Interview Questions to Ask if You Want to Avoid Hiring Mistakes
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<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
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<li>Avoid entertaining and competency interviews: Shows like The Apprentice are purely entertainment and shouldn’t be copied. Brain teasers and trick questions are generally ineffective. Competency interviews often miss crucial context and trends.</li>
<li>Use Structured Interviews: This approach helps to identify patterns and trends in behaviour.</li>
<li>Follow the script chronologically: The manageable list of questions provides lots of insights. It elicits more honest responses, reduces the likelihood of omission or deceit, and facilitates easier benchmarking against Great Performance Profiles.</li>
<li>Threaten the Promise of a Reference Call (PORC): You will get more honest answers.</li>
<li>Pre-close candidates: Be more confident that if you make a job offer, they’ll accept.</li>
<li>Second and third interviews: Second interviews might help address unresolved issues, but third or fourth interviews can be repetitive and cause candidates to disengage.</li>
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Interviews are generally a reliable way to learn about a candidate, and for the candidate to learn about a job and the company. But the SECRET to an objective, comprehensive and predictive assessment, is to use the correct type of interview: a Structured Interview.
Forget Game Shows & “Killer” Interview Questions
TV shows like The Apprentice are entertainment and nothing more; you should not copy them. There is no place for aggressive interview techniques and “you’re fired” clichés. (However, a version of their business-themed tasks can be helpful, and this is discussed in an article about Job Simulations.)
Similarly, avoid witty brain teasers and trick questions like, “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” or, “What animal best represents you?” They’re annoying, have limited predictive power to make them a valid assessment, and only demonstrate a specific skill that candidates can practice. Often, the candidate comes away thinking the interviewer and the company are complete clowns!
Avoid Competency Interviews
In simple terms, competency interviews ask candidates questions that uncover a desired characteristic.
But there are a few issues with this type of question.
For example, “Please tell me when something didn’t go well, what you did and what you learnt from that?” Candidates are likely to describe a superficial event rather than discuss a disaster, and will likely take a lot of credit for other people’s work and circumstances outside their control.
Crucially, context is often missing. As a silly example, if you asked my kids to tell you about a time when they cleaned their room, I’m sure they could – and you might conclude that they’re very neat and tidy. But they won’t tell you I was usually standing in the doorway, nagging them not to shove everything in their wardrobes and confiscate their phone until I was satisfied! They’ve given you personal, specific evidence, not the bigger picture.
The best way to identify a candidate’s natural behaviour is to spot the following:
- Trends: Such as salary always going up, consistent promotions and accomplishments because they’re a Great Performer.
- Patterns: Such as being constantly overlooked for career progression or frequently leaving jobs due to redundancy.
To uncover trends and patterns, I recommend Structured Interviews.
Use Structured Interviews
Structured Interviews involve asking the candidate to tell you about their life chronologically, from their formative years in education, and through their professional career. You’re building a road map of how they got to where they are today. By understanding the trends and patterns of someone’s life, you understand their character and competencies.
The benefits of Structured Interviews and following a script include:
- You’ll find it easier to identify patterns and trends of behaviour: The candidate’s past is usually a good predictor of the future.
- Timelines speak for themselves: Questions are asked in chronological order making it difficult for candidates to omit information or deceive you because their life story won’t make sense.
- Repeatability: By asking every candidate the same questions, you can more easily benchmark candidates against the Great Performance Profile.
- They keep everyone on track: Having a structure makes it less likely that you will go off on a tangent and waste time.
- You can focus on listening: Allowing you to absorb more nuanced information.
- Reinforcement of the PORC: Reminding candidates a Reference Call will be made encourages them to provide honest answers.
- Nothing gets forgotten: The questions are in front of you, so nothing gets missed.
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The Structured Interview Script
It would be possible to write a book called 1001 Interview Questions to Ask for Every Scenario, but my modest list of questions will cover at least 90% of the scenarios you’ll encounter.
The running order will be:
- Opening remarks.
- Education.
- Employment history.
- Passions and hobbies.
- Reasons for joining your company and pre-close technique.
- Candidate’s questions.
Most questions apply to all roles, but I include extra questions that I find helpful for specific roles.
The script has been refined, so avoid deviating by providing context or a preamble. If you hear a candidate say, “Sorry, I forgot your question”, that’s because you haven’t been clear and concise.
A printable version of the script is available.
Let’s get started.
Welcome the candidate
Ideally, the candidate should be met at reception a couple of minutes before the interview is scheduled. Greet them as if they were a client; professional, friendly, and confident. Casual chit-chat will put them at ease, but don’t waste this opportunity by talking about the weather.
A simple and valuable opener is, “How was your journey here today?”... “Were my directions okay for you to find us?” This may reveal that their daily commute is going to be a nightmare, or that you need to provide better directions.
You might also gain helpful information by asking, “I guess you’re rushing around doing a lot of interviews at the moment?”
As you walk to the interview room, the best thing to do is talk about the office, briefly pointing out what employees do, what awards you’ve won, etc.
The rest of the Interview Team should be sat ready in the room. Late arrivals reflect badly, suggesting recruitment isn’t important enough to be taken seriously.
Opening remarks
Building rapport with the candidate at the outset is very important. You want them to feel comfortable, give honest answers, and be excited about the job and your business. Offer them a drink (a glass of water should suffice; you don’t want to get bogged down with coffee orders). Let each member of the Interview Team introduce themselves.
Some opening remarks to help set expectations include:
“I appreciate you taking the time today to discuss whether the job will be a good fit for you.
I expect the conversation will last 45 minutes, depending on the level of detail we need to go into.
We’ll start with your education and move through your employment history. As we get to more recent and relevant experience, we’ll discuss those in more detail.
We have a thorough process which is in your best interest so we can find out if you’re going to be successful and happy in the job. All I’d ask is that if your application is successful, before making an offer we’ll ask you to set up Reference Calls so we can get someone else’s opinion on whether we’ll be a good fit.
You’re welcome to ask questions throughout and I’ll allow time at the end for any final queries you may have. Does all that sound okay?”
<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Tip:</span> The interview questions are labelled with a letter and number. To save time when making notes, simply reference the questions using their labels. For example, “A1 – Proud of winning a rocket competition; learned about rocketry and aerodynamics”.</span>
Education
Education is crucial for character and attitude development, and you’ll often find patterns here that continue into employment. For example, when a candidate says they didn’t work hard at school and partied a lot, that’s usually an indicator of what they’re like now. Of course, people can change; you can tell by looking for patterns once you’ve heard the whole story.
For entry-level jobs
Candidates for entry-level jobs won’t have much work experience, so focus more on their education. You could ask:
A1 “What school accomplishments are you most proud of?”
Were these individual or team achievements?
A2 “Who was your form tutor?” (Ask them to spell unusual names)... “When I speak to them, what would they say you were like back then?”... “What would they say you could have improved?”
Choosing a form tutor is best because they’ve usually had more contact with the candidate and have an overview of academic and pastoral care. (Writing down the form tutor’s name and asking the candidate to spell it out sends a message that you will make a Reference Call, encouraging more truthful answers.)
A3 “If you got detentions, what were they typically for?”
Bad behaviour and failure to bring in homework are common answers. Can you spot any trends that suggest they failed to learn their lesson?
A4 “Did you ever get suspended or expelled?”
You’d be surprised how many people have been. They’ll have their excuses, but the school will have had a good reason to take this step. Therefore, this is an amber flag for many employers.
A5 “What clubs or associations were you a member of?”
Extracurricular activities can provide additional insights because they wanted to do these things. Some groups, such as the Scouts, Guides, and Cadets, provide leadership and development opportunities. Sadly, some socially disadvantaged children may not have these opportunities, while some parents show the initiative in finding opportunities for their children.
You may wish to continue asking further education questions:
For experienced hires
Start by saying, “Although we’re going to focus mainly on your employment history, it’s helpful to start with your education and move forward”.
A6 “How did you choose the courses you wanted to study?”
Most candidates choose courses they enjoy or are good at. Sometimes, they just fall into a subject, giving them a sense of purpose and direction.
A7 “Did you study hard or pick it up quite quickly?”
This will provide insight into their intellect and how quickly they learn, which is essential if you’re investing in their training.
A8 “How happy were you with the grades you received?”
A grade isn’t always a true reflection of a candidate’s ability, and this question may provide helpful context.
A9 “What were some of the high and low points during your education?”
Highs are typically performing well, but how did they handle the lows?
A10 “What clubs or associations were you a member of?”
An education isn’t just the subjects they studied but the life skills they learnt.
A11 “Who influenced you and contributed to the person you are today?”
This question may reveal something about their identity and values.
<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Warning:</span> Here are common mistakes to avoid:<ul><li>Asking for education dates might be considered grounds for age discrimination.</li><li>If a candidate describes traumatic experiences, don’t conclude they aren’t mentally resilient. Empathise with what they’re saying, as school isn’t a positive experience for everyone.</li><li>Don’t skip education. If necessary, reassure candidates that their employment history will make up most of the interview, but finding out about their education is a helpful way to get to know them better. You might say, “I’m just trying to understand the road map that has made you the person you are today”.</li></ul></span>
Employment history
There’s nothing more frustrating than going through a CV in chronological order only to find pieces missing. So ask, “Is there any employment not on your CV? Have you left out any short periods of employment or things you felt were irrelevant?”
Move relatively quickly through early jobs. Slow down and discuss the most recent and relevant five- to 10-year work history in more detail.
Treat every promotion where there was a significant change in responsibility as a separate job. For example, moving from junior engineer to engineer might be a minor change, but if they managed staff, that’s a significant change in responsibility.
General employment questions
B1 “Why did you take the job?”
This may reveal a pattern of expectations and whether these were met. Be concerned if someone consistently takes new jobs for a salary increase because this is a common “interview answer”. There should be other reasons, such as taking on new challenges, learning a skill or having fun.
B2 “What did/does the organisation do?”
This provides context about what sectors the candidate has experience in.
B3 “What were/are you hired to do, and what were/are your key responsibilities?”
You’re identifying what their Great Performance Profile was and if the outcomes match yours.
B4 “What did/do you like most about the job?”
Ensure that your job is aligned with their requirements.
B5 “What did/do you dislike about the job?” or, “What could have been/can be improved about it?”
Some people like everything and that’s fine, but the candidate may reveal things they don’t like that are part of your job.
B6 “What accomplishments are you most proud of?”... “How did you achieve them?”
When you ask what accomplishments they’re most proud of, it’s essential to probe the how. If the candidate uses phrases beginning with “we did”, interrupt them and ask, “You mention ‘we’ – who is ‘we’, and what role did you play?” You may find they’re talking about a team accomplishment they had little involvement in.
B7 “What were/are some of your low points during the job?”
It’s important to ask about accomplishments first and low points later. Candidates often try to dodge this question or say there were no low points. Everybody has low points, so don’t let them off the hook. Try reframing the question by asking, “What would you have done differently or improved?” or, “What part of the job was your least favourite?”
B8 “How did/does your performance compare to your colleagues?”
If they mention a colleague consistently outperformed them, make a note, and consider headhunting that person!
B9 “Who was/is the best performer?”... “In your opinion, what made/makes them the best performer?”
Ask this after identifying how their performance compares to colleagues. Otherwise, they may project the characteristics of the best performers onto themselves. This question helps you understand if the candidate is aware of important competencies and gives you the name of a person to potentially headhunt.
B10 “What’s the name of your supervisor?” (Ask them to spell unusual names)... “Where are they working now?”
This is asked for the purposes of the PORC. Writing down the name and clarifying spelling sends a message you will call, so they should tell you the truth.
B11 “What’s your best guess as to what that supervisor would say about your strengths and areas for improvement?”
Asking what their supervisor would say about them is the most crucial question. If I could only ask one question, it would be this one. Use the phrase, “What’s your best guess?” because otherwise, candidates say they have no idea. When candidates talk about what it was like working with their boss, I’d be concerned about someone who speaks poorly of every boss. If a candidate keeps blaming everyone else, they might be creating conflict, can’t handle feedback, or require a unique management style.
B12 “How much were you earning”
This is helpful to spot an irregularity between what a candidate is saying and their actions. For example, if they suddenly take a significant drop in salary, how does that stack up against everything else they’ve said? Some candidates may not like to discuss their salary and in those situations say, “I want to ensure we have complete information to spot patterns”. (In some countries it may not culturally or legally be appropriate to ask questions about a candidate’s current salary.)
B13 “Why did/do you want to leave the job?”... “Why else?”
This final question can identify important patterns. Were they promoted, fired, made redundant, or did they resign? I usually never accept the first interview answer and recommend probing.
For managerial jobs
M1 “How many staff did/do you have in your team?”
Some employees are called managers (eg. customer service managers) but don’t manage anyone. This question checks how much responsibility someone has. Be concerned if the number of staff is a low number (under three). Equally, a high number (more than 20) may indicate they had no real control.
M2 “How many were/are Great Performers?”
When discussing their colleagues, note if they make derogatory or sarcastic comments – they’re likely to lower your team’s morale. However, be suspicious if they describe everyone on their team as Great Performers, as this may show a degree of naivety. If appropriate, ask how the team performance was measured.
M3 “What were/are their names?”... “Why did/do you consider them a Great Performer?”
Knowing the names of Great Performers may be helpful for headhunting purposes. Additionally, understanding why they were Great Performers gives clues about what the candidate thought was important.
M4 “Who came and who went, and why?”
It’s helpful to know how much staff attrition the candidate had while they were a manager. Some jobs have high natural attrition (eg. call centres). But some employees leave because of bad managers, so how “bad” is this manager?
M5 “What’s the best idea you came up with to improve the business?”
Do you have a candidate that just manages, or strives for leadership? (But if they’re coming from a culture that discourages new perspectives, take this into consideration.)
M6 “How do you plan your day?”
Do they know how to make the most impact?
For sales jobs
Most salespeople succeed because their employer has an excellent brand and strong marketing resources.
Conversely, one of the biggest mistakes I see hiring managers make is assuming that because a candidate was successful at a previous company, they will be successful elsewhere. There are many important differences in sales, such as B2B vs. B2C, inbound vs. outbound, short vs. long sales cycles, low-ticket vs. high-ticket items, number of stakeholders, etc.
As you ask the following questions, try to determine whether success was due to the candidate or their employer, and whether the candidate is adaptable to your organisation.
S1 “Describe to me how you normally get new customers.”
This is a critical question. Some salespeople rely on marketing to generate and warm up leads, while others may rely on the prestige of a well-known brand. They may find it difficult in a business without these resources.
S2 “If you struggled to reach a prospect, how would you get to talk to that person?”
Do they keep going, politely but doggedly, until they get through? Or do they just send an email and leave it there?
S3 “Explain how you develop and retain existing customer accounts?”
I’m sure you’ve had calls from salespeople “checking to see if you have everything you need?” Such calls add little value. Does this candidate waste time on these, or do they have a better approach?
S4 “How do you define success?”
I like to understand whether a candidate is intrinsically motivated (eg. “I know I’ve done a good job”) or externally motivated (eg. “My manager tells me I’ve done a good job”). You often need externally motivated people for sales jobs. It can also help to understand if they define success as “caring about customers” or “making a lot of commission” (uniquely in sales jobs, you often want money-motivated candidates).
S5 “Where do you see yourself in three to five years?”
It sometimes feels like this question has been done to death, but successful salespeople usually plan their lives. Does this candidate know how they want their life to turn out? Is your job consistent with their long-term goal?
S6 “What have you done in the past year to improve yourself?”
Top salespeople engage in self-development.
Passions and hobbies
Ask about their passions and hobbies at this stage to relax the candidate and lower the tempo a bit.
Simply ask, “What do you do with your spare time?”
Often, candidates are stumped when asked about their hobbies. For example, if they say they like books and I ask them about the last one they read, they often can’t give a convincing answer. While I might not put too much weight on these answers, it does give me a sense of whether the candidate is falling back on bland “interview answers”.
Equally, you might find some very admirable qualities. They might have to work a few jobs to make ends meet, be a carer for a relative, or a sports champion.
Be suspicious of workaholics. In the long term, those with lives outside of work are usually the best.
<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Warning:</span> Don’t ask anything about their relationship status or whether they have kids. If they volunteer the information, it’s better not to write it down.</span>
Reasons for joining your company and pre-close technique
Now, you’re moving into the final few questions that involve a crucial pre-close technique. If the candidate goes on to decline your job offer, it is likely that the pre-close wasn’t done correctly.
X1 “Why do you want to work for this company?”
How prepared are they for this question? Can the candidate give a concise answer about why they want to work for you rather than one of your competitors? Is their answer consistent with what they’ve said about their aspirations? They may play devil’s advocate and say, “I haven’t decided yet. I came here hoping that was the question you would answer for me”. This type of evasive answer can be reframed to understand the candidate’s motivations: “What did you hope our company would provide?”
X2 “What concerns do you have about joining us?” or maybe (with a smile), “What would stop you from joining us?”
Though it’s rare for candidates to tell you their concerns, when they do it’s helpful to address them as they are often the result of misunderstandings.
X3 “As you know, the salary has been advertised between {£50,000} and {£70,000}. If we were to offer you a job in that salary range, would you be comfortable with that?”
It can be hard for candidates to know where to pitch their salary. If you ask them how much they want, they’ll often clam up and say they don’t know or aim at the higher end of the range. Therefore, the term “salary range” is important.
X4 “If I could offer you a salary in that range, would you take the job?”
Though you are not offering, it’s helpful to know this and not waste your time. Don’t be alarmed if they say they want to “think about it”. They may have concerns, or they could be playing a version of poker, which leads to the next question.
X5 “Don’t feel obliged to name names unless you want to, but to help me understand timings, what other jobs have you applied for and what stage are you at with them?”... “How do we compare to them?”
You can get an idea of how competitive your marketplace is, how quickly you need to decide, and your chances of a candidate agreeing to join you. It also makes it harder for a candidate to negotiate better terms by saying they’re considering other job offers if they don’t mention them here. (Notice any inconsistencies, such as a candidate interviewing with you for a sales job but applying for customer service jobs elsewhere.)
X6 “If we offer you a job, how do you think your employer will react and what will be your likely response?”
This question pre-empts counteroffers, which usually occur when hiring Great Performers. Managing counteroffers is an important topic, which I cover further in another article.
X7 “Is there anything we should know now that you wouldn’t like us to be surprised about later on?”
You’d be stunned by the responses I’ve received to this question. The best example I have was from a candidate who said he might not be able to start the job because he had to appear in court. As it turned out, he was right about being unable to start on time – he went to jail!
Candidates’ questions
You should have allowed candidates to ask questions throughout the interview, but this is another opportunity for them to raise anything. Don’t skip this. An interview is as much an opportunity for the candidate to get the information needed for them to make the right decision.
Always give candidates a chance to ask their questions at the end by asking, “Thank you for answering my questions. Now it’s your turn – do you have any questions you’d like to ask us?”
Consider it a bad sign if a candidate has no questions on their first interview. If they don’t have questions, it’s either because they haven’t been listening, aren’t interested, or don’t take their career seriously. In a second interview, I’d be less concerned if they didn’t have questions because a lot would have been covered.
I usually give trainees the benefit of the doubt if they don’t have questions. They’re often relieved the interview is ending and don’t want to prolong it.
Senior role candidates sometimes have thought-provoking questions. I’ll never forget being asked, “What’s your vision for the company over the next three to five years?” followed up with, “So if someone offered you a lot of money, would you sell?”
Be concerned if the only question is about holiday entitlement or sick leave. Are you getting someone who wants to work, or are they already considering taking a break?
To ensure a better match you must give honest, accurate, and complete answers.
Wrapping up an interview
It is important to manage a candidate’s expectations by providing a realistic timeline for when they will hear back from you.
I then recommend walking the candidate to the exit, or transitioning to a Job Simulation. This consists of job related tasks that allow you to observe how the candidate really behaves.
Second Interviews Might Be Helpful
The biggest danger of arranging second interviews is that a protracted recruitment process can mean you lose Great Performers to employers and recruiters who are quicker and more decisive.
If a second interview is required, be mindful that the candidate will probably be attending interviews without their employer’s knowledge, so calling them back the next day probably isn’t an option. If necessary, have an out of hours appointment.
During a second interview it is helpful to ask the same questions as the first interview because some candidates forget the lies they told in the first, and their story unravels! Additionally, you can probe deeper and address your concerns.
Whilst I don’t recommend psychometric tests, if you’re using them, discuss results with the candidate to validate their interpretation and open up a deeper conversation.
Forget Third or Fourth Interviews
It’s a general rule that no one gets better with more interviews, usually the opposite. There’s little to be gained from further interviews:
- Candidates get asked the same questions again and again. The poor candidate starts to sound like a broken record and goes on autopilot.
- Dragging out the process makes candidates bored and disengaged.
- Candidates may rightly start to wonder if you’re indecisive or too bureaucratic.
- There’s a danger that they’ll accept a job offer from a company with a better recruitment process.
The best way of avoiding a drawn-out process is to have everyone from the Interview Team there at the start.
<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Take Action:</span> If you haven’t got a template job offer letter, employment contracts, employee handbook, and related documents ready, start now! If you make a job offer and the candidate has to wait for written confirmation, it gives the impression that you aren’t prepared, which can make them second-guess whether you’re a good employer.</span>
Additional Resources
- Recruiting Book; The Secrets of Great Recruitment: How to Recruit Great Employees.
- Downloadable PDF guide; How the Pros Interview Candidates: Learn Their Secrets.
- Downloadable script; Script for Structured Interviews.
- Downloadable PDF guide; Transform Your Interview Process: The Structured Interview Approach.
- Article; How to Interview Candidates: A Simple Guide to Effective Candidate Assessment.
- Article; Interview Questions for Employers to Ask: Your Guide to Selecting the Best Applicants.
- Article; How to Interview Candidates: Unlock the Secrets to Finding Your Next Star Employee!
- Article; How to Arrange Interviews with Candidates.
The secrets of great recruitment
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