Our 50 Favourite Interview Questions

At Atkinson HR Consulting, we believe recruitment and selection is one of the most important steps in any employee and company’s journey. If you get it right, you lay a strong foundation for the rest of your people management.

We’ve collated a list of 50 of the most useful and engaging interview questions to help you enhance the interview stage of recruitment, and also give you a heads up of what you might get asked should you be on the other side of the desk!

About the role

Please talk through your CV and experience and why it makes you a strong candidate for this role.

What made you apply for this role?

What is it about this role that interests you?

Why do you want to be a…?

What skills and experience make you perfect for this role?

What would be your ambition to achieve in the first month, first year, first two years of this role

If we offered you this role, how do you think your manager should measure your performance over the first year?

About the employer and industry

What is it about our company that made you apply?

What are our strengths as a company?

What are our weaknesses as a company?

Who are our main competitors? Why?

Tell us about an idea to develop our company.

Imagine you’re our CEO, from your understanding of our company, what would keep you up at night?

What are the current trends and issues within our sector/industry?

How might these trends and issues affect your ability to do your role?

About leadership/teamwork/communication

Please can you describe your approach to leading and managing people.

How would you help us to build a high-performing, inclusive culture?

How would your direct reports describe you as a manager?

Can you give an example of when you have displayed excellent leadership skills.

Tell us how you would manage a member of staff who was performing poorly.

Describe a situation where you’ve worked as part of a team.

How do you encourage excellent communication amongst your team members?

Describe a situation where you influenced or motivated someone.

Can you tell us about a time when you’ve built and maintained excellent stakeholder relationships? How did this help you in your role?

About problem solving

Tell us about an example when you handled a difficult situation. What did you learn from this?

What is your method for solving problems?

What has been your biggest setback? How did you overcome it?

What is your approach to dealing with an unfamiliar problem?

How do you handle pressure?

Give us an example when you’ve gone above and beyond the requirements of your role.

About motivations and behaviours

Describe yourself.

Why are you looking for a new role?

What motivates you?

If you could do a TED talk on any subject in the world, what would you pick and why?

What would you say are your core values?

How would your friends and family describe you?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Equality, diversity and inclusion are important values to us, how would you champion them from your role?

If you were shipwrecked on a desert island and could have three creature comforts, what would they be and why?

How did you prepare for this interview?

Who inspires you?

About strengths and weaknesses

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses?

How do you effectively utilise your strengths in the workplace?

What development and support would you require in order to successfully do this role?

Senior leader specific

Talk us through your knowledge of excellent financial management from the perspective of this role. What are your views on our financial position?

Talk us through the principles of excellent governance.

Tell us how you would maintain excellent relationships with the board.

What do you think makes up excellent strategy development and what is your experience of both developing and implementing strategy?

Can you talk us through an example of change management or strategic growth you have led including the process and any outcomes? What would you have done differently?