Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates (As The Interviewer)

The best interview questions to ask candidates go beyond surface-level answers. Pick five to seven questions that map to what you actually need and require candidates to get specific about what they did, why, and the results. 

Use behavioral prompts and then ask follow-up questions to dig deeper to separate real experience from rehearsed answers. This will help reveal what someone will actually be like to work with every single day. 

The Best Interview Questions (And Why They Actually Matter)

The real value of any interview question isn’t in the question itself, but in what the answer tells you about the person sitting across from you. Your job as a hiring manager is to sort through the polished stories and get to the practical truth about their skills, habits, and instincts. You do this by asking questions that encourage them to talk about their actual experiences instead of abstract hypotheticals.

Questions about skills and what they can actually do

These questions help you understand whether a candidate can not only talk about their skills, but also apply them in real, sometimes messy situations.

1. Tell me about the best boss or client you've ever had. What did you like about them, and why?

This question shows you what a candidate values in a working relationship. When someone talks about a past boss, they’re indirectly describing the management style they respond to best. Strong answers usually highlight specific qualities like clear communication or thoughtful direction, instead of generic compliments. It also gives you a sense of whether they prefer a hands-off manager or one who is actively involved; that difference matters because even a great hire can struggle if your working styles clash.

2. What are the first three things you would do in this role if we hired you?

Candidates who have done their research usually answer this question with ideas that connect directly to your business or team. Their response shows whether they’ve thought about how they’d contribute early on, instead of relying on vague plans to “get up to speed.” Look for people who can name real problems or opportunities and share how they’d start addressing them; strong candidates usually show initiative and a sense of how they could add value from day one.

3. If you could change one thing about how we do things in your area based on what you know, what would it be and why?

This question tests how carefully someone has paid attention during the interview process and how comfortable they are offering constructive feedback. You’re not looking for someone to tear your systems apart, but you do want a person who can spot opportunities for improvement without being dismissive. Strong candidates will give a practical suggestion and explain how they reached that conclusion. If someone insists everything looks perfect, it usually means they’re avoiding the question rather than thinking critically, or they’re telling you what they think you want to hear.

4. Walk me through a challenging technical problem or project you solved recently. What was your specific role?

Asking someone to walk you through a specific technical challenge forces them to move past high-level summaries and into the details that reveal how they actually work. This gives you insight into their problem-solving approach, how they handle obstacles, and whether they can differentiate between their contributions and the team’s. The strongest candidates explain not just what they did, but why that particular approach made sense; if they can’t or keep saying “we” without explaining what “I” did, that’s a red flag.

5. When was the last time you totally lost yourself in doing something where you lost track of time?

This question helps you understand what energizes a candidate and what kind of work naturally motivates them beyond just collecting a paycheck. Ideally, you want to hear examples that overlap with the work you need them to do. The goal isn’t to rule someone out if their answer involves hobbies, but to understand whether the tasks in your role are likely to keep them engaged over the long term.

Questions about work habits and how they operate

These questions explore whether someone’s natural working style matches how your team functions.

1. How much oversight or interaction do you like to have from your manager when working on a project?

Everyone has a preference when it comes to how closely they want to be managed. By asking this upfront, you get a sense of whether their expectations align with how you typically lead. Even a great candidate will struggle if they want daily direction and you generally check in once a week, but this question helps you avoid those mismatches before they turn into frustration on either side.

2. How do you like to receive feedback? How do you like to give feedback?

Feedback is part of any job, and how someone handles it tells you a lot about their resilience and communication skills. Strong candidates can point to specific moments where feedback helped them improve and explain how they responded. Their tone really matters here because defensiveness tends to show quickly when someone talks about criticism. You’re looking for someone who can stay open and constructive even when conversations get uncomfortable, not just people who claim to “love all feedback.”

3. How do you prioritize your tasks when everything seems urgent and you have multiple competing deadlines?

Especially in fast-paced roles, good candidates will explain how they assess which tasks truly need immediate attention rather than simply pushing everything to the top of the list. You want to hear about how they communicate with others, manage expectations, and push back when necessary. People who claim they “just work harder until it’s done” often struggle with boundaries and realistic planning.

4. Are there any tasks that technically fall under your job description but are not your favorite to do?

Nobody enjoys every single part of their job, so asking this question helps you figure out whether their least favorite tasks make up a significant portion of your role so you don’t set both of you up for disappointment. Honest candidates will admit what they find less enjoyable while still acknowledging the need to handle these tasks appropriately.

Questions about culture fit and values

These questions allow you to see how someone behaves when things don’t go smoothly, which is often the most important part of assessing long-term fit.

1. Tell me about a time that you messed up at work. How did you fix it?

You want someone who can take responsibility instead of scrambling to shift blame. A strong answer includes a real mistake, what caused it, and the clear steps they took to address the issue. Candidates who learned something from the experience tend to be more adaptable and self-aware, so be careful with responses that sound too polished or self-congratulatory, like “I cared too much.”

2. Tell me about a time you had a difficult interaction with a coworker. How did you resolve it?

Conflict happens at work, and this question shows how someone approaches tension and maintains professionalism. Look for answers that show empathy, communication skills, and what they did to move the situation forward. If someone speaks negatively about the other person or makes themselves the hero of the story, it’s worth paying attention to that tone; phrases like “they were just crazy” or “I had to go to HR” are cause for concern.

3. What was the last thing you learned outside of work, and why did you decide to learn it?

Curiosity and self-improvement are strong indicators of long-term potential. Someone who pursues new skills or interests tends to adapt more easily, and what matters most in their answer is why they chose that topic and how they approached learning it. People who struggle to think of anything they’ve learned recently may not be building new skills or pushing themselves.

4. What values are most important to you in a workplace?

A candidate’s values need to align with what your company can realistically provide. When someone highlights values like transparency, collaboration, or healthy work-life balance, you can compare that directly to what the role offers. The best candidates will also share examples of how those values have guided their past decisions.

Questions about leadership and taking initiative

These questions reveal whether someone can step forward, make decisions, and take responsibility for outcomes even if they’re not applying for a leadership title.

1. Tell me about a time you successfully led a project. Who did you work with? What were the challenges? What was the outcome?

Hearing someone describe a project from start to finish helps you understand how they organize work, communicate with others, and take ownership, even if they’re not applying for a management role. Strong answers include the challenges they faced, how they adapted, and what results they achieved. You also want to see whether they give credit to others while still explaining their own leadership contributions.

2. Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision with limited information.

Most jobs involve some ambiguity, so this question helps you assess whether someone can evaluate risks and move forward confidently without overthinking. A good response explains what they knew, what they didn’t, and how they balanced the uncertainty. Candidates who panic without perfect information usually struggle in environments that move quickly.

3. Give me an example of a goal you set for yourself and exactly how you achieved it.

This question shows how someone approaches planning and follow-through. The best answers include measurable outcomes, obstacles they ran into, and the strategies they used to stay on track. You’re looking for someone who takes initiative and can own their progress rather than relying on someone else to push them forward. If they only talk about goals someone else set for them, they might lack the initiative you need.

Questions about remote work (if hiring for remote positions)

If the role is remote, these questions help you understand whether someone can stay organized, communicate well, and manage their time without constant supervision.

1. Do you have experience working remotely? What do you think the biggest challenges are, and how would you handle them?

Remote work isn’t just about flexibility; it requires structure, communication, and the ability to stay focused without a traditional office environment. Strong candidates talk about challenges like staying connected with their team, managing distractions, and keeping boundaries between work and personal time, not just looking forward to “working in pajamas.” Their strategies for handling these challenges tell you whether they’re prepared for remote expectations. If they act like remote work has no downsides, they probably haven't successfully managed it before.

2. If you needed feedback from a remote team member right away but they weren't responsive, what would your next step be?

This question helps you see how someone handles delays or blocks when they’re working independently. Good candidates will explain how they try multiple communication channels, seek alternative resources, or shift to other tasks while waiting for a response. Look for someone who can keep momentum going instead of waiting around for one person to respond before moving forward. People who immediately escalate to a manager instead of trying to solve it themselves might not be self-sufficient enough.

The One Question Every Hiring Manager Must Ask

If there’s one question you don’t forget, make sure it’s this one:

Do you have any questions for me?

This question often reveals more about a candidate than anything else you ask. The best candidates will use this moment to get clarity about the role, team dynamics, and company as a whole. Their questions reveal what they care about and whether they’re approaching the opportunity seriously; look for questions about challenges the team is facing, expectations for the role, or how success is measured. If someone has nothing to ask, it can signal a lack of curiosity or preparation.

If you’re currently reading this as an interviewee hoping to gain insights into what not to do, look into our article about how to ace a job interview, too, to really get prepared.

Additional Interview Questions to Consider

Here are some more solid questions you can incorporate based on what matters most for your role.

Questions about experience and background:

• Could you tell me about your current job and what you do on a day-to-day basis?
• What made you apply for this position specifically?
• Why are you leaving your current role?
• What do you know about our company, and why do you want to work here?
• How did you hear about this opportunity?

Questions about skills and expertise:

• What tools and technologies are you most familiar with for this type of work?
• How do you stay updated with changes in your field?
• Can you explain a complex concept from your field to someone without technical knowledge?
• What's the most complex project you've worked on, and what was your role?
• How do you ensure the quality and accuracy of your work?

Questions about handling challenges:

• Tell me about a time when you faced a major challenge at work.
• Describe a time when you received unexpected feedback from a supervisor.
• Tell me about a time when you failed and what you learned from it.
• Describe a time when you had to adapt to a significant change.

Questions about motivation and fit:

• What motivates you to do your best work?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• How would your coworkers describe you?
• How would your boss describe you?
• What kind of work environment do you thrive in?

How to Dig Deeper When Candidates Give You Surface-Level Answers

Candidates often arrive with practiced answers to the most common interview questions, and it’s your job to move beyond what they rehearsed and get to the real truth underneath. The key is to ask follow-up questions because they force a candidate to shift from a polished overview into the specifics of what actually happened.

Follow-up questions that reveal the truth

• When a candidate tells you about a project they worked on, ask: "What was your specific role versus what other team members did?"
• When they mention a challenge they faced, ask: "What made that particularly difficult, and what would you do differently if you faced the same situation today?"
• When they describe a success, ask: "What were the actual measurable results, and how did you track or measure that success?"
• When discussing learning something new, ask: "How long did it take you to learn it, and can you walk me through how you applied it right away?"
• When they mention a mistake they made, ask: "What specifically went wrong, and what exact steps did you take to fix it and prevent it from happening again?"

The "tell me more about that" technique

Sometimes the best follow-up is simply, “Tell me more about that” or, “Can you give me a specific example?” Asking for more detail gives candidates room to share the parts of the story they didn’t script. Their comfort level with your follow-up questions can be just as revealing as the answers themselves.

Before the Interview: Get Crystal Clear on Your Priorities

Knowing what you want to learn from each candidate makes your interview far more effective. You can’t ask all of these questions in a 30-minute interview, so you need a short list of priorities. Realistically, you'll have time for five or maybe seven questions in a 30-minute interview, and 10 to 12 questions in an hour-long interview, if you want to leave room for follow-ups. 

Before you choose your questions, and definitely before you jump on the video chat or meet at the office, you need to have a clear understanding of what you're looking to learn about each candidate.

Ask yourself: What do I want my workday to look like once this person is in this role?

If you want someone who can take full ownership of projects, you need to ask questions that show whether they work independently and make decisions without constant guidance. If you plan to be more involved in their day-to-day work, choose questions that reveal how they handle frequent feedback and collaboration, or how they navigate team relationships. The clearer your picture of your ideal working relationship, the easier it becomes to choose questions that target what actually matters.

Ask yourself: What are the most important things to me in making this hire?

Different roles require different strengths: A content marketer might need strong writing skills and industry knowledge more than leadership experience, whereas a customer support candidate may succeed based on patience and communication skills rather than their familiarity with specific software. The key is to prioritize the qualities that truly matter and choose questions that help you evaluate them, not just hire based on whether they know a specific piece of software or not. Technical skills can often be taught, but things like empathy, professionalism, and self-motivation are much harder to instill from scratch.

Remember That Hiring Is a Two-Way Street

While you’re assessing candidates, they’re evaluating you just as closely. Candidates want to know what kind of team they’ll be joining and whether the role matches what they’re looking for, so this is an audition for you just as much as it is for the candidate. Being transparent about the realities of the job helps set expectations and builds trust early on. This is especially important when interviewing top candidates who may be weighing multiple offers.

How to make a great impression on top candidates

These small actions go a long way in building confidence and demonstrating that you value the candidate’s time:

• Arrive on time, prepared with thoughtful questions that demonstrate you've carefully reviewed their resume and background.
• Be transparent about what the role entails, including the challenging aspects, rather than overselling the opportunity and setting unrealistic expectations.
• Explain clearly what makes your company different and why someone would want to work there beyond just the salary and benefits.
• Follow up promptly after the interview with the next steps so candidates don't feel like they're waiting in limbo, wondering what happened.

Accept That Hiring Will Never Be Perfect

Show me a company that claims they have a perfect hiring record, and I'll show you a company that is lying. No hiring process is flawless. Even with great questions and careful evaluation, some hires won’t work out. That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong; it’s simply part of building and managing a team. What matters is how you respond when you realize a hire isn’t the right fit.

What to do when a hire doesn't work out

When that happens, the most important thing is addressing the issue early rather than hoping it improves on its own. Have clear, direct conversations about what isn’t working and what needs to change, and give the person a fair opportunity to adjust with specific expectations in place. If there’s still no improvement, it may be necessary to let them go, and doing so respectfully protects both sides. Every misstep offers clues about what to refine in your hiring process, and those insights make your next round of hiring stronger and more intentional.