How to Ask Interview Questions: 3 Effective Interview Tips

According to a LinkedIn survey, nearly 75% of recruiters believe asking the wrong questions leads to hiring the wrong candidates. In fact, many recruiters – from HR to managers to small business owners – struggle to formulate interview questions that are focused and effectively uncover a candidate's true abilities.

This article will help you understand how to ask interview questions in a logical, clear, and practical way: from setting interview objectives, understanding the interviewee, to constructing questions that accurately assess skills, mindset, and fit for the position. Whether you're hiring new staff, sharing knowledge, or simply want to gain a deeper understanding of a person, this is a concise yet extremely useful guide for you.

Tip 1: How to write HR-standard job interview questions

Step 1: How to ask open-ended interview questions to understand the candidate better

Start with open-ended questions

• Open-ended questions are those that cannot be answered with "yes" or "no" and often have no absolute right or wrong answers.

• This is an important foundation in how to ask interview questions to candidates, as it helps the conversation flow naturally, without feeling like an interrogation.

Create a comfortable atmosphere for candidates to share proactively

• When asked open-ended questions, candidates tend to be less stressed and more willing to talk.

• A comfortable candidate will share valuable information, helping recruiters accurately assess their abilities and personality.

Uncover basic competencies and guide follow-up questions

• Open-ended interview questions help you:

  • Quickly identify the candidate's experience, skills, and way of thinking

  • Listen for "signals" to ask in-depth questions in later steps

• This is an effective way to ask interview questions, especially for the first round.

Examples of open-ended interview questions to use

• "Tell me about your previous working relationships with colleagues or supervisors."

• "How would you describe the best and most challenging working relationships you've experienced?"

Practical benefits of this type of question

• Helps you assess:

  • Their ability to work in a team

  • How candidates handle conflict in the workplace

  • Their level of fit with the company culture

• Candidates usually don't want to badmouth former colleagues or bosses in an interview, so open-ended questions will reveal how they express themselves, choose their words, and handle sensitive situations.

Step 2: How to ask interview questions to test company knowledge

Require candidates to demonstrate knowledge of the company

• When interviewing, you need to ask questions that make candidates prove they've researched the company, not just skimmed the job description.

• The goal isn't to test their memory of facts, but to see if the candidate truly understands what you do.

Ask questions that require candidates to "role-play"

• Questions that ask candidates to imagine themselves as employees in the company will:

  • Reveal their level of understanding of products, services, and customers

  • Show whether they grasp the context and operations of the business

• This is an important technique in how to ask interview questions to assess critical thinking.

Examples of interview questions to use

• "Introduce our company as if I were considering buying your product or service."

  • This question helps you assess:

    • How well the candidate understands the company's core values

    • Their ability to articulate and speak in the company's 'voice'

• For non-sales positions, you don't need to ask for an overly polished presentation, just to determine if the candidate has actually done their homework before the interview.

Assess vision and commitment

• Another effective question is:

  • "If we were to sit down a year from now and reflect on your time here, what do you hope to have achieved?"

• This question helps you:

  • Assess their ability to see the bigger picture of the job

  • Determine their level of commitment and desire for long-term engagement

  • Filter out candidates who only read job descriptions and aren't genuinely interested in the company

Step 3: How to ask follow-up questions to delve into candidate competencies

Prepare to summarize answers before moving to the next question

• After each answer, briefly summarize the main points in your own words instead of repeating them verbatim.

• This helps you:

  • Gain more time to process information

  • Confirm that you understood the candidate correctly

  • Create a natural bridge to the next interview question

Check the candidate's true level of understanding

• Repeating and digging deeper helps you differentiate:

  • If the candidate genuinely has experience

  • Or if they are just using generic, empty phrases

• This is a crucial step in how to ask interview questions to assess actual abilities, not just to hear what sounds good.

How to apply in specific situations

• For example, if a candidate says:

  • "I managed a large-scale system implementation project at my previous company."

• You can:

  • Summarize: "So, you were responsible for a large system implementation project."

  • Then transition to a probing question to clarify their capabilities.

Suggested effective follow-up interview questions

• "Could you share the main tasks you were directly responsible for in that project?"

• "How do you think that experience will help you succeed in this position?"

Benefits of this questioning method

• Helps you assess:

  • The candidate's level of actual involvement

  • Their ability to connect past experience with new work

  • How the candidate thinks, reasons, and articulates

• It also minimizes the risk of hiring someone who is only good at recounting achievements but lacks real experience.

Step 4: How to ask interview questions to assess basic competencies

Formulate questions to test foundational skills

• In an interview, a key goal is to determine if what is written on the resume accurately reflects actual abilities.

• You should have a list of questions ready to assess the basic skill level required for the job.

Ask candidates to describe the job and key responsibilities

• Ask candidates:

  • What are the core tasks of this position

  • In their opinion, what is the most challenging aspect of the job

• These questions typically have relatively clear answers, helping you quickly determine the candidate's understanding of the job.

Compare skills on the resume with real-world situations

• When a candidate lists a specific skill, use interview questions to verify:

  • How long they have used that skill

  • Whether they understand and can actually apply it in their work

• This is a very effective way to ask interview questions to avoid hiring someone who only "looks good on paper."

Example interview questions to test skills

• If a candidate lists Adobe Photoshop skills:

  • "How long have you been using Photoshop?"

  • "What tasks do you typically use Photoshop for in your job?"

• If Photoshop is a required skill:

  • Ask scenario-based questions, for example:

    • "If you needed to design a banner and composite a person from another photo into that banner, how would you go about it?"

How to evaluate answers

• Competent candidates will:

  • Present a clear process

  • Use correct technical terminology

  • Explain coherently and logically

• From this, you can determine their level of skill proficiency, rather than just relying on vague assertions.

Step 5: How to ask challenging interview questions

Ask questions to create controlled pressure

• The goal of this type of question is to see how candidates react to difficult situations, not to "catch them out."

• Through this, you can assess:

  • Their ability to make decisions

  • How they remain calm under pressure

  • Their suitability for the actual requirements of the position

Start with a simple but potentially controversial question

• Example of a commonly used interview question:

  • "In your opinion, is it better to do perfect work but be late, or to do good work and be on time?"

• The answer will show you:

  • Whether the candidate prioritizes quality or timeliness

  • Their work style: rigid or flexible

  • Their level of understanding of the company's culture and operations, if they can relate it to the business context

Explore past failures to assess depth

• A classic but very effective interview question:

  • "Tell me about a time you made a mistake or failed at work, and how you handled it."

• This question helps you assess:

  • The candidate's level of self-awareness

  • Their ability to take responsibility

  • Their skills in problem-solving and learning from experience

How to identify quality answers

• Suitable candidates usually:

  • Don't avoid mistakes

  • Clearly explain the cause – how they handled it – the outcome

  • Show what they learned and how they improved

• Conversely, vague answers or blaming circumstances are often signs to consider carefully.

Step 6: How to ask interview questions to assess soft skills

Prioritize open-ended, conversational questions

• Soft skills like personality, communication, commitment, and loyalty are difficult to discern from a CV.

• Therefore, when asking interview questions, you should use open-ended questions that encourage candidates to share their thoughts rather than giving short answers.

Design the rhythm of the interview

• An effective interview should have a clear "up-and-down rhythm":

  • Start with gentle questions to help the candidate relax and understand their context

  • Then move on to questions that assess skills and work capabilities

  • Finally, return to open-ended questions to explore personality and personal values

• This approach makes the interview more natural and avoids prolonged tension.

Prepare a set of questions to explore personality

• You should have a list of flexible questions, not necessarily directly related to technical expertise, to use when you need to understand the candidate's personality more deeply.

• For example:

  • "Who is the smartest person you've ever known? Why?"

• This question helps you identify:

  • Their personal value system

  • Their career goals

  • How the candidate perceives and evaluates others

Find out what makes candidates happy at work

• A very effective question is:

  • "Is there anything you would be willing to do every day throughout your career and still enjoy it?"

• How to evaluate:

  • Vague answers indicate that the candidate doesn't truly understand themselves

  • Specific answers related to the job show their potential for long-term commitment and intrinsic motivation

Assess values and loyalty

• You can ask:

  • "If you were working here, earning your desired salary, and very satisfied with your work, what kind of offer from another company would make you consider leaving?"

• This question helps you understand:

  • Whether the candidate values money, position, or the meaning of work

  • Their level of susceptibility to external factors

  • Their potential for long-term commitment to the company

Step 7: How to ask experience-based interview questions

Prepare a set of questions that explore real-world experience

• Even if you have already gathered some of the candidate's experience from previous questions, you should still prepare some questions based on specific experiences.

• The goal is to delve deeper into:

  • What the candidate has actually done

  • How they achieved results

  • Their suitability for the role being recruited for

Ask the candidate to describe a typical achievement

• A very effective interview question is:

  • "Please share a specific achievement you had in a previous role that demonstrates you would excel at this job."

• Asking interview questions this way helps you:

  • Assess competence through actual results

  • Identify skills, mindset, and work approach

• In recruitment, past performance is often a good indicator of future success.

Explore successful but unpleasant experiences

• You should also ask:

  • "Tell me about a time when you were very effective at work and achieved good results, but you didn't enjoy the experience and wouldn't want to repeat it."

• This question helps you understand:

  • How the candidate reacts when work isn't enjoyable

  • Their ability to complete tasks even when lacking personal motivation

  • Their level of maturity and awareness of the value of each role within the organization

How to evaluate answers

• Suitable candidates usually:

  • Clearly explain the context – actions – results

  • Acknowledge personal feelings but still emphasize work responsibilities

  • Show that they understand that work isn't always ideal

• Conversely, evasive or shallow answers often reflect limited experience or unrealistic expectations.

Step 8: How to End the Interview Professionally

Allow time for the candidate to ask questions

• When preparing an interview script, always allocate time at the end for candidates to ask questions.

• This is an important step in effectively asking interview questions, but often overlooked by many recruiters.

Assess the candidate's preparation and perspective

• The questions candidates ask help you understand:

  • How much they have researched the job and the company

  • How they perceive the role, responsibilities, and growth opportunities of the position

• Candidates who ask in-depth, relevant questions are often individuals who:

  • Prepared thoroughly before the interview

  • Are genuinely interested in the job, not just interviewing for the sake of it

Always end with professionalism and clarity

• In the actual interview, make sure to:

  • Thank the candidate for their time

  • Briefly explain the next steps in the recruitment process

  • State clearly when you will follow up, regardless of the outcome

• This helps:

  • Create a positive experience for the candidate

  • Demonstrate the company's respect and credibility

Why the closing step is crucial

• The final impression often strongly influences:

  • How candidates perceive the company's culture and work style

  • Their likelihood of remaining interested or recommending the company to others

• A clearly and courteously concluded interview also indicates that the company operates systematically and professionally.

Tip 2: Interviewing Techniques for an Article

Step 1: How to Prepare Interview Questions Based on Character Research

Thoroughly research the interviewee before asking questions

• Before developing interview questions for an article, podcast, or any other content format, you need to gather as much information as possible about the interviewee.

• This helps you avoid asking irrelevant questions and focus specifically on what your readers or listeners care about.

Understand the person behind the achievements

• Find out:

  • Who they are and what they do

  • Their notable achievements

  • Significant failures or turning points in their career

  • Their work style and personal characteristics

• This data forms the foundation for you to create in-depth, broad, and deep interview questions.

Seek information from various sources

• Before the interview, make sure to:

  • Search for the interviewee's name on Google

  • Read related articles, interviews, and social media posts

• This helps you avoid repeating old questions and easily delve into new perspectives.

Write a brief profile of the interviewee

• Before drafting questions, you should:

  • Write a short introduction about the person

  • Note the important milestones in their career

  • Mark the topics you want to explore in depth during the interview

• This approach helps you control the interview flow better and not miss important details.

Step 2: Define Objectives Before the Interview

Clearly state your desired objectives

• Once you understand who you are about to interview, the next step is to clearly define the objectives of the interview.

• Objectives help you know exactly:

  • What information you want to extract

  • What content the final interview results will serve

Use objectives to guide questions

• With clear objectives, you will be able to:

  • Draft interview questions that are on point

  • Avoid rambling questions lacking depth

• This is a crucial foundation for effective interview questioning, especially for in-depth interviews for articles or long-form content.

Keep the interview on track

• In reality, conversations can diverge in many directions.

• Interview objectives act as a "compass," helping you:

  • Recognize when to steer the conversation back to the main topic

  • Proactively adjust questions to still achieve desired results

Write concise, decisive objectives

• Objectives should be written as a clear, succinct, and memorable statement.

• For example:

  • "I want the interviewee to share the detailed process of writing their latest novel and the challenges they faced."

• This writing approach helps you:

  • Remain consistent when asking questions

  • Ensure interview content delivers real value to the reader

Step 3: Start the Interview with Gentle Questions

Begin with an "easy-to-answer" question

• When preparing interview questions, prioritize an opening question that is simple and low-pressure, helping the conversation flow naturally.

• This is a common technique in how to ask effective interview questions for candidates, as well as for articles, podcasts, or in-depth content.

Help the interviewee relax and open up

• The opening question should:

  • Not be controversial

  • Not be about right or wrong

  • Not require overly complex thought

• The goal is to help the interviewee feel more comfortable and willing to share, rather than defensive or stressed from the start.

Allow the interviewee to talk about their strengths

• A good opening question often allows the interviewee to:

  • Mention work they are proud of

  • Share achievements naturally

• This helps build initial rapport and "warm up" the interview before moving on to more important questions.

Consider the first question as optional

• The opening question should be one that:

  • Can be skipped without affecting the interview's objective

  • Does not contain core information you need to gather

• In other words, this question is for setting the tone and atmosphere, not for extracting critical data.

Why this method is effective

• Helps the interview:

  • Flow more smoothly from the very first minutes

  • Reduce the risk of the interviewee giving short, closed answers

• Sets the stage for subsequent questions, especially those assessing competence or opinions, to be more effective.

Step 4: How to Ask Open-Ended Interview Questions to Gather Information

Prioritize open-ended questions to foster dialogue

• The goal of an interview is to gather knowledge and perspectives, not just to confirm information.

• Therefore, use questions that cannot be answered with "yes" or "no" to encourage two-way exchange.

• This is a core principle in how to ask interview questions for articles, informational interviews, or career guidance interviews.

Ask about likes and dislikes for insights

• Questions like:

  • "What part of... impressed you the most?"

  • "What about that experience left you dissatisfied?"

• This way of asking helps you:

  • Understand the interviewee's personal perspective

  • Gather context-rich information to develop deeper content

Know when to ask deeper questions

• Depending on the interview context, especially when writing an article, you should delve deeper politely but firmly.

• There's no need to apply pressure, but it needs to be clear enough to extract valuable information.

Use the interviewee's own statements to ask follow-up questions

• An effective technique is to:

  • Record a statement or opinion of the interviewee

  • Ask questions that clarify the reasons and beliefs behind it

• Example questions:

  • "You once said that... Why do you believe that is true?"

• This method helps:

  • Clarify arguments and real-world experiences

  • Create in-depth content that is easily quotable and valuable to readers

Step 5: How to ask reflective interview questions

Use reflective questions to understand mindset and values

• Reflective questions help you explore how the interviewee thinks, makes decisions, and what they value.

• This type of question is very effective in how to ask interview questions when you need depth, not just surface information.

Repeat key points to encourage sharing

• Briefly repeat or paraphrase what the interviewee just said, then ask a follow-up question:

  • Helps them reflect on their experience

  • Encourages them to tell a story or provide specific examples

• This approach maintains a natural conversation flow and yields valuable, usable information.

Exploit career journey as question material

• Before the interview, research:

  • Career path

  • Key turning points

• Based on that, you can guide the conversation with questions like:

  • "During that process, what were some unexpected obstacles you faced?"

  • "Besides the difficulties, what benefits or lessons did you gain?"

Ask retrospective questions to broaden perspectives

• A typical reflective question:

  • "Looking back to when you first started this journey, where did you think you would be?"

• This question helps you:

  • Understand the interviewee's initial expectations

  • Compare them with the reality they achieved

  • Extract personal reflections highly suitable for articles or in-depth content

Step 6: Prepare interview questions for which you already know the answers

Write down questions for which you already know the answers

• Before the interview, list some questions for which you already know the answers.

• Then, answer these questions yourself based on the information you've researched.

• This approach helps you be more proactive in how to ask interview questions and avoid asking unnecessary questions.

Identify questions that truly need deeper exploration

• When you already know the answers to some issues, you'll easily recognize:

  • Which questions don't need to be asked directly

  • Which questions need to be delved into for personal insights

• This helps the interview focus on new, valuable information, rather than repeating existing facts.

Transform familiar questions into comparative questions

• When constructing interview questions, you can:

  • Create questions with similar content, but change the phrasing

  • Use them to see how the interviewee responds in different contexts

• Differences in answers often reveal:

  • Thinking patterns

  • Personal perspectives

  • Level of consistency in arguments

Selectively ask and compare answers

• During the interview, you only need to ask:

  • One or two representative questions from this group

• Then, compare the actual answers with:

  • The information you already know

  • How you answered them yourself beforehand

• This helps you uncover new perspectives, hidden details, or different interpretations.

Step 7: How to ask interview questions that evoke emotions

Use emotionally evocative questions to delve deeper

• In addition to open-ended questions, you should prepare some questions designed to elicit emotions from the interviewee.

• This type of question helps you understand:

  • The personal experience behind achievements

  • Their motivations, beliefs, and true values

• This is an important technique in how to ask interview questions for articles, podcasts, or in-depth content.

Find emotional material from the subject's journey

• When preparing questions, consider:

  • Past failures encountered

  • Periods of rejection, stagnation, or unmet expectations

  • A project, book, or product that didn't succeed as hoped

• These details are highly suitable for asking questions based on real emotions, rather than just asking about results.

Proactively ask questions during the interview

• If you haven't found material beforehand, then:

  • Listen carefully to what has been shared

  • Quickly jot down a new question that arises during the interview

• Effective emotional questions often revolve around "why" and "how", helping the interviewee delve into personal experiences.

Example interview questions that evoke emotions

• "Why did you feel then that you couldn't achieve your goals?"

• "What made you keep trying when you constantly faced obstacles?"

• "Looking back at that experience now, how have your feelings changed?"

The value of emotional questions

• Helps interview content be:

  • More authentic and human-centric

  • Easier to create empathy with readers or listeners

• Also shows the interviewee's:

  • How they face difficulties

  • Ability to overcome pressure and failure

Step 8: Add surprising questions during the interview

Proactively create a unique question

• When reviewing the list of interview questions, ask yourself:

  • Are too many questions similar in structure or content?

• If you find similar questions, you should add an unexpected question to refresh the conversation.

Unexpected questions are not meant to be difficult

• An "ambush question" does not mean an aggressive question.

• The goal is to:

  • Break the familiar Q&A rhythm

  • Help the interviewee relax and reveal their true personality

Prioritize gentle, everyday questions

• You can choose a question not directly related to work, but still shows:

  • Personality

  • Way of thinking

  • How they face daily emotions

• For example:

  • “When you have a bad day, what is your go-to ‘comfort food’?”

Why unexpected questions are effective

• Helps the interview be:

  • Less formulaic, less stressful

  • Creates natural, memorable moments

• Also gives you more data about:

  • Personal life

  • How the interviewee reacts to unexpected situations

Step 9: Refine interview questions to match objectives

Review and rewrite ineffective questions

• After completing the question list, reread everything and:

  • Rewrite questions that are unclear or difficult to understand

  • Remove or adjust questions that do not directly serve the interview objectives

• This step helps you optimize how you ask interview questions so that each question has a reason to exist.

Use questions as a guide, not a rigid script

• In the actual interview:

  • View the question list as a directional tool, not something to be asked verbatim

  • Allow the conversation to unfold naturally, maintaining its flow and pace

Be flexible with the flow of conversation

• When the interviewee shares valuable information:

  • You can ask new questions on the spot

  • Or skip questions that have become irrelevant

• This helps you delve deeper into interesting points, instead of mechanically sticking to the initial list.

Know when to omit questions

• Some questions may have:

  • Already been answered indirectly

  • Become unnecessary because the goal has been achieved

• Proactively skipping shows that you are genuinely listening, not just "asking for the sake of it."

Why refining questions is important

• Helps the interview be:

  • Natural, coherent

  • Focused on high-value information

• It also enhances the effectiveness of how interview questions are asked, especially for in-depth interviews, long articles, or content requiring depth.

Tip 3: How to ask questions when interviewing an inspirational figure

Step 1: Research the individual before asking interview questions

Gather as much information as possible before writing questions

• Before developing interview questions, you need to proactively gather as much information as possible about the person you will be interviewing.

• Even if this is a role model you admire and know quite well, further research is always necessary to avoid superficial questions.

List what you already know about the individual

• Write down:

  • Who they are, what they are famous or known for

  • Their outstanding achievements

  • Their failures, turning points, or difficult periods

  • Their style, personality, or personal values expressed through their work

• This list helps you identify the strengths to explore in depth during the interview.

Seek additional information from external sources

• Search for the individual's name on Google and:

  • Read related articles, interviews, and analytical pieces

  • See what they have shared and in what context

• This step is especially helpful if the individual is widely known, helping you avoid asking overly familiar questions.

Write a brief profile of the interviewee

• Before finalizing the questions, consider:

  • Writing a short biography

  • Highlighting key career milestones

  • Noting topics you want to delve into during the interview

• This helps you maintain control over the interview flow and ask in-depth, relevant questions.

Step 2: Define interview objectives for the role model you admire

Clearly state what you want to achieve from the interview

• When interviewing someone you admire, defining your objectives from the outset is crucial.

• Objectives help you clarify:

  • Why you want to conduct this interview

  • What valuable insights you expect the interviewee to share

Use objectives to guide questions

• A clear objective will help you:

  • Draft interview questions that are on point

  • Proactively steer the conversation in your desired direction

• This is a crucial foundation for how to ask interview questions, especially for inspiring or in-depth interviews.

Keep the conversation focused

• In reality, when speaking with someone you admire, it's very easy for the interview to diverge into many other topics.

• The interview objective acts as an "anchor," helping you:

  • Recognize when to bring the conversation back on track

  • Not miss the core information you want to extract

Write objectives as concise affirmative statements

• Objectives should be:

  • Clear, concise

  • Directly express why you want to interview that individual

• For example:

  • “I want the interviewee to share the detailed creative process for their latest novel and the challenges they faced.”

• This writing style helps you stay consistent when asking questions and optimize the value of the content obtained.

Step 3: Begin the interview with light questions

Start with easy-to-answer questions

• When structuring interview questions, begin with a simple, friendly question to allow the conversation to unfold naturally.

• With someone you admire, the opening question should be even more approachable to create a positive atmosphere from the start.

Help the interviewee relax and open up

• "Light questions" should:

  • Non-controversial

  • Doesn't pressure for right or wrong answers

  • Not challenging in nature

• The goal is to help the interviewee feel comfortable and willing to share, rather than overthinking.

Allow them to talk about what they are proud of

• A good opening question can:

  • Elicit stories about work or achievements they are passionate about

  • Provide an opportunity for them to naturally share their pride

• This helps set a positive interview rhythm before moving on to deeper questions.

Why are opening questions important?

• They help:

  • Set the tone for the entire interview

  • Reduce stress for both interviewer and interviewee

  • Create a foundation for subsequent questions to be more effective

Step 4: Ask about strategy and process for achieving goals

Focus on how they achieved results

• When interviewing a role model, prioritize questions about their strategy, process, and methods of action.

• These questions help you understand:

  • What path they took

  • How they made decisions

  • How they maintained motivation and discipline to achieve their goals

Prepare a list of questions based on existing knowledge

• Before the interview, write down:

  • What you already know about their journey

  • What you truly want to learn and apply to yourself

• From there, build a set of fundamental questions so that when answered, you get an overview of the topic.

Start with basic knowledge

• Questions should help you grasp:

  • Learning or training paths

  • Key steps in career development

• For example, if your role model is a doctor, you might ask:

  • How many years of study are required for this profession?

  • Which subjects or skills are core?

  • What was the most challenging stage in their training?

Explore how they maintained their goals

• Don't just ask "what they did," also ask:

  • How they stayed motivated when facing difficulties

  • How they adjusted their strategy when things didn't go as planned

• This part provides high practical value, especially for someone looking to follow a similar path.

Why this type of question is important

• Helps you:

  • Learn specific methods, not just inspirational talks

  • Understand the connection between goals – actions – results

• And transform the interview into a source of applicable knowledge, not just a success story.

Step 5: Personalize interview questions based on the individual's experiences

Use existing knowledge to write very specific questions

• Once you understand your role model well, formulate questions directly related to their life and experiences:

  • Important milestones

  • Personal goals

  • Notable achievements

  • As well as failures or difficult periods

• This approach helps questions avoid being generic and get straight to what the reader/listener is interested in.

Dig deeper based on what you already know

• Before writing questions, ask yourself:

  • What in their journey makes you most curious?

  • What decision changed their direction?

• From there, create questions that delve deeper, instead of repeating questions anyone could ask.

Avoid general questions, focus on insight

• General questions have already been addressed in the first part of the interview.

• At this stage, you need questions that:

  • Are tied to specific personal experiences

  • Make the interviewee pause and think

  • Provide new perspectives or practical lessons

Evoke emotions to understand the true person

• Good personalized questions often:

  • Touch on emotions

  • Ask the interviewee to reflect and explain their choices

• Example questions:

  • What in their most difficult period changed their view of success?

  • What experience makes them most proud, even if few people know about it?

Why personalizing questions is important

• Helps the interview:

  • Break free from clichés

  • Become a real dialogue, not a mechanical Q&A

• And also provides:

  • Unique content

  • In-depth information

  • Long-term valuable insights for readers or listeners

Step 6: How to create effective open-ended interview questions

Review and eliminate closed questions

• Review your entire list of questions and ensure:

  • No question can be answered with "yes" or "no"

  • Each question encourages the interviewee to explain, tell a story, or share their perspective

• This is a crucial foundation for how to ask open-ended interview questions.

View the interview as a conversation

• The goal of an interview is to learn knowledge and mindset from your role model, not a rigid Q&A.

• Therefore, questions should foster two-way dialogue, allowing the conversation to flow naturally.

Ask about what they like and dislike

• Questions such as:

  • "What part of that experience did you find most rewarding?"

  • "What did you dislike or wish you had done differently if you had the chance?"

• This line of questioning provides deep insight, rather than generic answers.

Put yourself in the shoes of the role model

• When writing questions, try to imagine:

  • You are the person being interviewed in the future

  • A young person admires you and wants to learn

• Ask yourself:

  • What do you want to share?

  • What stories do you want to tell?

  • What advice do you want to give from your real experience?

Write questions to elicit the desired answers

• After imagining yourself as the interviewed role model:

  • Write questions that can elicit similar stories, lessons, and advice

• This method helps questions:

  • Touch on the interviewee's interests

  • Easily foster genuine and in-depth sharing

How to effectively control interview duration and pace

Maintain a reasonable interview length

• An effective interview typically lasts 30–45 minutes.

• You should only prepare about 7–8 core questions, avoiding too many questions that can exhaust candidates and lead to superficial answers.

• Fewer, targeted questions will help in a more accurate assessment.

Embrace silence when necessary

• When candidates are thinking or struggling to articulate their answers, wait patiently.

• Silence can make interviewers uncomfortable, but in an interview, it is:

  • A time for candidates to think more deeply

  • An opportunity for them to give more honest answers

• Don't rush to the next question just to avoid silence.

Let the candidate speak more than you

• The goal of an interview is to understand the candidate, not to over-introduce the company.

• Limit:

  • Lengthy discussions about the organization

  • Over-explaining challenges or context

• Only share information when the candidate actively asks or when clarification is truly needed.

Tactfully interrupt rambling candidates

• If a candidate is speaking too long or going off-topic, you can:

  • Wait for a natural pause in their story

  • Gently say, "Thank you."

  • Then move on to the next question

• This method helps you maintain control of the time while remaining polite.

Avoid unnecessary pressure

• Don't be too harsh or bombard with questions.

• Stressed candidates often cannot demonstrate their true abilities.

• A good interview is one that makes candidates comfortable enough to express themselves.

Adhere to legal regulations when asking questions

• Some questions may violate labor laws, especially regarding discrimination.

• Avoid personal questions such as:

  • Marital status

  • Children

• Instead, ask about job requirements, for example:

  • “This job requires about 50% travel; are you willing to do that?”

• Always research regulations from the company or relevant authorities beforehand to avoid legal risks.

References

1. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/tough-open-ended-questions
2. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/great-interview-questions
3. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/14-interview-questions-th_n_2807438
4. https://spcollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=254319&p=1695317
5. https://stemettes.org/zine/articles/questions-to-ask-a-role-model/

Translator: Sidney Bailey Hoang.