Key Questions for Evaluating Candidates

The key to designing powerful interview questions is to focus on cognitive patterns rather than past accomplishments. Research shows strong connections between certain thinking patterns and job success. For example: • Original thinking strongly predicts innovation ability • Intellectual independence correlates with leadership effectiveness • Perseverance consistently outperforms raw intelligence in predicting achievement These research findings demonstrate why carefully crafted questions matter. To develop your high-impact questions, focus on five cognitive domains that predict exceptional performance. Follow this formula to create questions that uncover thinking patterns, not just experience: 💡 Design questions targeting original thinking: Ask about problems candidates see that others miss. Format: "What [challenge/opportunity/trend] do you notice that seems overlooked by most people in [relevant context]?" This reveals pattern recognition and the capacity for novel insights. 💡 Craft questions probing intellectual independence: Encourage candidates to articulate contrarian but thoughtful positions. Format: "Where do you find yourself disagreeing with conventional wisdom about [relevant domain]?" This assesses courage and independent analysis. 💡 Develop questions that examine perseverance: Structure questions around specific obstacles that have been overcome. Format: "Tell me about a time when you pursued [relevant goal] despite [specific type of setback]." Focus on process over outcome. 💡 Create questions measuring intellectual flexibility: Ask candidates to describe evolution in their thinking. Format: "What important belief about [relevant domain] have you revised recently and what prompted this change?" This evaluates adaptability and learning orientation. 💡 Formulate questions exploring intrinsic motivation: Probe self-directed development activities. Format: "How do you invest in developing [relevant skill/knowledge] when it's not required by your role?" This reveals a proactive growth mindset. The most effective questions avoid hypotheticals and instead target specific behavioral patterns that reveal how candidates actually think and operate. That's how you can develop interview questions that identify true potential—uncovering the cognitive patterns that transcend resume qualifications. Coaching can help; let's chat.  Follow Joshua Miller #executivecoaching #interviewing #careeradvice

We have 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, game, or fake: 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/humility). 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, initiative, urgency, 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, accountability). 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, value, performance). 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. 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). 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 in the interview 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. #hiring #interviewing #culture

10 Interview Questions That Reveal True Potential (Beyond the resume and rehearsed answers) Standard interviews rarely show you the real person behind the resume. Most candidates practice the same answers to the same old questions. These questions help you see past rehearsed answers to find hidden talent. Here are 10 interview questions that uncover a candidate's true potential: 1️⃣ Work Prioritization ↳ "If everything on your to-do list is labeled 'urgent,' how do you decide what to do first?" 2️⃣ Learning Velocity ↳ "Tell me about something complex you learned recently. How did you approach it?" 3️⃣ Feedback Response ↳ "Describe a time when you received tough feedback. What did you do next?" 4️⃣ Problem Ownership ↳ "What's a problem you identified and fixed before anyone asked you to?" 5️⃣ Collaboration Style ↳ "How do you handle a teammate who isn't delivering their part of a project?" 6️⃣ Failure Navigation ↳ "Tell me about a significant professional failure. What did it teach you?" 7️⃣ Ambiguity Handling ↳ "Describe a time when you had to make a decision with incomplete information." 8️⃣ Impact Measurement ↳ "How do you know if you're doing a good job day-to-day?" 9️⃣ Growth Mindset ↳ "What skills are you currently trying to develop and why?" 🔟 Motivation Depth ↳ "What aspects of this role would make you excited to come to work every day?" Remember: Great interviews are conversations, not interrogations. The goal is understanding how someone thinks, not just what they've done or how well they interview. What interview question has given you the best insight into candidates? Let me know in the comments below ⬇ ♻ Repost if you found this insightful! 👊 Follow Ford Coleman for more!

Here’s something I’ve never shied away from: Asking tough questions. I’m in talks with executives all the time, but I’ve never let their stature intimidate me. My selection process goes beyond the resume resumes and references. It's about understanding the deeper layers of a candidate, and learning about their motivations, values, and the experiences that shaped them. I grew up with the Oprah show on daily. I’ve admired how she masterfully uncovers the true face of her guests through tough, yet thoughtful questions. I aspire to use similar techniques to get to the heart of a candidate’s story during interviews. Here’s the thing, asking tough questions isn't about grilling someone, it's about creating a space where honesty, authenticity, and vulnerability can come through. Now, no two interviews are the same. Which is why it’s important to dive deeper into the story to uncover various aspects. Here’s how you can frame these tough questions as per each candidate: 1/ Ask About Their Vulnerabilities Asking questions that allows candidates to reflect on their struggles, resilience, and growth is an integral part of the process. An example: What’s the biggest failure that you’ve experienced, and how did it shape your approach moving forward? 2/ Discover Their ‘Why’ Understanding why someone does what they do helps reveal the candidate’s core values and motivations, and gives insights that can help in determining if their personal goals align with your company’s mission. An example: Can you mention a transformative personal story, and how it influenced your professional decisions in the past? 3/ Encourage Honest Self-Reflection There must be questions that allow the candidate to introspect about their career, as the answers highlight how they handle self-reflection, growth, and change—key traits in today’s rapidly evolving business environment. An example: How do you assess your own growth and progress in your career? 4/ Get Personal Within Reason Without crossing professional boundaries, asking personal questions can give you a window into how candidates think and prioritise in life. This approach can shed light on the values they bring into the workplace and how they lead others. An example: Are there any life experiences that you believe have prepared you for this leadership role? Can you elaborate on one? Trust me, these questions will save you a lot of headache in the future. Thank me later! #Interview #Hiring #HeadHunting

The right hire isn’t just about skills—it’s about FIT. A great resume doesn’t always mean a great teammate. Here are 5 interview questions to uncover a candidate’s true fit: ◼️ "Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly." → Reveals flexibility & problem-solving. ◼️ "What motivates you to do your best work?" → Uncovers passion & drive. ◼️ "How do you handle disagreements on a team?" → Shows collaboration & conflict resolution. ◼️ "What kind of work environment helps you thrive?" → Indicates culture fit. ◼️ "What achievement are you most proud of?" → Gives insight into values & long-term mindset. ⭐ Skills can be taught—fit can’t. Ask the right questions, hire the right people. What’s your favorite interview question? Drop it below! ⬇️

When I interview someone, before looking over their resume, I ask, “Can you tell me about your biggest failures?” At first, most people get nervous and ask me to repeat the question. Then, many open up and start sharing past “failures”. Next, I ask, “What did you learn?” When a candidate has a hard time deriving a lesson or growth from their “failures”, I won’t hire that person. I don’t even look at the resume. But, when a person jumps on the topic and starts addressing each failure with insight and growth, then I will look at the resume. A person can have the best resume and recommendations in the world, but if they don’t have a growth mindset and a fearless attitude towards failure, they will struggle to adapt and innovate in a world that constantly changes. The real key to success is the willingness to learn, evolve, and embrace challenges head-on. With a growth mindset, embracing failures is what separates the average from the incredible. So, the next time you interview a candidate, first assess character, then determine skill. Do you agree? Follow Alex Wisch for more insight on #mindset, #PersonalDevelopment, and #leadership.

Why the most successful tech hires excel at both IQ and EQ: Many companies still hire primarily for technical skills, undervaluing emotional intelligence. Yet our data shows the most impactful employees excel at both. What to assess beyond technical skills: IQ indicators: ✅ Technical problem-solving ✅ Analytical thinking ✅ Learning velocity EQ indicators: ✅ Self-awareness ✅ Communication style ✅ Adaptability to change Try adding these questions to your interviews: "Tell me about a time when you had to explain a complex technical concept to a non-technical stakeholder." "How did you handle a situation when you disagreed with your team's approach?" "What's your process for gathering feedback on your work?" Technical brilliance without emotional intelligence creates toxic environments. Emotional intelligence without technical competence creates inefficiency. The future belongs to those who excel at both human and technical capabilities. #TechHiring #EmotionalIntelligence #IQandEQ #WorkplaceCulture #RightfitAdvantage

My calendar has been filled with candidate interviews these past few weeks and I continue to be most impressed by curious candidates. The best candidates do these two things to demonstrate curiosity: First, the reason I care about curiosity is it's the raw ingredient for success, especially in startups. Ethena is a different company every year and for an employee to be successful, they need to know how to grow. You grow by being genuinely curious – curious about your market, your business, about your own skill sets, your manager's priorities, etc. Okay, onto the 2 things: 1. They take advantage of the "Do you have any questions for me?" moment. This is not a softball question! Most candidates have a canned, GPT–written question like, "What caused you to start Ethena?" While there's nothing wrong with this question, there's also nothing right with it. It's a question I've answered 100 times online. Instead, the best candidates ask a really perceptive question like, "I noticed this is the first time you're hiring for this role. Why bring on this role now and not in 6 more months?" This is an excellent question because you can't find the answer online and it shows that you, the candidate, are also evaluating whether we, Ethena, are a good fit. You're assessing our business logic. (If you are interviewing with me this week and you use this question, you won't get originality points!) 2. They pepper in questions *throughout* the interview, not just when I've offered up question time. Example: I might ask a question like, "What got you into sales," and then after answering, a curious candidate might ask me something like, "Today, you probably don't have to be in sales, but do you still like doing sales? What's the most interesting deal you're working on right now?" And note that curiosity manifests in the *quality* of questions, not the quantity. Also, in the logical flow of questions. A curious candidate is following a logic train, not just peppering me with questions like my 4 year old. Curiosity is a super power.

How to Assess a Potential Hire’s Leadership Potential Leadership behaviors fall into one of two broad categories – the behaviors that drive results and the behaviors that build relationships. Both categories are equally important for long-term success. The most successful leaders exhibit both in abundance. Here are some questions in each of those two categories to keep in mind when assessing a candidate’s leadership potential: Driving Results - How well does the candidate understand which results matter most and why they do? - How skilled is the candidate in establishing goals that lead to results? - What demonstrated experience does the candidate have in creating plans that achieve goals? - What is the candidate’s demonstrated capacity to operate in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world? - Bonus question: Do they operate as a lifelong learner? Building Relationships - What is the candidate’s track record in connecting with a diverse range of people? - How skilled is the candidate at coaching others to higher levels of performance? - What experience does the candidate have in collaborating with peers to create boundary spanning results? - How skilled is the candidate in influencing powerful people to adopt a preferred course of action? What other questions would you add to either of the lists? #hiring #recruiting #assessment