Sample Interview Questions for Hiring Managers

Person in suit sitting at a glass table with folded hands.

Not every hiring manager is a human resources expert. Sometimes a manager has a hard time articulating exactly what they are looking for in the ideal candidate; they tend to go with their gut.

While that can work out, it’s a much better bet to go into an interview with a list of questions that will yield valuable answers. Whether you know what response you’re looking for or not, these questions will get your candidate talking and show you how they think critically.

Here’s a handy list of interview questions for hiring managers:

The Basics

These are go-to questions for most interviewers.

What is the career achievement that you’re most proud of?
How would you describe your ideal work strategy?
Tell me about a challenge you’ve overcome.
What is your ideal work environment?
Why did you leave/why are you looking to leave your most recent employer?
What skill of yours would you like to sharpen? How would you do that?
How do you define success?

Critical Thinking

Questions like these give you insight into how the candidate thinks and how they perform under pressure. It’s not about getting the right answer, it’s about the logic and approach they use here.

Why are manhole covers round?
If you were a pizza delivery person, how would scissors help you?
What position would you play on a soccer/football/hockey/baseball team?
How many pennies would you have to stack on top of each other to reach the top of the Empire State Building?
How can you find out if the light inside a closed refrigerator is on or off?

Specifics About the Job

Tailor these to the particular job you’re hiring for.

What specific skill do you have that makes you most qualified for this position?
What do you think you could bring to this job? What is a project you’d want to tackle right away?
What make you interested in this position and this company?
What are you looking to get out of this position?
How would you ideally grow this role?

If you’re looking for qualified, excellent candidates to join your team, submit a job description or get in touch with one of our expert recruitment consultants today.