37 panel interview questions to ask candidates

Key qualities of strong candidates in a panel interview

Panel interviews are a great way to get different perspectives on candidates, reduce hiring bias, and gain insights into how candidates interact with various people in a group setting. 

Here’s how to spot top candidates in a panel job interview:

• They present confidently and move with ease when responding to different interviewers. 

• They have high-level communication skills, so they can articulate their thoughts clearly and adapt their communication style with the panelists. 

• They respond accurately to questions from the subject matter expert, demonstrating their knowledge and experience in their area of expertise. 

• They show emotional intelligence and self-awareness by navigating the group dynamics in an engaging and professional way. 

• Their answers are well-thought-out and structured, indicating good critical thinking skills. 

General panel interview questions

A good way to start the interview is to ask general or common interview questions. These can offer insights into candidates’ backgrounds, motivations, and interests in the role. 

1. Tell us about yourself and your professional background. 

2. Why are you interested in this role?

3. Why do you want to work at this organization?

4. Which of our company’s values resonates most with you?

5. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?

6. Why are you leaving your current role?

7. Do you have any questions for us?

Example: Asking candidates which of your company values they feel most aligned with can help you understand their motivations for applying and cultural fit. 

Role-specific questions in a panel interview

Tailor these questions to the role you’re hiring for to explore candidates’ technical expertise and job-related competencies.

1. Legal: The firm takes on a new client, and you become aware of a potential conflict with a former client. What steps do you take to address the conflict?

2. Marketing: How do you gauge the success of a campaign? Please describe a time when you developed and delivered a campaign and its impact. 

3. Sales: How do you respond to changing sales targets? What steps do you take to meet new targets?

4. Healthcare administrator: How do you balance operational efficiency with maintaining a high standard of patient care?

5. Engineer: Step us through a complex technical issue you encountered on a previous project. What actions did you take to identify and address the problem?

Example: The engineering question asks candidates to describe their problem-solving, critical thinking, and risk-management skills. 

Top hard skills interview questions

Questions in this category aim to uncover candidates’ proficiency in technical, job-specific skills. For example, if hiring a software developer, you’ll want to explore their programming, web development, and debugging skills and experience. 

1. Tell us about your experience using [industry or role-specific tool]. How do you use it to work more efficiently?

2. In your previous jobs, how did you ensure accuracy and attention to detail with [tasks like data entry or financial reporting]?

3. Please explain [industry or role-specific concept] to me as a layperson who is unfamiliar with its technical aspects.

4. Which of your qualifications do you use most in your professional life? Please give us an example of how you have applied your knowledge at work. 

Example: When candidates explain their experience with a job-specific tool or application, they should highlight their proficiency and how they use it to improve their performance. 

Top soft skills interview questions

These questions can help you explore candidates’ soft skills, such as teamwork, adaptability, leadership abilities, and emotional intelligence. They can also help you see how candidates may fit your company culture. 

1. Can you tell us about a time that you led a team to overcome a challenge? 

2. Tell us about a time that you disagreed with a manager or supervisor. How did you handle the situation? 

3. Do you prefer working in a team or by yourself?

4. Please share an example of a stressful situation where you had to motivate yourself and your team. 

5. Have you ever made a mistake at work that affected others? How did you handle this?

Example: Asking candidates how they self-motivate and motivate others helps you understand their emotional intelligence, resilience, and empathy skills. 

Questions on handling pressure and decision-making

These questions probe candidates' actions in high-pressure situations, exploring their decision-making and problem-solving abilities under stress.

1. Tell me about a time you dealt with a challenging manager or supervisor.

2. How do you ensure you meet project deadlines?

3. Please give us an example of when you had to manage multiple tasks. What did you do?

4. Describe a situation where you had to make an important decision but had limited information. What was your decision-making process and the outcome? 

Example: Asking candidates about how they manage multiple tasks indicates their time-management and prioritization skills. 

Questions on cross-functional collaboration

These questions invite candidates to discuss situations in which they have effectively worked across departments, managed multiple stakeholders, and driven strategic consistency across teams and projects. 

1. Give us an example of a time when you worked in a cross-functional team. What skills did you use?

2. Describe a time when you worked closely with teams from different departments. What strategies did you use to ensure good collaboration?

3. Tell us about a time you had to balance multiple stakeholders with competing priorities. What did you do?

4. How do you ensure that a project aligns with the company’s broader goals? Please give us an example of when you’ve done this. 

Example: When candidates discuss their cross-functional team experience, they should be able to highlight skills such as communication, stakeholder management, collaboration, and accountability. 

Situational interview questions for panel interviews

Situational interview questions ask candidates to detail how they would respond to real-life workplace scenarios. They’re an excellent tool for gaining insights into candidates' adaptability, conflict management, and critical thinking skills. 

1. Imagine you’re in charge of a project [briefly describe the specific project]. What steps would you take to manage the project effectively in this leadership role?

2. A manager gives you negative feedback on a recent task. How do you respond?

3. A client changes their mind about the direction of a project at the minute. How do you manage this?

4. A coworker keeps missing project deadlines, creating problems for your team. How do you address this and maintain a positive working relationship with your coworker?

Example: Inviting candidates to talk about a time they received criticism reveals their resilience, self-awareness, and ability to respond constructively to feedback. 

Self-development and career growth questions

These questions explore candidates’ commitment to continuous learning and their professional aspirations. They can give valuable insights into candidates’ cultural fit. 

1. Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?

2. How do you stay current with developments in your field/industry? 

3. Describe a qualification or certification that has significantly impacted your career. 

4. You’re given an assignment that’s outside your current skill set. What steps would you take to learn what you needed to and complete the task?

Example: Asking candidates how they keep their knowledge current demonstrates their commitment to maintaining their skills and self-directed learning. 

If you’re looking for more suggested questions for candidates, read our list of the 77 best interview questions. 

Support panel interviews with pre-employment testing

A structured approach to your panel interviews is the best way to deliver a consistent and positive candidate experience. Using a combination of general, role-specific, and scenario-based questions, you can gain deep insights into candidates’ hard and soft skills. 

To further enhance your interview process, consider using pre-employment skills testing to identify top candidates. Skills testing can help you shortlist ideal candidates for panel interviews and choose the right types of interview questions.

Find out how TestGorilla can help streamline your hiring process while making it fairer by signing up for a free trial today.