Being curious is the basis of our lives. And that's a good thing! You often need to be curious. For example in your work, if you solve a problem for a customer. Or in your private life, when you are introduced to new people.
And what is the basis of curiosity? Correct. To ask. If you ask the right questions, you will reach your goal faster (and with better quality). Strong 'interview skills' also come in handy in everyday life. You're in luck: we have listed no fewer than 50 interesting interview questions or discussion questions for you. Are you not very good at conducting interviews or conversations? Of course we thought of that too. Read along.
How do you become a top interviewer?
Hey, interviewer in the making. Listen carefully, because to make your interview a success, you cannot simply fire questions at your conversation partner. An interview requires preparation time and the right questioning technique. No worries, we are happy to teach you the do's and don'ts as we have used them for years to record successful interviews.
This is what you should not do during an interview:
Do not fill in for the other
Don't make assumptions. If your interviewee tells you that his father is a teacher and your follow-up question is “So you also wanted to become a teacher?” then you leave no room for the conversation partner to tell the story themselves.
Stay away from steering too much
As an interviewer, you are supposed to get to know your conversation partner. It is not the intention for the person to give you the answers you expect. Then try to let go of your expectations and concentrate on your curiosity about your conversation partner.
Give space
Interrupting each other is disruptive, and it can give your conversation partner the feeling that you are not genuinely interested in the answer. The possible consequence? The interviewee withdraws from the interview and no longer puts energy into his or her answers.
Use a generic tone of voice
Everyone is different. Now you don't have to tailor your interview to everyone, but it helps if people like you. They will then be more likely to want to share more with you. So feel free to adjust the tone of your questions to the person on the talking chair.
It's better to do this during interviews:
Allow silences
It may feel awkward at times, but silences are your best friend when interviewing someone. Silences are also experienced as uncomfortable by the interviewee, which causes them to continue talking to fill the silence. This can help you hear more about the chosen topic!
Ask open-ended questions
You will get better answers to open questions. With a 'yes' or 'no' you often still don't know much. You can recognize an open question by the fact that no clear answer can be given. For example, ask “What do you think of Dalmatians?” instead of “Do you also think Dalmatians are beautiful?”.
Keep asking questions
This can sometimes be difficult for (novice) interviewers. However, we recommend that you overcome the hurdle and ask unabashedly if you do not get a clear answer.
Feedback
Are you unsure whether an answer matches your assumption or would you like to know more? Then summarize the answer. You do this by repeating the answer of your conversation partner in your words and asking whether this is correct. There is a good chance that you will receive some additional information, or at least confirmation as to whether your summary is correct.
These 50 interview questions provide inspiration
1. Can you introduce yourself?
2. What is your greatest passion?
3. What are your biggest motivations?
4. What's still on your bucket list?
5. Which person would you still like to meet?
6. What inspires you?
7. Who are you proud of?
8. What personal achievement are you most proud of?
9. Why (or when) do you enjoy going to work?
10. How do you prefer to spend your free time?
11. What is your tip to others?
12. Have you ever made a blunder?
13. What is the most beautiful moment you have experienced?
14. What are your strong qualities?
15. What are your weaker qualities?
16. Are you satisfied with the choices you have made?
17. What would you do differently in life if you could?
18. What are your ambitions?
19. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
20. What do you like so much about your work/education/hobby/life/[fill in the blank]?
21. How do you envision the ideal [fill in the blank]?
22. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
23. What is your greatest fear?
24. What makes you angry?
25. What is your biggest irritation?
26. What makes you laugh?
27. What did you want to be when you were young?
28. How do your friends describe you?
29. If you could time travel, which year would you go back to?
30. What is your favorite holiday destination?
31. What's your favorite movie?
32. What was/is your favorite subject at school?
34. If you could do anything you wanted for a day, what would you do?
35. What do you know about [fill in the blank]?
36. Choice: [fill in] or [fill in]
37. With which number from 1 to 10 do you rate [fill in]?
38. What comes to mind when you think of [fill in the blank]?
39. What would you do in this case: [fill in]
40. What would you like to improve about yourself?
41. What are you doubting about at this moment in your life?
42. What is your most beautiful possession?
43. Give yourself 3 compliments.
44. Your friends will give you a joint gift on your birthday. What is it?
45. What daily activity do you find annoying?
46. Share a beautiful memory from your childhood.
47. What's the nicest anecdote you've ever heard?
48. What are you grateful for today?
49. What calms you down?
50. Come up with a question for yourself.
Have an interview filmed?
There! Fifty interview questions and tips to become the ideal conversation partner. Conducting a good interview involves quite a bit. As filmmakers, we know this better than anyone. We always start by asking a few questions to find out what the customer's needs are. But also extra fun: filming interviews!
With years of experience in the film world, and with truly fervent interviewers in our midst, we are regularly asked to conduct interviews and broadcast them. Do you prefer to outsource setting up and filming interviews? Then give us a call! We discuss your wishes and goals during the interviews and then we take care of the entire process for you.
