The 15 Most Powerful Interview Questions

The interview is typically the culminating stage of the hiring process. Everything else--resumes, references, assessments, portfolios, networks and connections--becomes secondary support. The precious few questions you choose to ask will shape the entire experience. Sharp or blunt, they are the instruments that draw out the information you will likely use to make your hiring decision.

What questions should you ask?

Of course there are different questions for different roles and hiring objectives, but there are some questions that universally and consistently yield incredible results in almost any kind of hiring interview.

I've been testing and refining interview questions with our clients for several years. Here are 15 that penetrate to the core of several critical performance areas and are extremely difficult to dodge or game.

1. We all have things about us that make it hard for other people to work with us. What makes it hard to work with you? (Collaboration).
2. How do you approach a complicated problem that you have never seen before? (Critical thinking and problem framing).
3. Tell me about a time when you had to go with your gut instinct and intuition to make a hard choice under pressure? (Judgment, responding to uncertainty and ambiguity, synthesis, confidence).
4. Tell me about an important skill you have developed on your own? (Self-directed learning agility).
5. Please share a specific experience that shows you have your ego under control? (Hubris).
6. What was the last idea or suggestion you presented to your organization that was rejected or accepted? What happened? (Influence, courage, and innovation).
7. When was the last time you got some tough feedback? What did you do? (Coachability and tolerance for candor).
8. Give me an example of a time when priorities suddenly shifted. What did you do to respond in that situation? (Adaptability and resilience).
9. What’s the most pressing question you are asking yourself right now in your role and don’t have an answer for? (Curiosity, mental tenacity, and problem solving).
10. When was the last time you failed to act quickly enough? What happened? (Strategic thinking and confidence).
11. Tell me about a time in your professional life when you failed to meet objectives you had committed to. What did you do? (Ownership).
12. What would your peers, direct reports, and manager say about you? How would they describe your patterns? (Self-awareness)
13. Can you identify an area of performance where you personally have set the standard? (Drive and value creation).
14. Give me an example of a time when you didn’t do the best work of which you are capable. (Self-reflection and accountability).
15. Finally, let’s talk about ethics. Tell me about the little things you do to ensure that you are acting ethically and with integrity. How do you sweat the small stuff? (Ethics and integrity).