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If you’re thinking about hiring someone for your company and it’s not a task you perform regularly, it can be a bit daunting. Not only do you worry about asking questions that will give you information-filled answers, but there are questions you legally cannot ask in an interview. Keep reading to learn more about what interview questions to ask.
Key Takeaways
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Knowing the purpose of each question you ask in an interview will help you ask the right questions and look at the answers more critically.
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There are some illegal job interview questions that you should know, so you avoid asking them, even accidentally.
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There are some questions that are questionable, they might be questions you have to ask for the job, but if they’re not, they should be avoided.
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There are two types of interview questions, open and closed, and both have a place in the job interview.
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The best interview questions to ask a candidate give you specific insight into how they’ll perform in the job and if they’re a fit for your company.
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After the interview, there are a few clean-up questions you should ask in summary.
Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
Let’s dive into some of the best interview questions to ask and why by looking at some real-world interview question examples.
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Q: Why are you interested in this position?
This open-ended question gives them a chance to talk about what they see as important aspects of the job opening and to talk about how they fit into that role. This is vital information for you to have, and it helps you compare the candidate in front of you with the ideal candidate you’ve mapped out.
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Q: How does your previous experience relate to this job?
Again, another open-ended question helps line the candidate up against the job opening for a comparison.
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Q: Tell me about a time you handled a problem at your current job and were proud of the results. What about a time when you were disappointed with the outcome?
This is a question and a follow-up question that focuses on honesty and real-world situations. Let’s face it, not everything goes well in life and business, and there are going to be mistakes. You want an employee who knows how to deal with situations when they don’t go as planned. You might also want someone who is ready to step up and take the initiative when situations occur.
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Q: What did you like/dislike most about your last job?
Another question is where you’re going to get a lot of information about their personality at work. This question might require some follow-up and digging. If they disliked the manager at their last job, was it because they didn’t take direction well, or was the manager bad at their job? Feel free to probe a little to learn more about why they had the feeling they did.
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Q: Why should we hire you over another candidate for this position?
This is an old standby interview question, and it’s still a good one. This is where they get the opportunity to sell themselves and spotlight talents and skills that maybe aren’t on their resume but that can be important. Pay attention to their answer here because it not only tells you more about their personality but also gives you insight into how they view themselves.
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Q: Do you like working in a team or alone?
Obviously, the answer you want to hear is determined by the job opening and the ideal candidate profile. Either way, this is an important question.
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Q: What are your future professional goals, or where do you see yourself professionally in five or ten years?
If you’re looking for a key player who will grow with the company, then here is where you’ll get a better idea of their qualification and desire to do that. If you want someone who is happy to stay in that position and you can count on them for years to come, this is also where that information is discovered.
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Q: What is your work methodology?
This question is geared toward independent workers usually and not people working in a team. Team tasks are typically defined, and there’s not a lot of variation. If you’re hiring an independent worker, this gives you a view into how they organize their work and prioritize.
Some of the more critical soft skills that can’t be learned come into play here, and it’s important to understand which ones they possess and which ones they’re lacking.
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Purpose of Interview Questions
You’re hiring someone for a position with your company; of course, you’re going to interview them and ask some questions – but why? It seems like a very remedial question, but it’s one that deserves a deeper look.
On the surface, sure, you’re asking interview questions of the candidates to get a better feel for their competence and experience and maybe to pick up a little insight into their character or personality. That’s a given, but what do you really want to know?
It pays to dive deep into your situation and discover what you’re really trying to learn from this individual. The answers may change every time you have a job opening, and they certainly will change for different positions within the company.
So, take a moment to consider what the ideal candidate looks like; what skills they have, whether they are a leader or good at taking direction, how much experience they have, what is their personality type, etc.
When you have an idea of who your ideal employee is, it’s easier to tailor interview questions to see if that individual lines up with your desired characteristics, experience, and knowledge base.
Illegal Job Interview Questions
Before we look at the best interview questions to ask, it’s best to review what questions you can’t ask in an interview. It is illegal to discriminate against people for reasons that relate to race, age, disability, and religion. That means that any question which hints at those areas can be deemed illegal.
That’s a broad list of topics, so we’ll give you a few questions to illustrate what to avoid asking. This way, you get a better idea of what questions not to ask in a job interview.
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What religion are you?
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Do you go to church on Sundays?
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Are you married?
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Do you have children?
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Are you planning on having a family soon?
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Do you have a wife/husband?
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What race are you?
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That’s an interesting accent; what country are you from?
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How old are you?
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Do you think you’re old enough to do this job?
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Aren’t you about ready to retire?
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Are you sure you can do this job with that disability?
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Where were you born?
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When is your baby due?
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What gender do you identify with?
Gray Areas of Job Interview Questions
While asking someone about their race is typically considered an illegal question, it might be required if the employer is actively a part of affirmative action programs. Similarly, age and a few other factors can plan into this equation. If your company is part of these programs, you should already know this and know what questions you can ask.
A newer concern is when it comes to personal pronouns and how someone’s gender identifies. You certainly want to be respectful and refer to them appropriately, but outright asking can be considered illegal. It’s best to try to stay neutral and use the pronoun you or they/them.
Some other topics that be a little touchy and border on illegal are asking about height and weight, citizenship, and medical questions. It’s true that some of these questions are important because they relate to the job. The rule of thumb is that if it’s not necessary to know this for the job, then don’t ask for it.
One final note that’s rather important is that if someone offers information to you that is straight-up something you can’t ask, it’s okay. Say a candidate says, “My husband and I go to the Catholic church across the street every Tuesday.” You don’t need to discard them as a candidate or stop the interview.
This was volunteered information, and not your fault it came up, but it definitely should not play into your hiring decision whatsoever.
Types of Interview Questions
There are two basic types of questions, open and closed. A closed question typically has one answer, and it’s very brief – they’re often yes or no questions but not solely. For example, “Can you safely lift 25 pounds?” That’s a closed question, and it might be something you need to know from your interviewee to see if they can do the job.
An open question doesn’t have a specific answer, and it can be a great job interview tool that gives you a lot of beneficial insight. For example, “Tell me about a time when you solved a problem at work.” Just imagine all the interesting answers you might hear and what those answers will tell you about that person.
Both types of questions are important in a job interview. It’s best to mix up the questions so there aren’t too many closed questions in a row and not too many open questions. Too many closed questions make the interviewee feel like there’s no rapport and you don’t really care about them. Too many open questions can feel like prying, and they’ll shut down and stop giving you additional information.
Questions to Ask After an Interview
Did you think you were done with questions? The end of the interview is typically a time for the interviewee to ask questions. Usually, you can expect to field questions relating to benefits, hours, duties, professional development, the company’s future goals and trajectory, culture, and training. But you will have a few questions to ask before you wrap things up.
Make sure to find out when the individual would be available to start. Ask them how best to contact them – once they’ve reached the interview stage, they deserve to be contacted whether they get the job or not. Ask if they’re still interested in the position and how they feel about what you’ve discussed. And it’s a good idea to ask them if they believe they’re still a good fit for the job.
Job Interview Questions to Ask Candidates FAQ
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Can I ask different questions of different candidates for the job?
Yes and no, candidates should have a similar interview experience with you, where you cover specific questions about their experience, education, goals, and personality traits. That said, every interview will be different as each person will have individual experiences that deserve follow-up questions and clarification.
They’ll also have different approaches and goals, and that will dictate the direction of some of the conversations.
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What if someone tells me something that’s illegal for me to know?
It’s not necessarily illegal to know certain information, it’s illegal to base your hiring on that information, and you can’t ask those specific questions. If you see someone has a wedding band on, you’ll likely assume they’re married, which is fine as long as you don’t decide to hire them because they’re married and probably won’t devote all their time to their job.
Likewise, they might tell you they heard about the job opening from someone at church. Now you know they go to church, but it’s okay to have that information as long as you don’t use it as a determining factor in hiring them or not.
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How should I organize my interview questions?
It’s best to mix open and closed questions throughout so the rapport and conversation feel more natural. You should also take a good look at what your ideal candidate would look like on paper and then arrange your questions to logically track that path.
What is their past experience and education, what were their previous jobs like and what duties did they have, and where do they see themselves in the future?
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What’s the most important part of interviewing candidates for a job?
Listening. Short and simple, the most important job you have during an interview is to listen to their answers. It’s easy to get nervous and have your brain racing, thinking about the next question you’re going to ask, and it takes practice to break that.
But when you learn to listen to their answers and compare them against the characteristics you’re looking for, you learn to ask follow-up questions that lead to greater insight. You also appear more engaged, and that will make the interviewee feel more at ease and it will build rapport.
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Author
Kristin Kizer
Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.
