You're asking the same interview questions everyone asks. "Tell me about yourself." "What's your greatest weakness?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

These questions reveal almost nothing about whether the candidate can do the job. They just test whether candidates have memorized standard interview answers.

Here's how to ask questions that actually tell you something useful.

The Problem With Generic Interview Questions

Generic questions train candidates to give generic answers:

Q: "What's your greatest weakness?" A: "I'm a perfectionist" / "I work too hard" / "I care too much"

Q: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" A: "Growing with the company" / "In a leadership role" / "Making an impact"

Q: "Why do you want this job?" A: "I'm passionate about your mission" / "It aligns with my skills" / "I want to grow"

You learn nothing. The candidate who rehearsed answers sounds better than the candidate who's actually more qualified. You're selecting for interview preparation, not job competence.

What Good Interview Questions Do

Good interview questions:

• Reveal how candidates actually think and work
• Can't be answered with rehearsed responses
• Directly relate to what they'll do in the role
• Give you comparative data across candidates

Let's fix your interview questions.

Better Questions For Assessing Problem-Solving

Instead of: "Tell me about a time you solved a problem"

Ask this: "Walk me through the last project or task where you got stuck. What specifically wasn't working, what did you try, and how did you figure it out?"

What this reveals:

• How they approach problems when the solution isn't obvious
• Whether they try multiple approaches or give up quickly
• If they ask for help or try to figure it out alone
• Their actual problem-solving process, not a rehearsed "hero story"

Follow-up: "What would you do differently if you faced that situation again?"

Instead of: "How do you handle challenges?"

Ask this: "Tell me about a project that failed or didn't go as planned. What happened, and what was your role in that outcome?"

What this reveals:

• Whether they take accountability or blame others
• How they handle failure
• What they learned from setbacks
• If they can admit mistakes honestly

Red flags:

• Can't think of any failures ("I've never really failed at anything")
• Blames everyone else for problems
• Doesn't articulate what they learned

Better Questions For Assessing Skills

Instead of: "What are your technical skills?"

Ask this: "Describe a recent project where you used [specific skill the role requires]. What exactly did you do, what tools did you use, and what challenges did you run into?"

What this reveals:

• Depth of actual hands-on experience vs. surface knowledge
• How recent their experience is
• Whether they understand the trade-offs and limitations
• If they can explain technical concepts clearly

Follow-up: "If you had to teach someone [that skill], how would you explain it?"

Instead of: "Are you good at [skill]?"

Ask this: "Rate your proficiency with [skill] on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is 'I've heard of it' and 10 is 'I could teach an advanced course.' Then tell me what you'd need to learn to get to the next level."

What this reveals:

• Self-awareness about their actual skill level
• Whether they're honest or inflating their abilities
• If they know what they don't know (critical for growth)
• Their learning orientation

Red flags:

• Everyone rates themselves 8-10 (unrealistic self-assessment)
• Can't articulate what they don't know (no self-awareness)
• Gets defensive about admitting gaps

Better Questions For Assessing Culture Fit

Instead of: "How do you handle working on a team?"

Ask this: "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate or manager about how to approach something. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?"

What this reveals:

• How they navigate conflict
• Whether they can disagree respectfully
• If they default to avoiding conflict or being combative
• How they balance being collaborative with having opinions

Follow-up: "Looking back, do you think you handled that well? What would you do differently?"

Instead of: "What's your work style?"

Ask this: "Describe your ideal work environment. What conditions help you do your best work, and what environments do you struggle in?"

What this reveals:

• Whether their needs match what you can provide
• Self-awareness about their working preferences
• Potential friction points with your actual environment

Then be honest: "Here's what our environment is actually like [describe reality]. How does that compare to what you just described?"

Better Questions For Assessing Work Ethic

Instead of: "Are you a self-starter?"

Ask this: "Tell me about the last time you took on something at work that wasn't explicitly assigned to you. Why did you do it, and what happened?"

What this reveals:

• Whether they actually take initiative or just say they do
• What motivates them beyond assigned tasks
• If they have good judgment about when to expand scope

Red flags:

• Can't think of an example (might not actually take initiative)
• Example is from years ago (not their current work style)
• Took on something inappropriate or without communicating

Instead of: "How do you manage your time?"

Ask this: "Walk me through a typical work week. How do you decide what to work on when you have multiple priorities?"

What this reveals:

• Actual work habits vs. idealized answers
• How they prioritize when everything feels urgent
• If they're strategic or reactive
• Whether their work style matches your environment

Follow-up: "What happens when you get interrupted or urgent requests come in?"

Better Questions For Assessing Communication

Instead of: "Are you a good communicator?"

Ask this: "Explain [something complex in their field] to me as if I have no background in it."

What this reveals:

• If they can translate technical/specialized knowledge for different audiences
• Whether they're clear or use too much jargon
• How they check for understanding
• If they're patient or condescending

Example: Ask a developer to explain APIs, a marketer to explain SEO, a data analyst to explain regression analysis.

Instead of: "How do you handle feedback?"

Ask this: "Tell me about a time you received critical feedback that was hard to hear. What was it, how did you respond, and did you change anything based on it?"

What this reveals:

• Whether they're actually open to feedback or just say they are
• If they get defensive or take feedback constructively
• Whether they act on feedback or ignore it

Red flags:

• Can't remember receiving critical feedback (unrealistic)
• Story ends with "they were wrong and I was right"
• Dismisses feedback as someone being mean or biased

The Follow-Up Questions That Matter

The first question gets candidates talking. The follow-ups reveal whether their answers are honest.

After any behavioral story, ask:

• "What would you do differently if you could do it again?"
• "What did [other person in the story] think about how you handled it?"
• "What did you learn from that experience?"
• "Have you applied that lesson since then? How?"

Vague or defensive responses to follow-ups are red flags. Candidates telling honest stories can answer follow-ups easily. Candidates who embellished struggle with specifics.

Questions To Never Ask (They're Useless)

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Nobody knows, and they'll just tell you what they think you want to hear.

"What's your greatest weakness?" Rehearsed answers that mean nothing. If you want to assess self-awareness, ask about specific feedback they've received.

"Why do you want to work here?" They want a job. If you want to assess interest, ask what specifically attracted them to the role and what they know about your company.

"What would your manager say about you?" They'll say nice things. Ask for actual examples of feedback they've received instead.

The Structure That Works

Use this interview structure:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes): Make them comfortable. Small talk. Overview of the interview structure.

2. Role-specific questions (30-40 minutes): Ask questions directly related to skills and experiences needed for the job.

3. Behavioral questions (15-20 minutes): Ask about specific past situations to reveal how they work.

4. Their questions (10-15 minutes): Let them ask questions. What they ask tells you a lot about their priorities.

5. Close (5 minutes): Next steps, timeline, any final thoughts.

How To Take Interview Notes That Matter

Don't just write "seemed good" or "nice person." Take notes you can actually use:

For each question, note:

• Specific examples they gave (not just "had a good answer")
• Red flags or concerns that came up
• Follow-up questions they answered well or struggled with
• Anything that surprised you (positive or negative)

After the interview, rate each competency on a clear scale:

• Clear no (would not hire)
• Hesitant (concerns outweigh positives)
• Solid yes (would hire)

For each rating, write one specific reason why. "They're great" isn't useful feedback. "They demonstrated experience with [specific skill] through [specific example]" is.

The Bottom Line

Your interview questions should do one thing: help you figure out if the candidate can do the job and will succeed in your environment.

Generic questions that candidates can rehearse answers for don't accomplish that. Specific, situational questions that require real examples and detailed explanations actually reveal how people think and work.

Stop asking the same questions everyone asks. Start asking questions that give you real signal.

The Fast Version:

• Ask for specific examples, not generic statements
• Use follow-up questions to verify honesty and depth
• Ask about failures, not just successes
• Replace "are you good at X?" with "describe a time you used X"
• Test communication by having them explain something complex
• Take specific notes, not just "seemed good"
• Structure interviews consistently so you can compare candidates fairly
• Focus questions on competencies the role actually requires