7 Timeless Interview Questions to Ask Candidates – For Any Position

Posted by: Karen Booher on February 18th, 2025

A key to being able to fairly evaluate candidates is to be consistent with your questions. You may want to consider getting “back to the basics” with your toolbox of interview questions. There’s a reason they’ve been staples in interviews for so long… because they result in good information coming back to the interviewer!

Aside from additional job-related or skill-specific questions that you will need to ask based on the role, following are seven general questions that can glean important insights into potential candidates, regardless of what position you are interviewing them for.

1. Why do you want to work here? (Or what interests you in this position)?

This question reveals whether the candidate has taken the time to research your company and carefully read the job description. They should be able to show that they have a passion for the industry or role, or that their values align with the values and mission of the company.

Watch out for responses that are too generic, focused on pay/salary, or somehow reveal the candidate’s intention to use the position as a stepping stone.

2. What’s most important to you in your next position or company?

This open-ended question is great for identifying a candidate’s motivation and for uncovering pain points from previous jobs. It can reveal a litany of things that are important for a potential employer to know.

Are they looking for career advancement, professional development, a great benefits package, flexibility due to personal or family commitments, remote/hybrid work, strong camaraderie with their co-workers, etc.

3. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Although this question may seem almost cliché, it can expose some great insights into how self-aware, sincere, and humble candidates are. Ideally, you want to hear honest, specific answers that offer explanations or examples.

The strength part of the question gives the candidate a chance to discuss how their best qualities align with the needs of the role and even demonstrate how their strengths can help reach department or even company goals.

A candidate’s weaknesses can help you deduce whether they could hamper their ability to excel in your role, and to show how a candidate is working to improve on their shortcomings.

4. Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you resolved it.

Everyone has experienced challenging circumstances at work, whether it be with a boss, co-worker, or customer/client. Often, it’s in these moments that professionals grow the most. This behavioral question also allows the candidate to demonstrate how they perform under pressure and their ability to discuss their problem-solving skills and manage stressful situations.

Watch out for answers that blame co-workers, a boss, or the company; or that lack details.

5. What career accomplishment makes you most proud?

Asking the candidate to share a career highlight helps you better understand the type of work that makes them feel fulfilled and helps you to determine whether it’s aligned with what your role entails.

If they can’t think of anything, that may demonstrate they are not sufficiently invested in their work, or don’t take pride in their work. Beware of answers that skip details and are overly generic.

6. Tell me something about yourself that isn’t on your resume.

There’s much more to candidates than what’s listed on their resume. That’s why this question is so effective – it’s purposefully vague and allows the interviewee to decide whether they want to share something job-related or not.

They may choose to tell you about their volunteer work, the sabbatical they took to travel the world, their family, or a hobby they are passionate about. The way they choose to respond to this question, and the stories they share, can tell you a lot about the type of employee they will be and what they could contribute to your company culture.

7. What are the reasons for leaving your past positions (or looking to leave your current employer)?

This is more naturally covered when discussing a candidate’s previous positions than in one isolated question, but it’s very important to know the story behind each job separation. It can shed light on a candidate’s motivation and help determine if there is a problem pattern or simply a set of uncontrollable circumstances such as a company-wide layoff or a move to another state due to a spouse’s transfer. Be careful of dismissing someone as a “job hopper” until you know the full story.

Pay close attention to how a candidate talks about their former job. Are they focusing on the negative, or do they lean more on the positive side by addressing their hopes for the future? Also, the candidate’s ability to show respect for their previous employer and workplace demonstrates their civility and professionalism – essential attributes in any role.

Interview Questions to Avoid

Although a candidate may choose to disclose some of the following in an interview without being prompted, employers need to ensure they avoid asking the following questions which are illegal to ask in an interview.

• What an interviewee’s current or past salary/compensation was.
• Questions related to race, color, religion, sex (sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy status), national origin, age, marital/family status, genetic or medical history.
• Any disability-related questions. Focus on the required job duties and whether the candidate can perform them with or without reasonable accommodation.

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Sources:

1. Decades of interviewing experience at J. Kent Staffing!
2. “Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates“, Indeed Employer Content Team, January 31, 2025.