With so many articles written about interview questions, it’s not surprising people may think there is some secret ingredient they just don’t know yet. 

Unfortunately, this is not the case as assessing a candidate's ability to perform can be a balancing act. The interviewer’s role is to try and make the candidate feel comfortable, while also gaining insight into who they are as an employee. They’re seeking to learn about the candidate's skills, experiences, personality and potential to determine if they are a good fit, all while the candidate is attempting to present their best self. 

“While interview questions are important,” says Joe Galea, General Manager of Acclaimed Workforce & Bayside Group, “they’re one element of a more comprehensive process.” Our Employer Interview Guide for 2025 provides insights, tips and tools for conducting an effective interview.   

In this article, we look at the types of questions recommended, why structure is important and additional tips for hiring managers. 

Types of questions recommended 

There are four styles of interview questions. Joe recommends using a combination of all of them to gain a more complete perception of the candidate. 

“You have a very limited amount of time to understand a candidate’s current abilities, as well as their potential. It’s crucial to ask questions that specifically address candidate skills, behaviours, motivations and how they respond in specific situations.” 

There are four key types of questions. 

1. Skills- based questions: to identify whether they have the knowledge and capabilities to perform the role.  e.g. Tell me about the skills and experience you think will help you succeed in the role. 
2. Behavioural-based questions: to understand if they will fit with the organisation, manager and team.  e.g. Can you recount a time when you didn’t deliver according to expectations. What did you learn? 
3. Situational-based questions: to provide insight into how someone works.  e.g. In your current role, is there a time you had to overcome a specific challenge? How did you overcome it? 
4. Motivational-based questions: to learn what drives them to perform.  e.g. How do you organise your day/week/month? or What aspects of your previous role did you enjoy the most? 

According to Joe, it is best to start with skills and behavioural-based questions, as this is what candidates expect and often feel more comfortable discussing. Situational and motivational questions can be used towards the end of the interview, once you have gained an understanding of skills and experience. You can also direct specific questions to gain further insight into previous answers. 



Why ask structured questions in an interview? 

The simplest reason to pre-plan questions prior to interviewing, is that relying on gut instinct will not necessarily get you the best result. From a practical perspective, it also helps you to stick to a set timeframe. 

A more complex answer incorporates human psychology and the trap of homogeneous hiring. Without structure, it is common for people to favour candidates they get along with, or who are more like them. Yet according to the Diversity Council Australia, businesses perform better when a diversity of talent is sourced, assessed, selected and appointed. Accepting we all have biases creates awareness, so you can put processes in place to minimise them. This is where structured questions come into play. 

A maximum of 8 - 15 questions is recommended to ensure a well-rounded list, allowing time for follow up. Once you have put together a list of questions, ask yourself: 

1. Can I ask this question? 
2. Is this question reasonable? 

“Even after more years than I care to admit in recruitment,” Joe says, “I still pre-plan questions prior to interviewing. It helps me to understand the key selection criteria for the role and be clear on the requirements prior to the interview.” 

Additional tips for hiring managers 

Our specialist recruitment teams not only conduct interviews daily, but they also receive feedback from candidates in relation to client interview experiences. Here are four tips for hiring managers to consider: 

1. Use the STAR approach in reverse. Candidates are often advised to use the STAR approach to respond to interview questions – Situation, Task, Action and Results, but not every candidate will answer using this technique. The interviewer can turn this around to ensure relevant information is gathered by asking follow-up questions related to STAR for clarity. E.g. What were the end results of this project? How did you determine success? 
2. Clarify project/task responsibilities and outcomes in follow up questions. Ask how many people worked on a task or project and the specifics of the candidate’s contribution. Likewise, make sure any results have context - 10% of $1,000 is only $100 more, and sales of $500k are less impressive if they were $600k previously. 
3. Make sure you ask at least one question about AI. For professional roles, AI is becoming a critical component to efficiency and effectiveness. Yet not everyone is keeping up. Ask what role AI played in your current/or previous role? Or how are you using or keeping up to date with AI for your role.  
4. Ask this one final question. To help the candidate feel satisfied with the interview, it is always a good idea to finish with: Do you have anything else you would like to add in relation to your skills and experience? 

To view a comprehensive list of questions, including an example list developed by a Senior Consultant with 30 years of experience, download our Employer Interview Guide 2025.