6+ Great Interview Questions and When to Use Them

Are you looking for ways to make a strong impression in recruitment interviews? This article from 1Office.vn shares unique tips on how to ask interview questions, helping you gain deep insights into a candidate’s skills and personality. From using open-ended and hypothetical questions to the STAR technique (Situation – Task – Action – Result), this article not only helps you gather accurate information but also makes the recruitment process easier and more effective. Explore now to enhance your recruitment skills!

1. 5 ways to ask interview questions to effectively evaluate candidates

1.1. Ask open-ended questions

Open-ended interview questions require candidates to think and reveal their attitudes or personal opinions. This method of asking open-ended questions does not confine the candidate’s answers to any specific template.

The purpose of these questions is usually for the recruiter to gain deeper insights into the candidate, including their working style, goals, and development direction. For example, a behavioral interview question asks the candidate to use past work experience to relate to situations they might encounter in the new position.

Below are sample recruitment interview questions that HR can use:

• Can you give me an example of how you have improved productivity at work?
• Why do you want to work for this company?
• What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
• What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced at work?
• Where do you see your career heading in the next 5 years?
• What does your ideal job look like?

When to ask open-ended interview questions in recruitment

• When to ask

Ask these questions frequently throughout the interview, but be sure to intersperse them with closed-ended questions.

• Note

If open-ended questions are not phrased specifically, candidates may give off-topic or rambling answers. Therefore, clarify the question from the beginning and avoid overly general or vague questions like “What are your upcoming goals?”.

1.2. Asking hypothetical questions

Hypothetical questions are questions that start with a hypothetical situation and ask the candidate to present their point of view and how they would handle it. This interviewing technique helps recruiters assess the candidate’s problem-solving abilities and how they perceive a given situation. To ask effective hypothetical interview questions and create specific scenarios, the interviewer needs to have good recruitment interviewing skills.

Examples of hypothetical questions HR can use:

• Suppose a project you were supervising did not meet the goals you set. How would you react?
• If you noticed employee morale declining, what would you do to improve it?
• If you were the hiring manager for this position, what skills would you look for in a candidate?
• If you had the chance to change your initial career path, what would you do differently?

When to ask hypothetical interview questions

• When to ask the question

These types of questions are most useful when framed within the context of real work situations, so when asking, recruiters should stick to the criteria and requirements of the job.

• Note

Don’t focus too much on the specific answers candidates give to hypothetical questions. What you are really looking for is an overview of the candidate’s approach to problems and how they solve and overcome them.

See more:

• What is MBTI? Applying the MBTI personality test to evaluate personnel and candidates
• 5 Steps to create a job description with standard templates for various positions and roles

1.3. Asking follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are a type of question that focuses on an issue to “challenge” the candidate’s ability to adapt by asking a series of consecutive questions. This recruitment interviewing technique also helps recruiters verify the honesty of the answers. Typically, agile and confident individuals will react flexibly and quickly reveal their strengths. Conversely, less experienced candidates will appear clumsy and quickly be cornered.

Here is an example of how to ask follow-up questions:

• You mentioned that in 3 years you will be working as a department head. Do you think this is feasible? / Why do you think this is feasible?
• Do you have a specific roadmap to achieve this position?
• Why do you think you can do it?

When to ask follow-up interview questions

• When to ask the question

Follow-up questions are often seen as “difficult” questions for candidates, so recruiters need to consider when to ask them to avoid creating a tense atmosphere during the interview. This question should be used in the middle or near the end of the interview.

• Note

Avoid asking questions too rapidly with a strong intonation. Clarify the issue you are interested in and give the candidate time to think and answer.

1.4. Asking probing questions

Probing questions are used to seek more information about a specific issue. By asking probing questions during an interview, recruiters will get the most complete and thorough understanding of the issue they are interested in. To ask effective probing questions, you can apply the 5W formula: What – When – Where – Why – Who.

How to ask probing interview questions

• When to ask the question

The probing interview method is used when the candidate is intentionally being evasive and unwilling to disclose more information.

• Note

Only use probing questions when you need to understand the root cause of a problem; do not get sidetracked by unnecessary details.

1.5. Asking funnel questions

Funnel questions are a type of question that focuses on digging into the details of an initially general issue. To use this type of recruitment interview question, the recruiter will start with a very general question about the topic they want to know about, then continue to ask more specific questions.

Example of funnel questions:

• Have you ever worked in a team?
• How many people were in your team?
• Did you encounter any difficulties while working in a team?
• How do you rate your own teamwork skills?

How to ask funnel interview questions

• When to ask the question

Funnel questions are used by recruiters to gather more necessary information they are interested in about the candidate.

• Note

Focus on information related to the job requirements to avoid asking too many trivial questions that make it difficult for the candidate.

>> How to improve recruitment efficiency and attract more potential candidates with:

A professional personnel recruitment process template, build an effective recruitment plan

2. How to ask interview questions using the STAR model – the secret to accurately “reading” candidates

The STAR model is a type of behavioral interview question commonly used in recruitment. STAR is an acronym for Situation – Task – Action – and Result. Behavioral interview questions can help recruiters determine whether a candidate is capable of handling certain situations at work.

Additionally, this type of question also helps assess necessary job skills and how the candidate applies those skills to solve problems (teamwork, leadership, communication skills, etc.).

Behavioral interview questions can begin with:

• Tell me about a time when…
• Describe a situation where…
• Give me an example of…
• Have you ever…

Then ask the candidate to describe the situation in detail by asking questions like: How did the situation happen? What was your role/task in that situation? What action did you take? What was the result?

Example of a behavioral interview question with highly-rated answers:

Question: Tell me about a time you overcame a difficult situation at work.

• Situation: “In my previous job, our lead graphic designer quit without any notice. Since she was the direct leader of the graphic design team, we initially didn’t know what to do in her absence.”
• Task: “As a junior graphic designer, I decided to take it upon myself to ensure all work was completed on time and to the client’s standards.”
• Action: “To do this, I met with the creative director and proposed that he train me in the areas of the previous manager’s work. Then, I worked through my lunch breaks for a week to get the work done. I delegated the easier tasks to the interns.”
• Result: “In the end, the client gave very positive feedback on our product, and the project was completed one day ahead of schedule. The creative director was so impressed with my efforts that he offered me a promotion to a senior graphic designer position.”

3. 5 tips to improve your interview questioning skills

3.1. Practice before the interview

A common mistake people often make in recruitment is assuming that only candidates need to practice before an interview. In reality, an interview is a two-way exchange between the recruiter and the candidate.

Therefore, to build a professional image and ensure the interview is effective, HR also needs to prepare beforehand by organizing a practice session with colleagues and asking for their feedback and advice. This will help the recruiter adjust and perfect their interview questioning, communication, and negotiation skills to ensure the interview goes as smoothly as possible.

3.2. Research the candidate before the interview

Researching candidates beforehand will give the recruiter a preliminary overview of their skills and experience, thereby helping to select appropriate interview questions.

Additionally, learning about the candidate in advance helps the recruiter avoid asking for information already provided in the resume, saving time to focus on more technical questions.

3.3. Prepare questions in advance

In any interview, the recruiter needs to prepare a set of interview questions in advance to ensure they accurately extract the necessary information from the candidate. The question set should be diverse, alternating between open/closed-ended questions, situational questions, behavioral questions, etc., to evaluate the candidate most comprehensively.

3.4. Be flexible during the interview

Flexibility means the recruiter must be able to change their interview plan based on the circumstances. You must be willing to accept some deviations from your original plan as long as they ensure the interview remains effective and on track.

3.5. Talk less and listen more

The recruiter needs to ask appropriate questions and converse with the candidate when necessary, but be sure to give candidates the “stage” to express themselves. Additionally, actively listen and use non-verbal communication (gestures, body language, etc.) to make the candidate feel comfortable so they can perform their best in the interview.

In the article above, 1Office has introduced readers to interview questioning methods that recruiters cannot afford to miss, helping to improve recruitment quality. To optimize the effectiveness of recruitment activities in a business, applying technology is an urgent requirement. For a consultation and a trial of the market-leading HR management software 1Office, please contact us using the information below:

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