While it’s expected that candidates will prepare well for an upcoming job interview, the exact same can be said for hiring managers.
Interview questions for employers should tell a lot about the candidate: they should not only tell you about how the candidate would operate in that role, but also demonstrate how they think and how they see the world.
Types of interview questions to ask potential candidates
Sample interview questions for employers
Developing a good selection of interview questions is a key part of the hiring process, helping to tease out key details about a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses and personality.
It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, the point of a job interview is to have a conversation regarding their suitability for the job being discussed. But it’s also the candidate assessing you and your company’s suitability for them: whether or not the company culture will fit them and their own career objectives.
For that reason, it’s important to set the tone from the beginning and make them feel at ease. Not only will that create a space for them to answer freely and honestly, but it also goes a long way to creating a positive employee experience should they become part of your team.
Keep in mind that you’re looking to answer the following questions for yourself:
- Does the candidate meet the requirements of the job?
- How well would the candidate fit in with the team?
- How does the candidate respond to high pressure situations?
- How does the candidate present themselves and their experiences?
General and opening interview questions
An easy way to break the ice and get the ball rolling is to open with an introduction of yourself and your colleagues on the panel, and then begin the first round of questions with standard, expected queries.
1. Tell me about yourself
Why ask this question:
This is one of those questions everyone expects, but it satisfies two main points:
- It demonstrates whether or not the candidate can give you a short autobiography, then make it relevant by connecting it with the job opportunity; and
- It tells you a lot about how the candidate thinks by pointing out what they perceive to be the most important and relevant parts of their career thus far.
What you should be looking for:
A good response to this question is succinct, relevant, and sets out to connect their experiences with the job they’ve applied for.
A great answer will also cover:
- Why they’ve applied for the job,
- Why they’re passionate about your company or the role, and
- Highlight their strengths and/or examples of past achievements.
However, it’s important to remember that this is a lot to ask for in a short response – and within a high-pressure environment – so if the candidate doesn’t manage to hit these points, it’s not automatically a red flag. Instead, use their response as a jumping off point to delve further into their professional life.
Variations of this question:
- Run me through your resume
- Walk me through your experiences
- Tell me a bit about your background
2. Why do you want this job?
Why ask this question:
Motivation is an important thing to ascertain from your candidate. Do their career objectives align with the role and the company they’re applying for? Have they taken the time to get to know the company by doing their own research beyond what was listed in the job ad? Do their skills and professional experience match the job?
What you should be looking for:
Candidates that have researched your company prior to the interview will be able to connect their motivations with your business outcomes or culture in some way.
They should also be specific about what makes them a good fit for the job, highlighting hard or soft skills, or personal achievements that support their response.
Variations of this question:
- Why are you interested in working for this company?
- Why should we hire you?
- What can you bring to this company?
3. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
Why ask this question:
This question is less about what the candidate says than how they say it.
Though it’s easy to spot red flags – any answers that directly affect the candidate’s ability to do the job, for example – this question is how they respond to certain situations, and can tell you something about the kind of employee they would be.
What you should be looking for:
Candidates that demonstrate self-awareness and humility will shine when it comes to these questions.
Note whether they able to answer with professionalism and maturity. Are they able to be honest when discussing their mistakes?
Candidates should be able to provide an example in order to demonstrate their strengths and weaknesses, as well as any insights they learned from the example they provided.
Variations of this question:
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work.
- Why do you think you’re a good fit for this job?
- How do you think your strengths will help you in this role?
4. Why did you / are you leaving your current / previous role?
Why ask this question:
Knowing the reasons for why the candidate is leaving their current role will tell you a lot about their motivations, their attitude, and what is important for them.
It’s a particularly important question to ask if they haven’t remained in their present role for long.
What you should be looking for:
Answers that discuss their current colleagues or manager in a negative light are major red flags.
However, candidates that are able to frame their responses in a positive way demonstrate professionalism and maturity.
Ultimately, hiring managers should be looking for - What the candidate is looking for in a job - Why they feel their current role is no longer a good fit for them
Variations of this question:
- Why are you looking for a new job?
- What is the reason you quit your last job?
5. What are your goals for the future?
Why ask this question:
This is a great way to get to know the motivations of the candidate, as well as understanding the trajectory they’d like their career to follow (and whether or not the role they are interviewing for is relevant).
What you should be looking for:
Ideally, candidates’ goals should be relevant to the role they’ve applied for.
Variations of this question:
- How does this role fit into your career trajectory?
- Where do you see your career in five years?
- What is your career objective?
Leadership interview questions
1. Tell me about a time you took initiative to solve a problem?
Why ask this question:
Some roles place a great deal of emphasis on proactivity and initiative-taking. This is a great question to evaluate candidates with these qualities.
At first glance, this question looks to see just how these qualities are demonstrated in candidates, but upon closer inspection, what hiring managers are really asking is whether or not candidates are forward-thinking and ambitious, have organisational and time-management skills, as well as identifying problem-solving styles.
What you should look for:
Candidates that can demonstrate their ability to take initiative on their own and without prompting from others are often the most ideal. Confidence and leadership qualities are also often on display in these situations, and should be well noted.
However, one red flag to watch for are candidates that frame the situation in which they took initiative in a negative light, or with resentment.
Variations of this question:
- Tell me about a time you took the lead on a project at work.
- Describe a situation you saw a problem at work as a potential opportunity?
- Tell me about a project you initiated.
2. How would your direct reports describe your management style?
Why ask this question:
There is more than one way to manage a team, and this question seeks to determine how the candidate has managed their direct reports in the past.
But more importantly, the question also wants to know how their old team would describe them.
You may want to ask for examples and reasons as to why they think their former team would describe them in the way they’ve discussed with you.
What you should look for:
Professionalism, humility, and maturity are important qualities of a manager, and these are all things you should be looking for in a good response. Listen for other important skills every good leader should possess: communication, interpersonal, and motivational skills, for example.
And while there’s no one right way to manage people, what’s important is how well the candidate’s style will match the team they’ll be leading.
Remember, you can always follow up on this later when you conduct your reference checks.
Variations on this question:
- Describe your leadership style
- How do you manage your team?
- How do you handle challenges within your team?
3. What leadership skills do you find most useful?
Why ask this question:
Again, this question seeks to determine the qualities a manager is likely to use should they be hired to manage a team.
It’s also a good way to learn more about their management style.
What you should look for:
Good managers possess a certain collection of skills: they usually are great at communication and interpersonal skills, for example. Some organisations may value creativity in their management; some may look for leaders who are happy to take risks where others may prefer the more risk-averse.
What’s most important is understanding how their particular set of skills will complement the people they’ll be managing in the role. Will their style mesh well with the existing personalities? Does their skillset fit in well with the overall goals of the organisation?
Variations of this question:
- Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership on the job.
- Tell me about a time you led by example / delegation?
- Do you have a past manager whose leadership style you admired? Why?
4. How do you handle disagreements within your team?
Why ask this question:
Dispute resolution skills are another one of those essential skills leaders should hone. This question not only tests that ability, but it can also reveal a lot about how the candidate deals with undesirable, high pressure situations.
While it’s also a question that could be asked as part of a problem-solving query, if you’re looking to hire a manager – particularly for a team you know has strong personalities – this is an essential question to ask.
What you should look for:
There are several key qualities and skills you should be looking for here: - Patience, a cool head, and the ability to stay calm under pressure; - Communication skills; - The ability to find a compromise or resolution; and - The ability to see a problem from different perspectives.
Variations of this question:
- Describe a stressful situation within your team at work. How did you find a resolution?
- Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a team member?
- How do you handle disagreements at work?
Success interview questions
1. Give me an example of when you set a goal and achieved it?
Why ask this question:
This question covers several areas of interest for hiring managers: - How does the candidate organise and plan to overcome challenges? - Is the candidate motivated? Ambitious? - Do they demonstrate initiative?
Again, this question is less about the goal the candidate achieved and more the process they used to get there, as well as their thinking surrounding challenges and problem solving.
What you should be looking for:
Candidates should be able to discuss relevant goals – and if they are not immediately obvious, they should be able to tie something about it back to the role they are interviewing for.
Hiring managers should note the candidate’s attitude towards challenges, how they organise themselves, how they plan next steps, and whether or not the goal was realistic.
Variations of this question:
- Give me an example of a goal you achieved and the steps you took to get there.
- How do you achieve your goals?
- How do you tackle challenges at work?
2. How do you define success?
Why ask this question?
How people define success can often speak greatly about how hard they will work towards fulfilling their goals. It can also reveal what their priorities are at work, and what they will focus on if they get the job they’re applying for.
What you should be looking for?
Candidates should be able to respond with relevant metrics for success. For example, in a role that depends a lot on a cohesive team, do they define success as collaborating with team members and colleagues? Meeting team goals?
Variations of this question:
- How do you evaluate success?
- What does success at work look like to you?
- What does success mean to you?
3. What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Why ask this question?
What about this candidate makes them stand out from other candidates? That’s what you’re looking to evaluate. This question is a good way to see what the candidate values, or at least, what they feel would be valuable in a candidate for this role.
What you should look for:
Candidates should be able to tie their achievement back to the role in some way, whether the outcome itself is directly relatable, or the skills or qualities they needed to achieve it.
It’s also helpful to note how the candidate defines an achievement, and values: what do they define as their ‘greatest’ achievement and why?
Variations of this question:
- What is your greatest personal achievement?
- Tell me of a time you planned to achieve a goal and succeeded?
- How do you define success?
4. Why do you think you’ll be successful in this role?
Why ask this question?
This question provides the opportunity to see just how well the candidate has researched the role they’ve applied for. Their response should be specific and relevant to the job.
It also shows what they think will be important within the job.
On the surface, this is asking them to explain why they are the best suited for the role, but on a deeper level, recruiters ask this question in order to judge what the candidate believes sets them apart from other applicants.
What you should look for:
A well-crafted response to this question will cover the three specific parts of this question: a) Why will they be successful in this role? b) What do they think success looks like in this role? c) Why do they think they’ll be successful in this role?
Variations of this question:
- Why do you think you’re well suited for this job?
- What skills do you think will help you be successful in this role?
- What qualities do you believe are essential for this job?
Teamwork interview questions
1. How do you feel about working in a team environment?
Why ask this question:
This is a straight-forward question: does the candidate enjoy working as part of a team or on their own? This may be more important for some roles than others.
What you should look for:
Key skills you should be looking for in a candidate’s response include the ability to collaborate and work effectively as part of a group.
Make sure you ask for an example in order to demonstrate these key skills if they do not provide them themselves.
Variations of this question:
- What do you enjoy most about working in a team?
- How did you enjoy group assignments at high school / university?
- Tell me about a time you needed to work collaboratively in order to achieve a work goal.
2. Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a goal.
Why ask this question:
This question may be more important for some roles than others.
However, most roles will require some degree of teamwork, whether that’s part of an actual team, or with other departments, so investigating how the candidate has worked as part of a group in the past is a good way to see how they’ll handle working collaboratively in the role they’re interviewing for.
What you should look for:
Look out for those important soft skills that teamwork involves: collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills, for example.
Another key aspect of this question is how well they are able to motivate or organise a group towards a particular goal. While this may fall more towards leadership than groupwork, it can nevertheless be a desirable quality in candidates.
Variations of this question:
- Describe a time you contributed to a team.
- Can you give me an example of a time you worked with a team with individuals who had different opinions / cultural backgrounds?
- Are you a team player?
3. Have you ever had difficulty working in a team situation?
Why ask this question:
Most people have had a challenging situation working within a team; what’s important is how they managed it.
What you should look for:
Interviewers should look for candidates that are able to keep a cool head under pressure, remain professional, and are able to find compromises even in difficult, high stress situation.
But interviewers should also look for candidates that bad mouth former colleagues, organisations, or managers; who lost their temper; or were not able to handle high stress situations in the past. This is likely how they will respond to similar situations in the future.
4. What role do you typically take in teamwork challenges?
Why ask this question:
When put in a team environment, different people will naturally gravitate to different roles: some prefer to lead, for example, while others prefer to stay in the background. Successful teams require a good mix of personalities, so remember that one particular response to this question is not always the right one.
What you should look for:
The most important qualities to seek from candidates in response to this question are the ones that fit a pre-existing team, or a good mix of personalities if you’re hiring more than one person.
Variations of this question:
- What role do you play in a team?
- Do you enjoy taking on a leadership role within teams?
- What qualities do you think makes a successful team?
Problem solving interview questions
1. Can you give me an example of a time when you encountered a business challenge and how you overcame it?
Why ask this question:
Unsurprisingly, this question seeks to test how the candidate deals with challenges and difficulties at work. The way they answer can provide a lot of clarity surrounding what they see as a challenge, for example, or how creative and resilient they are.
What you should look for:
First of all, you should be looking for competency and confidence in the face of adversity. Keeping a cool head under pressure is another good sign.
Take note of what they consider to be a challenge, and how they instinctively respond: proactively? Do they shy away from difficult situations or prefer to face them head-on?
Another key thing to note is how they solve problems. Do they like to sit down and map out a plan? Or are they more likely to act on the spot, going with their gut?
Variations of this question:
- Tell me about an accomplishment at work
- Tell me about a time you tried something new and failed
- Tell me about a time a client / customer was unhappy. What did you do to resolve the situation?
2. Tell me about a time you disagreed with your boss?
Why ask this question:
Questions about disagreements or conflict, particularly with management, tend to be awkward for the candidate to discuss in job interviews. This question is a test not only of their ability to handle difficult situations with their boss, but also how they respond when faced with a difficult question on the spot.
What you should look for:
Ultimately, this question wants to know how candidates handle high pressure, stressful situations involving people of a higher seniority. That requires a certain amount of respect and emotional maturity, but it’s also likely to involve a scenario in which the candidate will have been required to back up their arguments with facts or proof.
Look out for these qualities, as well as a sense of professionalism, loyalty, responsibility, and honesty.
Variations of this question:
- Tell me about a time you experienced conflict at work.
- How do you handle conflict?
- How do you handle disagreements as part of a team?
3. How do you approach problems?
Why ask this question:
If you’re interviewing for a role that requires a lot of analytical thinking and problem-solving, this question will get the candidate to explain how they handle challenges.
What you should look for:
Depending on the role the candidate has applied for, you’ll want to see a very clear approach to problems: typically, you’ll want them to a) Analyse the problem, b) Gather the data, information or resources they’ll need, then c) Make an informed decision.
Other interesting things to note include: - How the candidate deals with pressure or high stress - Creativity or novel, out-of-the-box thinking - Whether the problem they describe is relevant to the role they’ve applied for - A sense of professionalism, competence, and proactivity.
Variations of this question:
- When you’re faced with a challenge, what do you do?
- Tell me about a time you faced an unexpected business problem. How did you handle it?
- How do you handle unhappy clients?
4. How do you approach high stress situations?
Why ask this question:
This is a straight-forward question: how does the candidate deal with high pressure?
What you should look for:
A straight-forward question with a straight-forward answer. Look for: - Professionalism, - A calm head under pressure, - The ability to think analytically and reasonably, weighing all the options - The ability to act rationally, not impulsively - A respectful attitude, treating their staff with dignity despite the pressure.
Variations of this question:
- How do you cope with stress?
- Give me an example of a time you had to work under pressure. How did you handle it?
- How do you handle tight deadlines?
5. How do you handle disagreements at work?
Why ask this question:
It is not uncommon to experience a difference of opinions at work, whether that’s within a team setting, with clients, or with management.
How candidates respond to these situations is crucial.
This question can tell you a lot about the candidate’s communication and people skills, as well as their level of emotional intelligence and ability to work cohesively within a team.
What you should look for:
Candidates should be able to demonstrate: - Active listening - A respectful attitude - A cool head under pressure - An interest in building relationships - Acting objectively
Furthermore, if they are able to come to a resolution that satisfies all parties involved (to the best of their ability), that would be an ideal response.
Failure interview questions
1. Tell me about a time you make a mistake?
Why ask this question:
Candidates can struggle with this question; it’s difficult to discuss your mistakes and/or shortcomings with someone who is judging your ability to get the job done.
That’s why interviewees who are able to handle this question with ease often stand out.
Hiring managers ask this question in order to get a sense of their ability to be honest, self-aware, and to learn from their mistakes, applying that insight in future situations.
What you should look for:
Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is how we respond to them. Hiring managers should note candidates that can handle this question with grace and humility, and who can demonstrate how they have applied their particular lesson in other scenarios.
A certain degree of emotional intelligence and maturity should be on display here, as should be their ability to apologise and accept responsibility.
Similarly, keep an eye out for mistakes that directly impact their ability to get the job done.
Variations of this question:
- How do you handle mistakes at work?
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Tell me about a time you tried something new, but failed.
2. Tell me about a time you didn’t meet your deadline?
Why ask this question:
As in all questions that discuss failure, missed deadlines are inevitable. This common workplace experience is more about what led the candidate to miss their deadline, and how they responded to it.
What you should look for:
Interviewers should note the following: - Why did they miss the deadline? - Did far in advance did they realise they were not going to make it? - How did they address this failure? - What was their response to it? - What did they learn, and have they applied this lesson?
It’s important that candidates demonstrate they’ve applied this lesson in situations since then. If they haven’t had the opportunity to do so, that they’ve at least gained valuable insight from their mistake.
Red flags to look out for include: - A defeatist attitude - Shifting blame - Badmouthing former colleagues or management.
Variations of this question:
- How do you juggle multiple deadlines?
- Tell me about a time you had to handle tight deadlines?
- Can you give me an example of a time you were unable to meet project goals?
3. How do you handle failure?
Why ask this question:
Failure is inevitable; what’s important is how people deal with it.
This question addresses this very thing: how will candidates respond to failure within the role they’ve applied for? Will they handle mistakes with grace, or will they shift the blame and refuse to learn?
What you should look for:
Interviewers should note whether or not the candidate is able to accept responsibility for their mistakes, and demonstrate that they have learned from it.
Further, responses that are able to give an example of how they have applied this lesson, or how they intend to apply this lesson, are often the most stand-out.
Red flags to watch out for include: - An inability to accept responsibility - A lack of insight or lessons learned - Bad-mouthing former colleagues, managers, or workplaces - A defeatist attitude
Variations of this question:
- How do you define failure?
- What do you do when you’ve made a mistake at work?
- How have you responded to a mistake made by a teammate in the past?
Once you’ve compiled your list of interview questions, it’s a good idea to re-familiarise yourself with the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and portfolio if they’ve submitted one.
Be sure to know what questions you have a right to ask, and which are illegal in your location. In Australia, as a general rule, anything work-related is fine, but anything personal is not.
Finally, remember that candidates are often nervous, so the key is to make them feel comfortable in order to open up. Remember: they’re interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them.
Once you have completed conducting your interviews, it's time to start shortlisting your potential candidates.
