The art of asking questions
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Interviewing is both an art and a science. It is a conversation with a purpose that opens the door to genuine communication and informed decision-making.
When you are interviewing someone you are not trying to “catch them in a lie” or “put them on the spot”. An interview is also not the same as a “coffee chat” where you figure out if you’d love to have a beer with this person at happy hour next Friday.
The purpose of an interview from the perspective of the employer is threefold. First to assess competency and motivation for the role and company, second to clarify to the candidate what is needed and expected for this role and last but not least to demonstrate professionalism and reasons why this candidate should choose you as their next employer.
In order to accomplish the above, you need to master the art and science of asking questions. So let’s cover some techniques that will help you do that.
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Opt for open-ended vs. closed-ended questions. Why? You will receive more and higher quality information which will allow you to more accurately assess the candidate. Open-ended questions invite the candidate to elaborate, create space for further probing and show genuine curiosity.
Examples: “Tell me about your biggest achievement in your last role?” (open) vs. "Do you prefer working with a team or independently?" (closed)
Ask follow-up questions. Often described as the “Peeling of the onion” or “Funnel” technique. Once you’ve asked an open-ended question and received the initial answer, follow-up with a clarifying question. You can technically spend your whole interview probing to understand the full context and scope of the candidate’s key achievements.
Examples: Who did you work with on this project? Tell me more about the scope. Say more about the impact. What did you learn from this? And so on.
Ask behavioural questions. These questions invite the candidate to tell a story with them as the main character. They ask candidates to share examples of specific situations where they had to use a certain skill.
Example: “Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker” / “Tell me about a time you failed.”
Understand the difference between behavioural and hypothetical questions and use the latter with caution. A hypothetical question (aka situational) gives you a hypothetical answer of how someone would respond in a situation. They elicit the candidate’s opinions and beliefs and not past experience. Their main purpose when used correctly is to test problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity (through case studies or in technical interviews for example). Only use them if you are clear on their limitations and know what you are testing with them.
Example: “What would you do if you had a conflict with a colleague?” (hypothetical) vs. “Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a colleague and what you did about it.” (behavioural)
Replace “Why” with “How” or “What”. Why? Because starting with “why” puts the candidate on the defensive. It has a negative connotation of trying to put someone on the spot by implying that they need to justify or defend their actions and decisions. “Why?” zooms into reasons and justifications and misses the mark on inviting the whole story. A better way to ask a follow-up question is to replace “Why” with a “How” or a “What” question.
Example: “Why did you leave your last employer?” vs. “What prompted you to leave your last employer?” / Why did you go into sales? Vs. How did you choose a career in sales?
Ask one question at a time. Research shows that human brains are notoriously bad at multitasking. When you ask 5 questions at the same time, your candidate doesn’t know which part to answer and while they are answering one question, they are also trying to remember the other 4. This practice leads to less than productive conversations.
Example: No need for examples here. Just ask one question at a time.
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Replace leading questions. These are questions that already contain part of the answer in them. They lead the candidate in the direction you’ve set and tell them what you want to hear.
Example: “How are you enjoying your current role?” Contains an assumption that has not been established. A better way to ask this question would be “How are you experiencing your current role/company?”
Many closed-ended questions are also leading.
Example: “Would you describe yourself as a team player?” vs. “Tell me about the last time you worked on a project as part of a team.”
Summarise in order to confirm your understanding. This is a good interviewing, sales and negotiation technique. It gives the interviewee a chance to add more context, confirm or counter your summary. My advice would be to use this technique only after you’ve fully covered a specific topic and don’t overdo it. When used too much it can become leading and a bit tedious for the candidate.
These are some techniques you can use in your next interviews. I believe interview questions should invite curiosity, insight and contribute to sound decision-making on both sides. The kind of questions you ask does matter. The way you ask these questions matters as well.
My all-time favourite question to ask in interviews is “Tell me about your biggest achievement in your last/current role?”
Curious to hear what your favourite interview question is?
