do you see as the main functions of the role?
Allows you to establish whether they fully understand the role and it gives candidates the opportunity to align their skills with the role.
How do you visualise a typical day?
This is useful to see whether their approach to the role matches with your business strategy and company way of working. It will also give you an idea of team fit.
What do you think the frustrations may be?
All jobs have frustrations, and this question allows candidates to express their understanding of the role and their critical thinking skills. It also gives the candidates an opportunity to express how they will deal effectively with frustrations in their work life.
Interview Questions to establish the candidate’s skills, experience and knowledge
What skills or experience do you have that make you right for this position?
This will give them an opportunity to expand on their skills and experience and you can use it as opportunity to crosscheck their CV. In addition, what is said in response to this question will give you an insight into what the candidate thinks are the main skills needed for the role.
Who and what are you responsible for in your current role?
A great question to give you a clearer understanding of the candidate’s level of experience and assess their management / leadership skills.
If you could change one aspect of your current role, what would it be and why?
We all have tasks at work that we don’t particularly like or that we find more difficult than others. This will help you determine a fit for the role, and depending on the answer, it could give you ideas of how to solve any issues within a particular role.
Tell us about a process or procedure that you have helped to improve?
A great question to find out how they applied their skills, knowledge and experience in the workplace and made a difference to working practises.
How do you prioritise and manage your caseload effectively?
Organisation and time management skills are important skills to have in professional services roles. By asking this question, you will find out if and how the candidate manages their time effectively to meet internal and client deadlines.
When have you had an opportunity to show initiative?
Showing initiative is part of a person’s critical thinking skills and going above and beyond to support the business and its customers and clients. So, by asking this question to all candidates allows you to identify who stands out.
Provide an example of something you have done to develop your skill set?
A willingness to learn and taking responsibility for career progression are key attributes that candidates can display, particularly in lower-level roles. This question gives them an opportunity to show that they have these attributes.
Tell us about your contribution to a team goal?
A great question to determine if the candidate is a team player, and how well they work as part of a team, and independently, to achieve goals.
Tell me about an important goal you set. How did you do?
This question is linked to a person’s stability and persistence and whether their goals are consistent and relevant to the role they have applied for.
Can you describe a situation where you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty?
This will tell you whether they are hardworking, passionate about their work and are engaged in their job role.
Tell me about a complex problem you had to resolve. How did it go?
Problem solving skills and being able to work independently are key skills in the workplace. In addition, a person’s ability to solve complex problems reflects their willingness to learn and judgement.
How do you analyse your own performance?
Taking ownership and pride in their work is a key skill that a candidate can have. So, by finding out how they analyse their own performance, what they deem as a success or failure, gives you a real insight into the candidate’s attitude towards their work.
How do you think you could improve your own performance?
This allows the candidates to show that they are self-aware and have critical thinking skills, to analyse their performance against business goals and strategy.
Interview Questions to get to know the candidate
Describe a time you received negative feedback about yourself? How did you respond and did you make any adaptations to your work?
This question goes against what the candidate wants to say in an interview. If the candidate answers honestly, and tells you about how they responded and adapted, it gives you a great insight into their character, judgement and maturity.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This question will provide you with insights into their character and will allow you to assess whether their strength and weaknesses will affect their performance in the role and how well they would get on with the team.
Give an example of how you coped well under pressure?
Most jobs contain some pressure, whether it’s meeting targets, deadlines or delivering a high standard of customer service. As a result, asking this question enables you to establish how the candidate will deal with and react to pressure in the workplace.
What has been your biggest achievement in your career-to-date?
Asking this question gives you an insight into what the candidate has achieved, as well as what makes them proud and tick in their career.
Choose 5 words to describe yourself?
Being self-aware at work is important. Asking this question gives you an insight into the candidate as a person.
What 5 words would your current boss use to describe you?
This is an interesting one and as long as they are honest, it will give you an insight into how the candidate works and is viewed by others in the workplace.
How would your colleagues describe you?
Like the above, this question gives you an insight into how they think they are / like to be perceived in the workplace.
What motivates you?
This question gives you a sense of team fit, as well as whether the candidate will be motivated by your company’s way of working and your benefit package.
What de-motivates you?
Like the above, it will give you a sense of team fit and what candidates don’t like in a workplace. It will help you to determine whether there will be any potential issues if you hire the candidate.
Tell us about a case that has had an impact on you?
This is an intriguing question as every candidate’s answer will be different and it will give you a unique insight into them. It could be something that they found difficult or that affected them emotionally, or a mistake that was made and they learnt from, to name a few scenarios.
Why did you choose this area of law / finance?
An opportunity for the candidate to expand on why they enjoy and are suited to their specialism, and what it is about their specialism that they are passionate about.
What are your long-term goals?
A great question to determine whether the candidates’ goals match with the company’s goals, and whether they see themselves in their job role for a long time.
Interview Questions to establish why they are job searching and what they want from their next job
What are the reasons you are looking to leave your current role?
This question will identify whether there are any potential red flags. For example, if they are leaving because they don’t get on with the team.
What are you looking for in your next role?
This helps you to identify whether their personal career goals fit the role and whether the role is really what the candidate is looking for.
What are you looking for in an employer?
Provides you with an opportunity to reinforce the positive aspects of your business to the candidate based on their response.
Interview Questions to conclude the Job interview
Are you considering other vacancies?
With candidates currently in high demand, this will give you an idea of whether you are competing with other companies for the candidate. If the candidate is considering other jobs and you like the candidate, you know you might have to work harder in order to hire the candidate.
How do you feel this interview has gone?
This question is a fantastic question to conclude the interview on, as it presents an opportunity to find out how the candidate has interpreted the interview and whether their interpretation matches yours.
Do you have any questions for us?
A job interview is also as much about the candidate getting to know your company as it is about you getting to them. Always, make sure you give them the opportunity to ask any questions at the end of the job interview.
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