10 types of interview questions to assess candidates in depth

10 types of interview questions you can use to assess applicants’ skills

Job interview questions vary depending on the position, industry, and your company. However, they generally fall into a few broad categories, each enabling you to assess different aspects of candidates’ skill sets, behavior, and performance potential.

Here are the main types of interview questions you can use in recruitment. 

1. Background or informational questions

Typically used in screening interviews, these interview questions involve asking candidates about their work experience, educational qualifications, professional history, and other items listed on their resumes, cover letters, or application forms. 

Since resumes can tell you only so much, these questions help you get the full story and dig deeper into the skills and traits applicants have gained so far. 

Here are some examples of background interview questions.

1. How and why did you start your career in this industry?

2. Why did you leave your last position?

3. Which skills have you acquired in the past year that are particularly relevant to this role? 

4. What do you consider your most significant professional achievement?

5. What’s your experience with [job area – e.g., project management, customer success, etc.]?

Need more ideas? Check out these 35 informational interview questions.

2. Technical questions

These role-specific interview questions focus on the technical expertise, skills, and knowledge needed to do a job. This includes everything from hard skills like coding and accounting to job-specific skills like process improvement, project management, and software proficiency.

Let's look at some technical interview questions. 

1. What experience do you have with advanced Excel functions?

2. Explain the process you would use to troubleshoot a [network/performance/reporting] issue.

3. How would you optimize a piece of code that’s running slowly?

4. Describe a technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it.

5. Which factors do you consider when deciding on what software tools to use in a new project?

Looking for technical interview questions for specific fields? We have various guides – for instance, check out our 51 software engineer interview questions. 

3. Case-study or analytical questions

Common in fields like consulting and finance, these interview questions require candidates to solve business problems on the spot. Interviewers present a scenario or challenge and provide relevant information and data. Candidates then work through it while you assess their knowledge, approach, decision-making, and more. 

To ask case-study questions, provide candidates with the necessary info, then say, “Using the information and data available…” and insert your question. Consider using the following example case interview questions:

1. Create a marketing plan for the launch of a new product. 

2. Propose a solution to improve the operational efficiency of [a specific process].

3. Analyze the trends you recognize and provide an opinion on whether these are positive or negative. 

4. Devise a strategy to increase [a specific metric you’re aiming to increase – e.g., employee retention, customer loyalty, or newsletter open rates].

5. Discuss your approach to assessing risk in the project.

4. Behavioral questions

These questions are designed to reveal how candidates have handled various situations in the past, helping to predict their future performance.

Behavioral questions are great for assessing candidates' personality traits and attributes like interpersonal abilities, resilience, adaptability, conscientiousness, and ability to work under pressure. They usually start with phrases like "Describe a situation where you," "Give me an example of when you," "How did you previously manage," and so on.

Here are some examples of good behavioral interview questions.

1. Describe a time when you faced a significant obstacle at work. How did you overcome it?

2. Tell me about a time when you made a significant mistake that impacted your team. How did you handle it?

3. Have you had to juggle several important projects under tight time constraints in the past? How did you organize your work?

4. Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker and help them improve their performance.

5. How have you previously handled failure? Can you give me an example? 

For more, check out our behavioral-based interview questions.

5. Situational questions

These questions ask candidates how they would handle hypothetical situations they might encounter on the job, giving you insight into their approach, cognitive skills, and thought processes in different circumstances. 

Starting with phrases like "Imagine you" or "How would you," these questions delve into applicants’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and decision-making abilities. Additionally, they elicit candidate responses that are structured and complete, helping you make better decisions.  

Here are some great situational interview questions to add to your question bank. 

1. How would you handle a situation where your manager gives you a project with an unrealistic deadline?

2. Imagine that a coworker gives inaccurate information to a client. What would you do?

3. How would you approach a situation where you need to introduce a major change to your team's existing workflows?

4. If you realized late in a project that a fundamental assumption was wrong, how would you proceed?

5. What would you do if you weren’t able to complete your portion of a project on time due to unforeseen circumstances?

We’ve compiled a list of the best situational questions and answers to help you prepare for interviews.

6. Competency questions

These questions are designed to assess the soft skills and abilities related to a candidate's role – for example, communication, people management, leadership, negotiation, time management, innovation, and so on. 

Competency questions are typically a mix of behavioral and situational-style questions, but they also focus on the present, with questions like "How do you?" or "What's your approach to." 

Below, we share some strong competency interview questions relevant to most industries. 

1. Have you had to juggle several important projects under tight time constraints in the past? How did you organize your work?

2. Can you give me an example of an ambitious goal you achieved thanks to a new or innovative approach you used?

3. How do you ensure that the quality of your work is always consistent, regardless of specific constraints or challenges?

4. Can you give an example of how you’ve demonstrated leadership skills when solving a conflict?

5. What do you do to ensure clear communication with stakeholders and clients?

6. Tell me about a time when you had to use your negotiation skills to get everyone on the same page. How did you approach the situation, and what results did you achieve?

Looking for further inspiration? Explore our soft skills interview questions guide to get started.  

7. Motivation questions

This category of interview questions looks at a few things – why candidates want to work in a specific role or company, what their career aspirations are, and what makes them tick personally and professionally. This can help you ensure they're a good fit for your open role and provide them with a work environment where they can thrive. 

Here are some motivational interview questions to ask your candidates. 

1. Why are you interested in this position?

2. What motivates you to perform well in your job?

3. Where do you see yourself in five years?

4. Which aspects of your career are most important to you?

5. What are your personal interests and hobbies outside of work?

8. Culture and value questions 

One of the most underrated types, these questions are critical to ensuring your chosen candidate's values, working style, and cultural expectations are aligned with your company. Otherwise, you could end up with someone who ticks all your boxes in terms of skills but just can't thrive in your company. 

Questions typically dive into candidates' personal and professional values and focus on factors like work ethic, integrity, how they handle feedback, and so on. 

Let's look at a few culture and value-related questions. 

1. How would you describe your ideal work environment?

2. Can you give an example of how you've contributed to a positive workplace culture in the past?

3. What do you think are the most important factors for team success? 

4. What do you think about remote work versus in-office work?

5. Describe your ideal manager or supervisor.

6. Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma at work and how you handled it. 

9. Open-ended or strengths-based questions 

These questions give candidates the freedom to direct the conversation and showcase their strengths and unique attributes, as these can sometimes get lost in more specific interview question types. Answers also tell you a little something about candidates' self-perception and self-awareness, plus areas they want to improve in. 

Consider these examples of open-ended questions. 

1. Tell me about yourself. 

2. What are your strengths and weaknesses from a work perspective? 

3. Which of your qualities are you most proud of?  

4. Why should we hire you over other candidates? 

10. Brain-teaser questions 

Most commonly used in consulting, finance, or tech roles, brainteaser interview questions are designed to evaluate candidates' thought processes, logical reasoning, and other cognitive abilities. 

Questions are usually in the form of puzzles or complex problems that may or may not have a clear solution. The unpredictable nature of these questions usually pushes candidates out of their comfort zones, showing you how they work in high-pressure settings. 

Here are some sample brainteaser questions to ask candidates. 

1. How many times do a clock’s hands overlap in a day?

2. How many pens can fit in a large suitcase?

3. You’re in a race, and you overtake the person in second place. What place are you in now?

4. How many windows are in this building?

5. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

Best practices when using different types of interview questions

Stay mindful of the below best practices to make the most of your candidate interviews. 

Avoid overwhelming candidates

You don't have to use all ten interview types in a single interview. Think about which question types are most relevant for a specific role and include a mix of those types of questions. Also, keep the number of questions manageable to prevent candidates from feeling bombarded and encourage them to answer thoughtfully. 

Structure your interviews 

No matter what types of questions you ask, ensure you create a fixed set of interview questions to ask all candidates applying for the same role. This helps keep interviews on track and also provides candidates with a fair playing field. Structured interviews are also shown to be good predictors of future performance. 

Combine interview questions with skills-based assessments 

While different interview question types give you an all-rounded view of your candidates, you must find a way to verify their skills and traits before you hire them. This is where TestGorilla's talent assessments come in. 

Our library of 400+ tests gives you a reliable and accurate way to vet candidates' hard and soft skills, cognitive abilities, personality traits, and culture match. 

Consider the legal implications of your interview questions

Understand and respect employment laws to avoid discrimination when drafting your interview questions. For example, asking about a candidate's age, marital status, or religious beliefs not only is inappropriate but also violates the Civil Rights Act in the US. In addition to getting you into legal trouble, these questions could damage your employer brand for good. 

Use different types of questions for a comprehensive assessment of candidates’ skills

When trying to find the perfect fit for your team, it’s important to evaluate all candidates fairly, objectively, and in-depth using technical, behavioral, competency, motivation, and other types of interview questions. The right mix of questions will give you a 360-degree view of what each applicant brings to the table and how they can contribute to your team.

Additionally, if you use skills assessments before interviewing candidates, you’ll get a clear and vetted picture of their abilities, ensuring you interview those who have what it takes to be successful in your company. 

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