Techniques for Asking the Right Interview Questions

We have been testing and refining interview questions with our clients for several years. Here are 15 that penetrate to the core of several critical performance areas and are extremely difficult to dodge, game, or fake: 1. We all have things about us that make it hard for other people to work with us. What makes it hard to work with you? (Collaboration). 2. How do you approach a complicated problem that you have never seen before? (Critical thinking and problem framing). 3. Tell me about a time when you had to go with your gut instinct and intuition to make a hard choice under pressure? (Judgment, responding to uncertainty and ambiguity, synthesis, confidence). 4. Tell me about an important skill you have developed on your own? (Self-directed learning agility). 5. Please share a specific experience that shows you have your ego under control? (Hubris/humility). 6. What was the last idea or suggestion you presented to your organization that was rejected or accepted? What happened? (Influence, courage, and innovation). 7. When was the last time you got some tough feedback? What did you do? (Coachability and tolerance for candor). 8. Give me an example of a time when priorities suddenly shifted. What did you do to respond in that situation? (Adaptability and resilience). 9. What’s the most pressing question you are asking yourself right now in your role and don’t have an answer for? (Curiosity, mental tenacity, and problem solving). 10. When was the last time you failed to act quickly enough? What happened? (Strategic thinking, initiative, urgency, and confidence). 11. Tell me about a time in your professional life when you failed to meet objectives you had committed to. What did you do? (Ownership, accountability). 12. What would your peers, direct reports, and manager say about you? How would they describe your patterns? (Self-awareness) 13. Can you identify an area of performance where you personally have set the standard? (Drive, value, performance). 14. Give me an example of a time when you didn’t do the best work of which you are capable. (Self-reflection and accountability). 15. Tell me about the little things you do to ensure that you are acting ethically and with integrity. How do you sweat the small stuff? (Ethics and integrity). The interview is typically the culminating stage of the hiring process. Everything else–resumes, references, assessments, portfolios, networks and connections–becomes secondary support. The precious few questions you choose to ask in the interview will shape the entire experience. Sharp or blunt, they are the instruments that draw out the information you will likely use to make your hiring decision. #hiring #interviewing #culture

Entry-level #cybersecurity interview questions - A guide for hiring managers: Don't ask: "What port does SSH use?" Instead ask: "Give a situation when SSH should be used." Don't ask: "What is the CIA triad?" Instead ask: "What is the purpose of Information Security?" Don't ask: "What is the XYZ attack?" Instead ask: "What is your favorite cyberattack? Why?" Don't ask: "What is a firewall?" Instead ask: "How do you secure your home network?" Don't ask: "What is Two Factor Authentication?" Instead ask: "How do you secure your personal data?" Don't ask: "What is the OSI model?" Instead ask: "How would you explain the OSI model to a kindergartner?" Don't ask: "What is public key authentication?" Instead ask: "Give a situation when public key authentication should be used." Don't ask: "What is the ABC encryption algorithm?" Instead ask: "How are encryption and hashing different?" Don't ask: "What is ping used for?" Instead ask: "What networking CLI commands are you most comfortable with?" Don't ask: "How do you calculate risk?" Instead ask: "Is there such thing as too much security?" Don't ask: "How often should you change your passwords?" Instead ask: "Tell me why frequent password rotation might be bad." Don't just ask questions that can be answered from rote memory. Ask questions that get your candidates to actually THINK. We need more people in cybersecurity who can challenge assumptions and think critically about problems. Thank you for believing in the next generation as much as I do. 💕

Here’s something I’ve never shied away from: Asking tough questions. I’m in talks with executives all the time, but I’ve never let their stature intimidate me. My selection process goes beyond the resume resumes and references. It's about understanding the deeper layers of a candidate, and learning about their motivations, values, and the experiences that shaped them. I grew up with the Oprah show on daily. I’ve admired how she masterfully uncovers the true face of her guests through tough, yet thoughtful questions. I aspire to use similar techniques to get to the heart of a candidate’s story during interviews. Here’s the thing, asking tough questions isn't about grilling someone, it's about creating a space where honesty, authenticity, and vulnerability can come through. Now, no two interviews are the same. Which is why it’s important to dive deeper into the story to uncover various aspects. Here’s how you can frame these tough questions as per each candidate: 1/ Ask About Their Vulnerabilities Asking questions that allows candidates to reflect on their struggles, resilience, and growth is an integral part of the process. An example: What’s the biggest failure that you’ve experienced, and how did it shape your approach moving forward? 2/ Discover Their ‘Why’ Understanding why someone does what they do helps reveal the candidate’s core values and motivations, and gives insights that can help in determining if their personal goals align with your company’s mission. An example: Can you mention a transformative personal story, and how it influenced your professional decisions in the past? 3/ Encourage Honest Self-Reflection There must be questions that allow the candidate to introspect about their career, as the answers highlight how they handle self-reflection, growth, and change—key traits in today’s rapidly evolving business environment. An example: How do you assess your own growth and progress in your career? 4/ Get Personal Within Reason Without crossing professional boundaries, asking personal questions can give you a window into how candidates think and prioritise in life. This approach can shed light on the values they bring into the workplace and how they lead others. An example: Are there any life experiences that you believe have prepared you for this leadership role? Can you elaborate on one? Trust me, these questions will save you a lot of headache in the future. Thank me later! #Interview #Hiring #HeadHunting