Interview questions come in all flavors. Sometimes, they’re straightforward—“Tell me about yourself.” Sometimes, they’re a mini intelligence test—“Tell me how you think they make M&Ms.” Sometimes, they’re just plain weird—“If you were an animal, what kind would you be?”
But the best interview questions are behavior-based queries that focus on what applicants know how to do and how they do it. They’ll help you zero in on a candidate’s skills, knowledge and temperament—the kind of information you need to pick the right person for the job. Some examples:
- How can we best reward you for doing a job well done?
- What have your mistakes taught you?
- What frustrates you at work, and what do you do about it?
- How do you like to be managed?
- What kind of supervisor brings out your peak performance?
- What is the most useful criticism you ever received? Given?
- What one area of your performance do you struggle with?
- Tell me about a time when you had to adapt quickly to change.
- In your position, are you a risk taker or do you play it safe?
- Describe a time you had to sacrifice quality to meet a deadline.
- How do you stay current on industry trends and standards?
- What do you think are key qualities for this position?
- How has your current position prepared you for this job?
- Have you ever been fired? Why?
- What strategies do you use when you cannot solve a problem?
- What are your three most effective business accomplishments?
- What policies have you written and implemented?
- Tell me about a time when your communication skills had an impact.
- Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you changed your plan mid-project.
