{"id":4417,"date":"2019-07-25T10:56:48","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T17:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=4417"},"modified":"2025-02-11T13:35:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T21:35:33","slug":"9-best-interview-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/07\/25\/9-best-interview-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"The 9 best interview questions to ask according to 1,000+ managers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The question, “What are the best interview questions to ask?” was recently discussed in our online community of 1,000+ managers in Canopy. Here were their answers.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Best<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You only have one hour with this person, so you need to decide: What are the best interview questions to ask them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiring is one of the hardest parts of our job as a manager. When you think about it, it\u2019s actually a bit nuts how we go about it. In an extremely isolated and condensed amount of time, we have to figure out whether or not a person would positively contribute to our team. We\u2019re literally trying to project out the next few years based on a handful of hours of interaction with this person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the limited context you have, what becomes paramount in the hiring process are the interview questions themselves\u200a\u2014\u200aand what you listen for in the response. Yes, refer<\/a>ence calls<\/a> are undoubtedly important in the hiring process. And, I\u2019m personally a big advocate of having a potential new hire do some small contract work or taking home a project and compensating them. But the interview itself is a rare opportunity to hear the candidate themselves\u200a\u2014\u200ato have them unpack their thinking, share what\u2019s influenced them, and reveal to you what\u2019s most important in their life. So paying close attention to what you ask, and what you\u2019re taking in, is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are your best interview questions?\u201d was a big topic of conversation in our online community, with over 1,000 managers. In addition to sharing their favorite interview questions, members also shared why<\/em> they choose to ask those questions and what to listen for. From this conversation, I pulled what I saw as the 9 best interview questions to ask. In no particular order\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: If you had an entire workday with no meetings, obligations, or interruptions\u200a\u2014\u200awhat would you do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our member who suggested this described how he looks for both how a person answers (e.g., do they give a time-based or sequenced schedule, or is their answer more conceptual?) and what someone might say (e.g., are they data-oriented or people-oriented?)\u200a\u2014\u200aand he tries to match their answers to the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: What is the project that you are most proud of?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can ask this question to get a sense for what kind of work excites someone, and the degree to which they get excited about it. One member wrote: \u201cI\u2019m looking for passion and shining eyes when they are answering the question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: Where do you see your career in a year, and how does this role help you get there?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to another member, the answers to this question demonstrate how well candidates understand their personal and professional development goals, the specific position they are interviewing for, and how the position they are interviewing for impacts the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4: How do you know you\u2019ve had a productive day at the office?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This question is helpful for understanding how a person defines their own sense of productivity: Is it based on a number of hours worked? Is it based on how much they\u2019re learning? Oftentimes, you\u2019ll figure out if someone can work not just hard, but work smart<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5: Can you describe a company you would love to work in?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One member recommended asking this question because he \u201c[doesn\u2019t] want to hire someone who highly values something we can\u2019t provide.\u201d In short, these questions help calibrate values, fit, and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6: Tell me about a time when you experienced frustration, and how you handled it.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This question is \u201ca good window into the way people deal with stress and with interpersonal conflict,\u201d noted a member. From their experience, and answers have ranged from, \u201cLife is all about relationships, so I go to the person who\u2019s frustrating me and listen empathetically,\u201d to \u201cI demanded a new position from my boss over and over again even though he kept saying no,\u201d to \u201cI got fed up and quit\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7: What are the qualities you like least and most in your parents?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A member noticed that asking this question \u201cimmediately takes the conversation away from the canned track of \u201cmy main flaw is my attention to detail\u201d responses. And it provides them with an opportunity to be real and honest.\u201d It also speaks to a person\u2019s core personal values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8: What three events in your life would you say have had the biggest impact on your and why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ask this question instead of the standard, \u201cTell me a little bit about yourself\u201d, as this helps reveal to me what they consider important and what they feel has shaped and motivated them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9: Let\u2019s say you were to be in this role\u200a\u2014\u200awhat would your biggest learning curve be?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you ask this question, you can get a sense of a person\u2019s self-awareness and humility. Can they list a bunch of things easily (perhaps, too easily)? Or are they unwilling to admit where they might struggle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may only have an hour or so, but try one of these questions the next time you have an interview with a candidate. You\u2019ll likely learn something about them you wouldn\u2019t have learned otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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