Common Interview Questions Recruiters Should Stop Asking

How better questions can lead to finding the right person for the job.

Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash

You received a phone call about the job that you have applied for. A person from HR would like to schedule an interview with you and the hiring manager. Hooray! You have managed to get one foot in. You set the date with the hiring manager. For the next few days before the interview, you ruminate about questions they may ask you. You prepare by rehearsing your answers over and over again, when you drink coffee, take a shower, and go for your walks.

Some questions are so common. When you hear those questions being asked, you can’t help but feel your eyes perform an imaginary wince. You also hear yourself asking, do you honestly expect people to answer these questions (truthfully)?

Some questions left you feeling empty and hollow inside, while some questions made you feel excited and interested to work for the hiring manager.

You then decide to write about why interviewers should stop asking some of these common questions and offer alternative ways that can help them find the right candidates for the job.

Dear interviewers, please take note.

Top 3 pointless (and common) interview questions.

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? — Huh? Do you expect candidates to share how they hope to settle down with a partner, be a mother of two, or move to Bali? Let's be realistic. 5 years is a long time. People and circumstances can change. You don’t even know how the company will perform in 5 years. What do you expect candidates to answer? (“I hope to complete an M.B.A., rise up the ranks and take over your job one day.”?) Seriously.
2. Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. — Cringe. Do you expect to get an honest answer out of that? Expect 3–5 minutes of rambling from the candidate trying to impress you with answers that will cause your mind to go into a temporary coma. The question lacks imagination and does not invite candidates to elaborate more about themselves other than (direct or indirect) self-praise. Naive!
3. Why do you think we should hire you? — This is the best one. Pitch yourself, candidate! Tell us why you are not a lazy, irresponsible, unmotivated worker. We are not tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. We love hearing about how great our founder and the company is (after the candidate regurgitates facts from the investor relations page). How arrogant can one be?

So, why are these pointless questions? It’s because they usually draw out superficial answers (what sounds good or should be said at interviews) just to please the interviewers.

Instead, the best interviewers ask the following questions. These questions are creative and personal. It helps them to infer, with higher accuracy, whether a candidate is the right person to hire.

The alternative questions offer a more realistic way for candidates to show who they really are. And you will be grateful for not listening to another minute of meaningless self-pitching again.

Ask these better (and thoughtful) interview questions.

1. What are your current goals that you would like to achieve professionally? — It is specific and can tell you a lot about a candidate’s current state of mind. Candidates should know what they want to work for now. And what they want now can give you an indication of where they want to be in the near future. Their current goals at work will tell you where they are heading. It shows ambition, small or big.
2. Tell me about something difficult that you faced at work and what did you do and learn from it. — This can tell you how well a candidate can reflect on past mistakes and talk about them. It reflects the level of maturity in a candidate. If one can reflect, then one can learn. You can also assess how well the candidate has resolved the issue at work. It offers a clearer glimpse of a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. The ability to manage problems well is also something every interviewer look for. It shows initiative.
3. What do you like and don’t like about your work? — Sometimes, understanding a person’s pet peeves is the best way to know someone. Awareness of certain difficulties can prove how good a person is at their job. Also, what someone likes or dislikes about their job can indicate what type of person they are. Are they someone who prefers to work on their own, or someone who needs regular feedback from their managers? It will help you assess how well a candidate can work with the team. It shows self-awareness.

Going for an interview is a lot like going on a first date. You will only get to really know a person when you start asking the right questions. Likewise, the candidate is also assessing whether the company or manager is worth working for. The type of questions asked will also make an impression on the candidate. It goes both ways.

Asking thoughtful questions shows that you are genuinely interested in learning about a candidate. Think about the time when you were impressed by an interviewer and felt excited to land the job. Did they try to have a conversation with you or were they interrogating you?

You wouldn’t be impressed if a candidate asks you poor questions, so why should you?