Asking the right questions is a crucial part of any job interview, whether you are a recruiter or a candidate. For the recruiter, it helps to find the ideal candidate, and for the candidate, asking questions at interview helps to highlight their profile, demonstrate their interest in the job and convince others.

While a job interview should above all be a conversation, the famous questions are a way of determining whether the candidate is qualified and, for the latter, of helping him or her to provide valuable information. But what are the right questions to ask at an interview?

Intuition Software analyses the best questions to ask in a job interview, from the point of view of both the recruiter and the candidate:

Questions to ask candidates during a recruitment interview

As a recruiter, finding the ideal candidate requires both effective selection using recruitment software, and good preparation for the job interview. The aim of an interview is to find out about the candidate, analyse their skills and whether or not they are ready to join the company. That’s why it’s vital to choose the right questions to ask during the interview.

If you’d like to have a framework of questions for your interviews, follow our recruitment interview evaluation grid.

1. Tell me about yourself

This is the first the most frequently asked question in job interviews, used to determine the candidate’s personality, experience and motivation. As a recruiter, this question is used to check that the candidate is prepared and to analyse their behaviour, their ability to express themselves orally and their ability to summarise.

The recruiter doesn’t expect the candidate to recite their CV, but rather that he relaxes and talks effectively about a subject he has mastered, while focusing on the skills and achievements relevant to the position.

2. Why did you choose this profession?

This open-ended question asked at interview allows the recruiter to see the candidate motivation for the company and sector of activity. By explaining their choice and their interest in the job, candidates must convince the recruiter that they share the company’s values.

The candidate’s answer to this job interview question should be clear and confident, showing their enthusiasm for the sector and their desire to develop a career in it.

3. What interests you about this job?

This is an important question to ask during a job interview, as it allows the recruiter to check whether the candidate has a clear understanding of the various tasks of the position and its responsibilities. As a recruiter, you need a candidate who hasn’t chosen the company by chance, but someone who is self-motivated and who understands the challenges of the job and how their skills and experience will contribute to the success of the objectives.

It may also be that the job ad lacked precision, so this is the time to give details on the subject and check that the candidate fully understands the expectations associated with the position.

4. Why should we hire you and not someone else?

The aim of this interview question is to understand what sets the candidate apart from the others. What is their added value? The recruiter expects candidates to be able to stand back and highlight their experience and skills that are relevant to the job.

This open-ended question will give you a concrete idea of the candidate’s ability to highlight their key qualities and express them well. A candidate who gives vague answers, without concrete examples, will not inspire confidence in the recruiter.

5. What are your strengths?

By asking this question at a job interview, and avoiding the tedious part of the shortcomings often asked for, the recruiter is trying to find out about the skills (soft skills and hard skills) of the candidate and what he or she can bring to the company.

This is an opportunity for the candidate to “sell” themselves without overdoing it, but above all to develop what they have marked on their CV by giving examples of favourable situations in which they were able to put their skills to good use.

6. What was it like working at your previous job?

There are three reasons for asking this question in recruitment:

• Understand what the candidate has brought to previous employers;
• How these experiences can be adapted to his new role;
• Find out how candidates talk about their former employers.

The recruiter expects a response in which the candidate show objectivity, by talking about his skills, qualities and mistakes (if any), but also about how he will talk about his former team. This response should be positive, as a candidate who merely complains may be indicating a problem.

7. Why do you want to leave your current job?

Here, the recruiter needs to know what the candidate’s state of mind and what motivates them to leave their current job. During the job interview, the recruiter does not expect the candidate to denigrate their former employer, but rather to explain concretely why the target position better matches their professional and personal goals.

8. How do you imagine your day working for us?

The purpose of this recruitment interview question is to detect whether the candidate is compatible with the company’s values and culture. The aim of this question is to align the recruiter’s expectations with the candidate’s expectations of the job: tasks and activities, overall objectives, etc.

9. What is your ideal working environment?

This question will give the recruiter an idea of the candidate’s working style, which enables them to be productive. Does he prefer teleworking? Is he a sociable person? Does he need to be in his own bubble? Candidates should clearly describe the environment in which they feel comfortable and where they will be most productive for the company.

10. Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?

A typical job interview question, the candidate’s answer to this question will give the recruiter valuable information about their ambitions for the future and his ability to plan for it.

What are your short- and medium-term career goals? Is it prepared to change its geographical location as and when required? Does he want to progress and take on greater responsibilities? Here, you need to be careful about vague answers or answers that are not sufficiently in line with the expectations of the job.

11. Name one professional difficulty you have encountered and how did you overcome it?

This is the type of crucial question to ask during a job interview to assess the the candidate’s adaptability and problem-solving skills. The recruiter is looking for a concrete example of the difficulty encountered, the solution strategy and the result obtained.

The point of this interview question is not necessarily to demonstrate a positive outcome, but rather the process, actions and concrete decisions that the candidate will have taken to confront and overcome this situation.

12. How do you feel you are perceived by your colleagues and manager?

With this question, the recruiter is looking to find out how the candidate interacts with his or her work team. He’s waiting to see if he has a collaborative spirit and what qualities he has for teamwork. It’s also an opportunity for the candidate to highlight certain qualities and possibly a few shortcomings.

Taking up references is a common practice during an interview, enabling the recruiter to verify the candidate’s statements with a previous employer at a later date.

13. How do you handle the pressure?

This is a question that can be quite frequent in job interviews depending on the position offered to understand the candidate’s reactions to stress and handling the unexpected.

Here again, the candidate must use concrete examples of stressful situations, both professional and extra-professional, with which they have been confronted. They can also showcase their decision-making, teamwork and priority management skills.

14. What are your salary expectations?

The question of remuneration is inevitable during a recruitment interview. For the recruiter, it is crucial in order to understand the candidate’s financial objectives, but also to see if they are positioning themselves coherently on the job market. In all cases, whether or not a salary range has been announced in the job advertisement, the candidate must respond clearly and honestly.

Some candidates might be promising enough for you to revise what you’ve planned upwards or find additional benefits to offer them. What’s more, offering too little for the job increases the risk that the candidate will be poached by another company or will feel cheated and demotivated, which could lead to brown-out or quiet quitting in the medium term.

15. Do you have any questions?

This question, to be asked at the end of the interview, is designed to gauge the candidate’s interest and whether they want to find out more about the job and the company. This can also be an opportunity to go back over points that were not necessarily very clear to the candidate.

What are the questions not to ask a candidate at a job interview?

During a job interview, certain questions should be avoided. These are questions that do not relate to the professional context, but to the candidate’s private sphere. In the eyes of the law, this type of question is considered discriminatory in the recruitment process.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of questions that should not be asked during an interview:

• What is your family situation?
• Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant?
• What is your sexual orientation?
• Are you a believer?
• Where do you come from?
• Do you have any health problems?

Recruiters who ask discriminatory questions risk being punished, as discrimination in recruitment is punishable by 3 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.

The 6 categories of questions to ask the recruiter in a job interview

“Do you have any questions?” is a classic of the questions most asked at the end of an interview. Although stressful, it allows candidates to clarify certain points, and also to demonstrate their genuine interest in the company and the position for which they are applying.

By asking relevant questions during the interview, candidates can demonstrate their motivation, ensure that the job matches their expectations and leave a good impression on the recruiter.

Note: if these questions have already been answered during the job interview, avoid asking the recruiter to repeat them, unless it’s to obtain more details or clarifications.

1. What questions should I ask at interview about the job?

Asking questions about the job is a good way of demonstrating that you are self-motivated and have a good understanding of the various challenges of the job. You can ask for details of the tasks awaiting you or of all the day-to-day tasks that will be entrusted to you, to make sure you have an overview of the job.

Here are some ideas of questions to ask about the job during the interview:

• What qualities and skills are you looking for in this position?
• What is the reason for this recruitment?
• How will I get into the job (training, handover, etc.)?
• How many people will I be working with on a daily basis?
• What is the biggest challenge in this position?
• What are the prospects for development?

2. What questions should I ask about the company during the interview?

Asking questions about the company during the recruitment interview allows you to show that you are genuinely interested in the job, and that you see yourself in the company (its culture, values, working atmosphere, etc.):

Here are some ideas of questions to ask about the job during a job interview:

• What is special about your corporate culture?
• What is your main advantage over other companies in your sector?
• What are the company’s challenges?
• How would you describe the company’s working environment?
• What have been the major developments in the company in recent times, and what does the company aspire to achieve?

3. What questions should I ask about the team during the interview?

Asking questions about the team is important to show that you want to work with the other employees. The information the recruiter gives you about the team (how it works, organisation, atmosphere) will also help you to see yourself in the future if you join the team.

Here are some ideas of questions to ask about the team and its organisation during the interview:

• How do the different teams interact with each other?
• Who will I be working with?
• Are there team meetings, and how often?
• Does the team tend to work face-to-face or telecommute?
• How are decisions taken within the team and how are they communicated?

4. What questions should I ask during the interview about training and career development?

Asking questions about your integration into the company, but also about your future, shows the recruiter that you really want to make a long-term commitment to the company and can tip the balance in your favour during the recruitment process. This will also enable you to assess the possibilities for developing your career plan internally.

Here are some ideas of questions to ask about career prospects during the job interview:

• What parameters are taken into account when measuring my performance at work?
• What career options are available in this position?
• Do you offer training, and is it accessible to new employees?
• How does the assessment process work?

5. What questions should I ask at interview about the rest of the recruitment process?

Asking questions about the rest of the recruitment process is perfectly normal, and even advisable, so that you ensure you know what the next steps are and don’t have any lingering questions.

Here are some ideas of questions to ask about career prospects during the job interview:

• Is there anything else you’d like to clarify about my background or professional experience?
• What are the next steps in the recruitment process?
• How quickly do you think you can get back to me?
• Would you like me to give you my employer’s contact details?

6. What questions shouldn’t you ask the recruiter at a job interview?

Just as there are questions you should never ask a candidate, there are also questions you should never ask a recruiter during an interview. These questions to avoid are not legal, but they can work against you in getting the job. So avoid asking:

1. How many days of leave am I entitled to?

Asking this question is a bit like asking the recruiter how many days’ holiday you will be entitled to. At this stage of the recruitment process, this question will lead the recruiter to think that you are more interested in the benefits of the job than in the job itself.

2. How quickly do you get promoted?

This question, asked as it is, shows a certain impatience on the part of the candidate. For a recruiter, you first have to prove yourself before moving up the ladder. You can rephrase this question by asking about future prospects. This much more positive tone shows that you want to make a long-term commitment to the company.

3. Why did the previous employee leave?

During an interview, you need to be curious while remaining respectful. Asking this question about the reasons for the employee’s departure may be seen as a lack of discretion. However, it is a valuable piece of information to have, as it can give you an idea of the atmosphere of the company or the challenges of the job. If you want this information, you can opt for a more open-ended question, such as “What are the reasons for this recruitment?

Conclusion

You now have a clear idea of the questions to ask candidates, as well as those to ask the recruiter and those not to ask. While you are not obliged to ask all these questions, they will help you to create a fluid exchange between recruiters and candidates and achieve better results.