Interview questions to ask candidates: 100 with what to listen for
100 interview questions to ask candidates, sorted by the skill each one tests. Each comes with what a strong answer sounds like, plus a printable scorecard.
How to use these interview questions to ask candidates
Good questions to ask candidates in an interview have three things in common: they ask for a real example, they test one skill the job needs, and you know before the interview what a strong answer sounds like. The list below gives you all three. Every question has a “listen for” line, so a hiring manager, a peer and a first-time interviewer score the same answer the same way.
Don't ask all 100. Great interview questions to ask candidates are the ones that match the role: pick 4 or 5 skills the job needs, take one or two questions for each, and ask every candidate the same set. The section on structured interviews shows how, with a scorecard you can print.
100 interview questions to ask a candidate, sorted by what they test
The best questions to ask an interviewee ask what they did, not what they would do. Each Copy button copies its group's questions as a numbered list for your interview doc.
10 questions about motivation
Why this job, why now, and what keeps them going once the novelty wears off.
- What made you start looking for a new role now?
Listen for: A pull toward something here, not only a push away from the last job.
- Which part of this job description made you want to apply, and which part made you hesitate?
Listen for: Specifics from the posting. An honest hesitation is a good sign, not a bad one.
- Tell me about the job you've enjoyed most. What made it good?
Listen for: The conditions they thrive in. Check whether this role offers them.
- What would make you turn down an offer from us?
Listen for: Dealbreakers you can address now, like schedule or remote policy, instead of at offer stage.
- What do you want to be better at a year from now?
Listen for: One specific skill and a plan for it, not "everything".
- Describe a work day that left you energized. What were you doing?
Listen for: How close those tasks are to this job's real week.
- What do you know about what we do, and what would you change about it?
Listen for: Real research and a respectful, specific opinion.
- Which accomplishment are you proudest of that isn't on your resume?
Listen for: What they value when nobody is grading.
- What kind of work would you happily hand off to someone else?
Listen for: Honesty. It's only a red flag if the answer is the core of this role.
- How do you judge your own work when nobody is reviewing it?
Listen for: Their own standards and checks, not only praise from others.
10 problem solving questions
Ask for a real example first, then probe the steps. The method matters more than the outcome.
- Tell me about a problem you solved that others had given up on.
Listen for: Persistence plus a change of approach, not just more hours.
- If customer complaints doubled next month, what would you look at first?
Listen for: They ask what changed and check the data before guessing a cause.
- Tell me about a time you had to choose between two good options. How did you decide?
Listen for: Criteria named up front and the trade-off stated plainly.
- Describe a fix you made that didn't work the first time. What did you try next?
Listen for: They measured the result and adjusted instead of defending the first fix.
- What's a problem from your last role that you'd solve differently today?
Listen for: A real lesson, told without blaming other people.
- Tell me about a time you had to solve something with almost no budget.
Listen for: Resourcefulness, and a clear sense of what to cut.
- How do you break down a big, messy task when you don't know where to start?
Listen for: A repeatable method: define done, split the work, start with the riskiest part.
- Tell me about a time you spotted a problem before anyone else did.
Listen for: What signal they noticed, and whether they raised it or just watched.
- When have you simplified something that had become too complicated?
Listen for: What they removed, and how they got people to agree to it.
- Tell me about a decision you had to make fast. What did you weigh?
Listen for: A sense of which choices can be undone and which can't.
For a role that lives on judgment, add one from our critical thinking questions, which include ten built for interviews.
10 questions about teamwork and collaboration
Listen for "we" where the team did the work and "I" where they did. Both should show up.
- Tell me about a project that only worked because of someone else on the team.
Listen for: Generous, specific credit, with a name and a contribution.
- Describe a time a teammate wasn't pulling their weight. What did you do?
Listen for: A direct, private conversation before escalating.
- Tell me about working with another department that had different goals.
Listen for: They learned the other team's goals and found the overlap.
- How do you hand off work so the next person can pick it up without you?
Listen for: Written context: status, decisions made, open questions.
- Tell me about a time you changed your plan because of a colleague's input.
Listen for: Real openness, not grudging compliance.
- What's the most useful thing a coworker has done to help you?
Listen for: What support they value, and whether they offer it to others.
- Tell me about a disagreement with a peer that ended well.
Listen for: They argued the idea, not the person, and the relationship survived.
- How do you build working relationships on a fully remote team?
Listen for: Deliberate habits: regular check-ins, clear writing, quick replies.
- Tell me about a time you asked for help sooner than you used to.
Listen for: They know that asking early saves the team time.
- Describe a group project where the roles were unclear. What did you do?
Listen for: They sorted out who owned what instead of waiting for someone else to.
10 communication questions
Half of the evidence is how they answer: the structure, the clarity, the length.
- How do you adjust a message for an executive versus your own team?
Listen for: Shorter and outcome first for executives, more detail for the team.
- Tell me about an email or message you wrote that changed a decision.
Listen for: A clear ask, evidence, and awareness of who was reading.
- How do you decide between a message, a meeting and a phone call?
Listen for: Matching the channel to how urgent and how complicated the topic is.
- Tell me about a time you were misunderstood. What did you change afterward?
Listen for: Ownership of the gap rather than blaming the listener.
- Describe a presentation that didn't land. What would you do differently?
Listen for: They read the room and would adjust for the audience.
- How do you give a status update when the news is mixed?
Listen for: The bad news early, with a plan attached.
- Tell me about a time you had to say no to someone senior.
Listen for: Respect, a clear reason and an alternative.
- How do you make sure people actually read what you write?
Listen for: Short, scannable, with the ask at the top.
- Tell me about a time you had to explain a mistake to a customer or client.
Listen for: Honesty, a fix and no excuses.
- What do you do when you realize the person you're talking to isn't following?
Listen for: They pause, check and say it another way.
10 questions about ownership and accountability
You're looking for people who finish things and say so early when they can't.
- Tell me about a commitment you couldn't keep. How did you handle it?
Listen for: An early warning and a new plan, not silence until the deadline.
- What's something you took on that wasn't in your job description?
Listen for: Initiative that served the team, not just the resume.
- Tell me about a time you finished something everyone else had moved on from.
Listen for: Follow-through on the dull last 10 percent.
- How do you keep track of everything you've promised people?
Listen for: A real system, not memory.
- Tell me about a time you noticed a mistake in someone else's work. What did you do?
Listen for: They flagged it kindly and helped fix it.
- Describe a target you missed. What did it teach you about setting targets?
Listen for: An honest diagnosis without excuses.
- When have you made a call without waiting for permission? How did it turn out?
Listen for: Good judgment about which decisions are theirs to make.
- Tell me about a process you own today. How do you know it's working?
Listen for: Measures they actually check, not "nobody complains".
- What do you do when a project you care about gets cancelled?
Listen for: They ask why, wrap up cleanly and move on.
- Tell me about delivering results with a team you didn't choose.
Listen for: They worked with the people they had and made it work.
10 questions about learning and growth
Skills go out of date. How someone learns tells you how they'll do in year three.
- What's the last thing you taught yourself, and how?
Listen for: A method: good sources, practice and feedback.
- Tell me about a skill you were bad at and got good at.
Listen for: The practice it took and how they knew they'd improved.
- Who has taught you the most at work, and what did they teach you?
Listen for: Humility and specifics.
- What's an opinion about your field you've changed in the last few years?
Listen for: Openness to new evidence, and what changed their mind.
- How do you get up to speed on a new tool or system?
Listen for: Trying it hands-on and asking the people who use it daily.
- How do you ask for feedback, and from whom?
Listen for: Specific questions to specific people, on a regular rhythm.
- What do you read, watch or listen to that makes you better at your job?
Listen for: Real habits, not a performance.
- Tell me about a time you were the least experienced person in the room. How did you contribute?
Listen for: Good questions and a quick study, not silence.
- What would you want to learn in your first six months here?
Listen for: Goals tied to this role, not a generic wish list.
- Tell me about a failure and the habit it left you with.
Listen for: A specific habit they still use, not a vague promise to try harder.
8 culture add questions
Ask what someone would add, not whether they fit. "Fit" too often means "like us".
- What's something you'd bring to this team that we might be missing?
Listen for: A concrete skill or perspective, not a buzzword.
- Describe the best team culture you've been part of. What made it that way?
Listen for: Behaviors, not perks.
- Tell me about a team habit you pushed to change.
Listen for: They challenged it respectfully and brought people along.
- Describe the manager you did your best work for. What did they do?
Listen for: Needs you can meet. If you can't, say so now.
- How do you like to receive feedback?
Listen for: Honest preferences, plus openness to feedback they won't enjoy.
- Tell me about a time you made a new teammate feel welcome.
Listen for: Small, specific acts: introductions, a saved seat, a first-week check-in.
- What does a good working week look like for you, Monday to Friday?
Listen for: Fit with the real rhythm of this role.
- What's a work habit of yours that colleagues have had to get used to?
Listen for: Self-awareness, ideally with some humor.
8 leadership questions
For managers and for anyone who leads without the title.
- Tell me about someone whose career you helped move forward.
Listen for: Their specific part, and what the person went on to do.
- How do you decide what to delegate, and to whom?
Listen for: Growth for the other person, not just offloading the dull work.
- Tell me about getting people behind a plan they didn't like.
Listen for: Explaining the why and hearing objections out.
- Describe a hard conversation about performance you had with someone on your team.
Listen for: Clear expectations, real support and a written follow-up.
- How do you run a team meeting people actually want to attend?
Listen for: A purpose, decisions and an early finish.
- Tell me about a time you protected your team from too much work.
Listen for: They pushed back with facts and offered trade-offs.
- How do you make sure quieter people on your team are heard?
Listen for: Concrete habits, like written input before meetings and asking directly.
- What's a decision you made as a leader that was unpopular but right?
Listen for: They explained it, owned it and checked the result.
16 role-specific starters
Four starters each for four common roles. Swap in your own tools and numbers.
Sales
- Walk me through your last deal from first call to close.
Listen for: A real process and numbers they own.
- Tell me about a deal you lost. What did you learn from it?
Listen for: Honest analysis, not "the price was too high".
- How do you research a prospect before a first call?
Listen for: Specific sources and a tailored opening.
- How do you build your pipeline when leads are slow?
Listen for: Their own outreach habits, not waiting on marketing.
Engineering
- Tell me about the bug that took you longest to find.
Listen for: A systematic hunt: reproduce, narrow down, verify the fix.
- How do you decide when code is ready to ship?
Listen for: Tests, risk and how easy it is to roll back.
- Describe a technical decision you'd make differently now.
Listen for: Trade-offs they understand better today.
- How do you review someone else's code?
Listen for: Kind, specific comments on what matters most.
Customer service
- Tell me about a customer you turned from angry to happy.
Listen for: Listening first, then a real fix.
- What do you do when the policy says no but the customer has a point?
Listen for: They escalate or find options within the rules.
- How do you handle a queue that's twice as long as usual?
Listen for: Triage, saved replies and a calm tone.
- Tell me about getting a customer's issue fixed by another team.
Listen for: They followed up until it was actually done.
Operations
- Tell me about a process you made faster or cheaper. How did you measure it?
Listen for: Before and after numbers.
- How do you plan for things going wrong?
Listen for: Backups, checklists and early warning signs.
- How would you learn a process you've never seen before?
Listen for: Watching it run, asking the people who do it, then writing it down.
- Tell me about a time a vendor or supplier let you down.
Listen for: A fix for the moment and a change that prevents a repeat.
8 unique interview questions to ask candidates
Casual interview questions to ask candidates: use one or two near the start or the end. They loosen a stiff conversation and still tell you something.
- What's a small thing at work that makes a big difference to your day?
Listen for: What they notice and value.
- If you could do any job here for a week, which would you pick?
Listen for: Curiosity about the business beyond their own role.
- Which of your strengths sometimes gets in your way?
Listen for: Honest self-knowledge, with an example.
- What's a question you wish interviewers asked you?
Listen for: What they most want you to know. Then let them answer it.
- Teach me something in two minutes. Any topic.
Listen for: Clarity and enthusiasm. The topic doesn't matter.
- What's the best advice you've ignored?
Listen for: Reflection and a little humor.
- What do you think this job looks like day to day?
Listen for: Realistic expectations. Correct any gaps now, not after the offer.
- What's the most interesting problem you've worked on, at work or outside it?
Listen for: What lights them up.
Want more open ended interview questions? Our guide to open-ended questions has 25 more, plus how to turn closed questions into open ones.
How to build a structured interview
A structured interview means every candidate gets the same questions, in the same order, scored on the same scale. It takes an hour to set up and makes every hire easier to defend.
- Pick 4 or 5 competencies. Ask the hiring manager what the best person in this role does that an average one doesn't. Turn the answers into skills, like ownership or customer communication.
- Choose 1 or 2 questions per competency. Take them from the list above or write your own. Every candidate gets the same questions in the same order.
- Agree on what a good answer sounds like. Before the first interview, write down what a 2 and a 4 would sound like for each question. The "listen for" lines above are a starting point.
- Probe the same way every time. After each answer, ask: what did you do, what happened, what would you change? Probes dig deeper without leading the candidate.
- Score alone, right after. Fill in the scorecard before you talk to anyone else, with the evidence for each score. Memory fades within hours, and the first opinion in a hallway sways everyone after it.
- Debrief as a panel. Meet within a day. Go competency by competency, share scores and evidence, and decide on what candidates said and did.
The point is fairness as much as accuracy: ask the first candidate and the fifth the same questions, or you end up comparing a hard conversation with an easy one. Our guide to an inclusive workplace covers the rest of a fair hiring process, from job posts and pay ranges to where you recruit.
A printable interview scorecard
One page per candidate, per interviewer: five competency rows, room for evidence, and this 1 to 4 scale. Four points, with no middle, so nobody can hide in a 3 out of 5.
- 1: No evidence. Vague, off topic, or only what they would do, never what they did.
- 2: Some evidence. A real example, but thin on their own actions or the result.
- 3: Strong evidence. A specific example with clear actions, a result and what they learned.
- 4: Exceptional. Several strong examples, or one that shows the skill above the level of the role.
How to debrief as a panel
- Everyone submits scores before the meeting, so nobody adjusts to the room.
- The most junior interviewer speaks first on each competency.
- Every score needs a quote or an example. "Great energy" is not evidence.
- Disagree about evidence, not about people. If two scores differ by 2 or more, look at what each interviewer heard.
- Decide against the competencies you chose, not against the last candidate.
Questions not to ask in an interview, and what to ask instead
US federal law bars hiring decisions based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age 40 and over, disability and genetic information. Questions that touch those topics can be used as evidence of bias, so leave them out.
Age
Don't ask: How old are you? What year did you graduate?
Instead: If the job has a legal minimum age: Are you at least 18?
Marriage, children and family plans
Don't ask: Are you married? Do you have kids, or plan to? Who looks after them?
Instead: This role travels two days a month. Can you meet that schedule? (Ask every candidate.)
Pregnancy
Don't ask: Are you pregnant? Are you planning a family soon?
Instead: Nothing. Describe the job's schedule and duties the same way to everyone.
Religion
Don't ask: Where do you worship? Which religious holidays do you observe?
Instead: The role includes Saturday shifts. Can you work that schedule? (Ask every candidate.)
National origin and citizenship
Don't ask: Where are you from originally? Are you a US citizen? Is English your first language?
Instead: Tell every candidate that all hires must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the US.
Disability and health
Don't ask: Do you have a disability? What medications do you take? How many sick days did you take last year?
Instead: Can you perform the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation?
Genetic information
Don't ask: Does anything run in your family? What did your parents' health look like?
Instead: Nothing. Family medical history is genetic information, and asking for it is generally unlawful.
Race, color, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity
Don't ask: Any question about them, or a request for a photo with the application.
Instead: Ask only about skills, experience and the work.
Arrests and criminal history
Don't ask: Have you ever been arrested?
Instead: Follow your state and city rules on when, and whether, you may ask about convictions.
Memberships
Don't ask: Which clubs or groups do you belong to?
Instead: Do you belong to any professional groups relevant to this job?
Pay history
Don't ask: What do you earn now?
Instead: What pay range are you looking for in this role?
This is general information based on the EEOC's guidance on hiring practices, not legal advice. Many states and cities add their own rules, for example on pay history and criminal history questions, so check with HR or an employment lawyer before you change your process.
Questions candidates will ask you, and how to answer
Strong candidates interview you back. Honest answers here save both sides a bad hire.
- “What does a normal week look like in this role?” Describe the real week, including the dull parts and the meetings. Surprises after day one cost you more than honesty now.
- “Why is this position open?” Say whether it's new, a promotion or a departure. You don't need details about the person who left.
- “What does success look like in the first 90 days?” Have two or three concrete outcomes ready. If you can't name them, the role isn't ready to fill.
- “What's the hardest part of this job?” Name it plainly. The right candidate will be glad to know, and the wrong one will opt out early.
- “How will I be managed?” Describe how often you meet one on one, how you give feedback and how decisions get made.
- “What's the team culture like?” Give one recent example of how the team worked through something, not a list of adjectives.
- “What's the pay range?” Share it early. A growing number of states and cities require a range in the job posting anyway.
- “What happens next, and when will I hear back?” Give a date, then keep it, even if the answer is "we need another week".
Remote interview tips
Video interviews work fine when the interviewer does the setup. Six habits keep them fair.
- Send everything the day before. The link, the names and roles of who they'll meet, how long it runs and a phone number in case the call drops.
- Test your side first. Camera, microphone and screen share, two minutes before the start. A late, glitchy interviewer sets the tone.
- Leave longer pauses. Video lag makes people talk over each other. Wait a beat after each answer before the next question.
- Judge the answers, not the room. Backgrounds, home noise and a camera that drops for a minute tell you nothing about the work.
- Keep it equal. Remote and in-office candidates get the same questions, the same length and the same scorecard.
- Share work samples in a doc. If you use an exercise, give it in a format they can open without installing anything.
Hiring someone early in their career? A day of job shadowing before the offer shows both sides what the work is really like.
After the offer: make the first weeks count
A good interview process ends with a yes. The first few weeks decide whether the yes sticks.
Plan the first day with our job orientation agenda, and the first three months with 40 onboarding activities and a 30-60-90 day plan. To mark the start, a welcome gift box shipped to their door works for office and remote hires alike; order small unbranded batches about 2 to 3 weeks ahead.
Hiring several people at once? A live host can run a welcome game for the new hires and the team on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request), and a team split across time zones can play in two sessions. Book about 2 weeks ahead. See our new hire onboarding events.
Two 60-minute hosted games for a new-hire welcome, with today's price. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.
