In my previous post, I described how behavioral questions are more effective than hypotheticals at predicting future performance. In this post, I’ll describe some of the best interview questions you can ask — and why.
When I was first starting out as a hiring manager, I didn’t know much about how to do it well. But after years of practice, I’ve learned that there’s a very specific set of questions that tend to work better than others, and that asking those questions helps you hire people who will perform better on the job.
There are many different types of interview questions, but they all fall into one of these four diagnostic categories:
Behavioral questions
Situational questions
Skill-based questions
Career goals and motivation questions
Each type reveals a different candidate dimension:
Behavioral questions reveal problem-solving skills and soft skills like adaptability.
Situational questions test decision-making ability in fast-paced environments.
Skill-based questions assess personality, experience, and expertise simultaneously.
Career goals and motivation questions determine whether a role fits a candidate’s trajectory.
Selecting by question type improves your chances of making a successful hire.
If you want to maximize your hiring accuracy, you should focus on selecting the right types of questions to ask. Behavioral questions are particularly useful because they assess real past performance, while situational questions test decision-making under pressure. Skill-based questions help you gauge both hard and soft skills, and career goals and motivation questions help you determine whether a role fits a candidate’s trajectory.
Questions That Reveal Motivation, Problem-Solving, and Growth
One of my favorite questions is “What drew you to this role?” It surfaces whether a candidate genuinely wants the role or if it’s just a fallback option. This question is especially useful in cases where candidates have applied to multiple positions.
Another great question is “Share a time when you encountered a major obstacle at work and discuss how you managed it.” Behavioral questions draw on specific past professional situations, which allows them to assess not only a candidate’s hard skills but also their soft skills like adaptability. This type of question is grounded in real experience, so it’s more reliable than hypotheticals.
I also like to ask situational questions. These use hypothetical scenarios to test a candidate’s ability to think on their feet and make quick decisions. They’re especially diagnostic for roles that require fast-paced decision-making, such as sales or customer service.
Strengths-and-weaknesses questions are another great tool. When asked “What would you say is your greatest attribute?” or similar questions, these prompt genuine self-reflection and reveal a candidate’s growth mindset. Questions about areas for improvement and how candidates make the most of their skills are also helpful.
The self-directed learning question is a single probe for learning agility and resourcefulness: “Tell me about something you had to teach yourself recently. What was it? How did you go about it? What kind of resources did you use?”
Skill-based questions are another good choice. They assess personality, experience, and expertise together, allowing you to gauge both hard and soft skills in one question.
Career Goals, Company Research, and Cultural Fit
Career aspiration questions are also important. When asked “What are your aspirations for the future in your career?” or similar questions, these help you predict retention and determine whether a role fits a candidate’s trajectory.
Finally, I like to ask questions that test whether a candidate has genuinely researched the company. Company knowledge and interest are identified as a distinct evaluation category, and they filter out broadly applying candidates. Candidates who have done meaningful research are rewarded with more detailed follow-up questions.
Cultural fit questions are another way to surface team alignment and organizational role clarity from both sides. For example, “What are the top qualities you look for in a new team member that would help them thrive in this position?” or “What are the company’s long-term goals and how does this position contribute to achieving them?”