Should You Start Sharing Your Interview Questions in Advance?

Recently, I David Berwick , asked my LinkedIn followers if they provided interview questions in advance. In case you missed it, here are the results:

• 37% of them said they always do and would recommend it
• Another 8% tried it, and it worked for them
• 54% have never tried it, though they're curious if it could help.

My online poll got loads of unexpected attention!

I heard back from some contacts sharing their case or asking for advice on implementing this in their company. If you've never considered doing it, here are a few good reasons why you might want to do so.

Five Benefits of Providing Interview Questions in Advance

1. When candidates know what to expect, they're less anxious and can focus on giving better, more thought-out responses. It's a win for everyone, really.
2. When candidates prepare their interview with a list of questions, the conversation will be more authentic, deep, and meaningful.
3. Being upfront shows respect for the candidate's time and effort, which is ideal for a positive candidate experience.
4. Not everyone is great under pressure. For instance, neurodiverse candidates feel more comfortable and perform better at job interviews when companies share the questions in advance.
5. You'll quickly spot who's serious about the role based on the effort they put into their answers.

Sharing interview questions in advance can make interviews less stressful and more productive for everyone (David Berwick, Adria Solutions)

A few Tips if You Want to Get Started

Some of the contacts in my network were kind enough to share with me some tips that worked for them when they started sharing a list of job interviews in advance with their candidates. Here, they're yours, too:

• Choose a few questions that really matter to the role.
• Let candidates know they can still ask for clarification and that you might still ask follow-up questions during the interview.
• Test it with a few roles and see how it goes.
• You can always keep a few spontaneous questions to gauge problem-solving skills.
• Explain to the candidates your reasons for sharing your interview questions to show that you care about their interview experience.

I hope you find these tips useful. And, of course, if you're putting our advice into practice, let us know if it makes a positive impact on your candidate journey.

Are you new at interviewing people? We have a free guide with interviewing tips here you can check out.

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