Interviewing is a critical skill in the workplace, defined as the systematic process of engaging with candidates to evaluate their qualifications, experience, and fit for a specific role while representing the organization effectively. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, effective interviewing requires a blend of strategic preparation, consistent evaluation methods, and strong interpersonal skills to accurately assess candidate potential.

Effective interviewing skills are essential for making high-quality hiring decisions that drive organizational success. Great interviewers understand how to design a structured process, ask behavior-based questions, actively listen, and objectively evaluate candidates against clear criteria. The best interviewers balance multiple dimensions – they create a positive candidate experience while gathering meaningful data, maintain consistency across candidates while adapting to individual conversations, and blend objective assessment with thoughtful human judgment. Whether you're hiring for an entry-level position or executive leadership, interview preparation and technique can make the difference between an excellent hire and a costly mistake.

When evaluating interviewing skills in candidates, focus on examples that demonstrate preparation, consistency, objectivity, and the ability to uncover substantive information about past performance. Look for evidence that they understand the importance of structured interview processes and can effectively assess candidates based on job-relevant criteria rather than subjective impressions.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you designed an interview process that led to a particularly successful hire. What approach did you take to structure the interviews?

Areas to Cover:

• How they identified key competencies and skills to assess
• The specific interview structure they created
• How they ensured consistency across candidates
• The types of questions they developed
• How they trained or prepared other interviewers
• The outcomes of their structured approach
• What made this process different from previous approaches

Follow-Up Questions:

• What sources did you use to identify the critical skills and competencies for this role?
• How did you ensure that all interviewers were evaluating candidates consistently?
• What specific behavior-based questions did you include and why?
• How did you measure the success of your interview approach?

Describe a situation where you had to significantly improve an existing interview process. What changes did you implement and why?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific problems they identified in the existing process
• How they gathered data or feedback about the issues
• The research or best practices they consulted
• The specific changes they implemented
• How they measured improvement
• Challenges encountered during implementation
• Long-term results of the changes

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific metrics or feedback indicated the previous process needed improvement?
• How did you gain buy-in from other stakeholders for your proposed changes?
• What specific elements did you keep from the previous process and why?
• How did candidates respond to the new interview approach?

Tell me about a time when you had to interview a candidate for a role you weren't technically familiar with. How did you prepare?

Areas to Cover:

• Their research and preparation process
• How they collaborated with subject matter experts
• The strategies they used to assess technical competencies
• How they balanced technical assessment with cultural fit evaluation
• The effectiveness of their approach
• What they learned from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What resources did you consult to understand the technical requirements?
• How did you develop effective questions for areas outside your expertise?
• How did you validate that your assessment was accurate?
• What would you do differently next time you interview for a similar role?

Share an example of a time when you detected inconsistencies in a candidate's responses during an interview. How did you handle it?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific inconsistencies they noticed
• Their questioning techniques to clarify discrepancies
• How they maintained rapport while probing deeper
• The information gathering approach they used
• Their decision-making process after uncovering the inconsistencies
• The ultimate outcome of the situation

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific follow-up questions did you ask to address the inconsistencies?
• How did you ensure you were being fair to the candidate?
• How did you document these concerns for other interviewers or decision-makers?
• How did this experience change your interview approach going forward?

Describe a time when you had to conduct a challenging interview with a candidate who was difficult to assess. What made it challenging and how did you adapt?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific challenges presented in the interview
• Their techniques for adapting to the situation
• How they modified their questioning approach
• The strategies they used to build rapport and get meaningful information
• The effectiveness of their adaptation
• What they learned from this experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What signals indicated you needed to change your approach during the interview?
• What specific techniques did you use to get the candidate to open up?
• How did you ensure you were still gathering comparable data to other candidates?
• What did you learn about interviewing from this experience?

Tell me about a time when you had to train or coach someone else on interviewing techniques. What was your approach?

Areas to Cover:

• Their assessment of the person's current interviewing abilities
• The specific techniques or frameworks they taught
• How they structured the training or coaching
• Methods used to provide feedback
• How they measured improvement
• Challenges encountered in the coaching process
• Results of their training effort

Follow-Up Questions:

• What were the most important interviewing skills you focused on developing?
• How did you demonstrate effective interviewing techniques?
• What feedback mechanisms did you put in place?
• How did you know your coaching was successful?

Describe a situation where you had to evaluate candidates using a structured scoring system or rubric. How did you implement this approach?

Areas to Cover:

• The design of their evaluation criteria or rubric
• How they ensured objectivity in the scoring process
• Their process for comparing candidates fairly
• How they balanced quantitative scores with qualitative assessment
• The effectiveness of the structured approach
• Any adjustments they made to improve the system

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which criteria to include in your evaluation system?
• What scale or scoring method did you use and why?
• How did you address potential biases in the evaluation process?
• How did the structured scoring approach affect the quality of hiring decisions?

Tell me about a time when you had to conduct a panel interview. How did you coordinate with the other interviewers?

Areas to Cover:

• How they organized the panel and assigned roles
• Their preparation process with the panel members
• The structure they implemented for the interview
• How they ensured each interviewer had clear responsibilities
• Methods for consolidating feedback after the interview
• Challenges encountered in the panel format
• The effectiveness of their coordination approach

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare the other panel members before the interview?
• What system did you use to ensure all important areas were covered without redundancy?
• How did you manage the dynamics between panel members during the interview?
• What method did you use to collect and synthesize feedback afterward?

Share an experience where you had to interview a candidate remotely or virtually. What adjustments did you make to ensure an effective assessment?

Areas to Cover:

• The technology and platforms they selected
• How they prepared for potential technical issues
• Their approach to building rapport virtually
• Techniques used to assess body language and non-verbal cues
• How they maintained engagement throughout the interview
• Differences in their questioning approach for remote settings
• The effectiveness of their remote interviewing approach

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific preparation steps did you take before the remote interview?
• How did you help the candidate feel comfortable in the virtual environment?
• What techniques did you use to compensate for the limitations of virtual interaction?
• How did you ensure the remote format didn't disadvantage the candidate?

Describe a time when you recognized your own bias might be affecting your assessment of a candidate. How did you address it?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific bias they identified in themselves
• How they became aware of the potential bias
• Steps they took to mitigate its impact
• Methods they used to ensure objective evaluation
• How they adjusted their interview process going forward
• What they learned about themselves as an interviewer

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific signals or thoughts made you aware of your potential bias?
• What immediate steps did you take once you recognized the bias?
• How did you ensure your final assessment was fair and objective?
• What systems have you put in place to minimize bias in your interviewing process since then?

Tell me about a time when you had to change your interview style to better accommodate a candidate's communication style or needs. What adjustments did you make?

Areas to Cover:

• Their recognition of the candidate's specific needs
• The adaptations they made to their questioning approach
• How they maintained assessment consistency while being flexible
• The effectiveness of their adjustments
• The outcome of the interview
• What they learned about adaptability in interviewing

Follow-Up Questions:

• What cues indicated you needed to adjust your interview style?
• How did you balance adapting to the candidate while still gathering comparable information?
• What specific techniques did you use that were different from your usual approach?
• How did this experience influence your interviewing approach going forward?

Share an example of when you had to interview candidates for a newly created position with no existing success metrics. How did you develop your assessment criteria?

Areas to Cover:

• Their process for defining key competencies for the new role
• Stakeholders they consulted to understand requirements
• How they developed relevant interview questions
• Methods used to ensure consistent evaluation
• How they weighted different skills or competencies
• The effectiveness of their approach for the new position
• Lessons learned for future hiring of unique positions

Follow-Up Questions:

• Who did you involve in defining the critical success factors for this role?
• What sources or frameworks did you use to develop appropriate assessment criteria?
• How did you test or validate that your criteria were appropriate?
• How successful was your approach in identifying the right candidate?

Describe a situation where you needed to conduct an interview to assess cultural fit as well as technical skills. How did you balance these different assessment areas?

Areas to Cover:

• How they defined cultural fit for their organization
• The specific questions they developed to assess values alignment
• Their approach to weighing technical competence versus cultural elements
• Methods used to reduce subjectivity in cultural assessment
• The structure they implemented to cover both areas
• The effectiveness of their balanced approach
• How they made the final assessment

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific cultural attributes were you looking to assess and why?
• What questions or techniques did you find most effective for evaluating cultural alignment?
• How did you ensure your assessment of cultural fit wasn't simply personal preference?
• How did you integrate feedback from other interviewers on both technical and cultural dimensions?

Tell me about a time when you had to provide constructive feedback to another interviewer about their interviewing technique. How did you approach this?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific issues they observed in the other interviewer's approach
• How they gathered specific examples to discuss
• Their approach to delivering constructive feedback
• Recommendations they provided for improvement
• How they followed up or supported the person's development
• The outcome of their coaching
• Challenges encountered in the feedback process

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific interviewing practices did you identify as needing improvement?
• How did you frame your feedback to make it actionable?
• What resources or support did you provide to help them improve?
• How did you measure whether your feedback led to improvement?

Share an experience where you realized after making a hire that your interviewing process had missed something important. What did you learn and how did you improve your approach?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific issue that was missed during interviewing
• Their analysis of why the interviewing process failed to catch it
• The specific changes they implemented
• How they communicated improvements to the hiring team
• The effectiveness of their process improvements
• Lessons learned about interview design

Follow-Up Questions:

• What signals did you miss during the interview process that you can now recognize?
• What specific questions or assessment techniques did you add to your process afterward?
• How did you ensure the improved process was implemented consistently?
• How have your improved interview methods performed in subsequent hiring decisions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to assess a candidate's interviewing skills?

Assessing interviewing skills is crucial because poor interviewing leads to poor hiring decisions, which can cost an organization significantly in terms of time, resources, and team morale. Good interviewers make better hiring decisions, create positive candidate experiences, and ensure the company can consistently attract top talent. Since research shows that hiring failures typically result in about three quarters of reduced productivity, evaluating and improving interviewing abilities across your organization directly impacts business outcomes.

How can I evaluate if a candidate is truly good at interviewing versus just good at talking about interviewing?

Look for specific examples and details in their responses. Strong interviewers will provide concrete instances of their interview process design, explain their questioning strategy in detail, and discuss specific outcomes of their approaches. Ask for examples of interview questions they've developed or adaptations they've made. Consider including a role-play scenario where they demonstrate their interviewing technique directly. The best candidates will show both theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Should these questions be used for all levels of interviewing experience?

While all these questions can provide valuable insights, you may want to tailor them based on the candidate's experience level. For newer interviewers, focus more on basic preparation, structured questioning, and active listening skills. For experienced hiring managers, emphasize questions about improving processes, coaching others, handling challenging situations, and making sophisticated assessment decisions. The follow-up questions can also be adjusted to probe more or less deeply depending on the expected experience level.

How many of these questions should I include in a single interview?

Rather than trying to cover all these questions, select 3-4 that best align with the specific interviewing competencies most important for your role. This allows you to dive deeply into each response with thorough follow-up questions. Remember that fewer questions with high-quality follow-ups will provide more insight than rushing through many questions superficially.

How can I objectively evaluate responses to these questions?

Develop a clear scoring rubric before the interview that outlines what constitutes strong, adequate, and weak responses for each question. Focus on specific elements like: demonstrated structure and preparation, evidence of behavior-based questioning techniques, examples of consistency and fairness, and ability to balance human judgment with objective assessment. Have multiple interviewers assess the same competencies and compare notes before making decisions. Complete your scoring immediately after each interview to avoid recency bias.

Interested in a full interview guide with Interviewing as a key trait? Sign up for Yardstick and build it for free.