Most Common Interview Questions Candidates Find Annoying: What to Ask Instead

Job interviews are a prime opportunity to learn more about candidates and assess their suitability for a role. With most interviews lasting 30-60 minutes, you don’t have much time to get to know them. Every question you ask candidates has to matter.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of using the same basic questions for every candidate, but that can feel repetitive for both candidates and interviewers – especially when there are lots of candidates to assess. It can also make it hard to shortlist candidates without enough information, potentially leading to an unsuitable hire and further recruitment costs.

With some minor adjustments to your question base, you can make interviews more interesting and valuable for both candidates and interviewers. Learn what candidates are tired of answering, and discover better questions to ask for more effective and impactful interviews.

Common and basic interview questions to stop asking

Some basic interview questions are essential. However, the bulk of the interview questions should be skills-based, role-focused, and allow you to understand if the person will be a good fit for your charity.

While these certainly aren’t the worst interview questions you could ask, it’s understandable that candidates who’ve attended lots of interviews recently could find them annoying or boring. You should be mindful of charity sector candidates who are diligently job hunting in a competitive market and try to make their experience as positive and enjoyable as possible.

• “Tell me about yourself”: This question is too open-ended. Candidates may be unsure how much detail to provide, whether you mean personally or professionally, and could undersell themselves. 
• “Why do you want to work here?”: Some candidates may have a real passion for your charity’s cause and have no issues telling you about this. Others may have stumbled across your role, but ultimately just need stable employment, and have the skills and work ethic to succeed regardless.
• “What is your greatest weakness?”: Candidates may worry about looking bad and end up turning a strength into a weakness, such as “I work too hard”. This doesn’t help you assess how they overcome difficulties.
• “What is your greatest strength?”: People find it difficult to brag about themselves, and it’s too simplistic to focus on just one strength. Asking about a range of attributes you want to see in a candidate will yield better results.
• “What’s your current salary?”: Asking about current salary is often irrelevant, as people could be sector-switching, taking the next step in their career, or moving to or from a part-time role. Asking about expected salary is more appropriate.
• “Why should we hire you over others?”: This is an unfair question, as the candidate won’t know who they’re competing against, can’t say what makes them stand out, and shouldn’t feel pressured to talk others down to boost their own chances.
• “Where do you see yourself in five years?”: Not only is this impossible to know or commit to, but it can also come across as too personal. Some people may be planning to have children or advance their careers quickly, and don’t want to be unfairly seen as using your role as a stepping stone.

Better interview questions to ask instead

You don’t need to forget your entire interview question repository. Instead, make common interview questions more specific to get the best responses. Use inclusive language, as vague questions can confuse neurodivergent candidates and increase stress for people with interview nerves.

Here are some ideas for interesting interview questions:

To get to know a candidate better

Someone’s CV and cover letter are just one snapshot. Interviews allow you to get to know each candidate as a person.

• “Could you provide a brief rundown of your career so far and how it applies to this role?”: Candidates can offer up more details about their experiences and skills beyond what’s written on their CV, and outline how they would put it into practice in this new role.
• “What motivates you in your professional life?”: While slightly open-ended, this question should encourage candidates to open up about what they’re passionate about, whether it’s working with people or making a change within charities.
• “How do you see this role fitting into your career goals?”: It’s unrealistic to assume a candidate will want to be in the same role forever, making this question a great way to assess whether the role is the next step for them or part of a clear progression journey. This should help you understand how your organisation could help a person stay with your charity for longer with career development support.
• “How do you think your current or previous colleagues would describe you?”: This is a gentle way to encourage candidates to talk about their positive attributes from a third-party perspective.

To assess competency

Competency questions should differ between role types, so try to adapt these to suit the skills and expertise needed for your vacancy.

• “Tell us about an important decision you had to make and how you approached it”: This provides an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their decision-making processes.
• “Tell us about a time you were faced with a challenge at work, and how you managed it”: Candidates will be able to use the STAR method to explain how they handle unexpected situations.
• “Have you introduced or developed a new process to the workplace, and what benefit did this have?”: This encourages candidates to explain the positive impact of their expertise to make change within an organisation.
• “What unique skills or experiences could you bring to our charity?”: Candidates will be able to explain how they see themselves applying their individual skills, expertise and experiences to the job.

To understand behavioural and cultural fit

We’re all unique people with personal goals, experiences and ways of working. As such, every candidate brings something different to the workplace. 

• “What appeals to you about working for our charity?”: Candidates who’ve done their research will shine through here. Those with a personal connection to your cause might feel comfortable sharing their own experiences.
• “Could you explain how you work within a team?”: Candidates should be able to demonstrate their ability to be a team player, whether they’re a leader, a great communicator, or someone who follows instructions while suggesting ways to improve things.
• “What aspects of workplace culture matter to you?”: As charities are often unable to offer high salaries seen in the private sector, it’s reasonable for candidates to seek flexible working. Charity work can also be emotionally demanding, so this is a great opportunity for candidates to explain if prefer a supportive, understanding environment over a hustle culture.

Discover more ways to improve your recruitment processes with CharityJob

We help charities find candidates for their vacancies with recruitment advice, tools, and support to manage each stage easily, so you can focus on finding the best talent.

Select the ‘Apply with CV and/or cover letter (CharityJob Apply)’ option when you post a job, and get free access to our end-to-end Applicant Tracking System (ATS) tools designed to help with candidate management. Our ATS includes plenty of handy features such as CV filtering, screening questions and bulk email response templates.

We offer four job ad packages to suit your needs and budget. Choosing the right package matters because it determines the size, type and quality of the candidate pool your ad will reach.

If you’re not sure which is right for your non-profit organisation, contact our expert team for personalised advice. Give us a call on 020 8939 8430, email us at info@charityjob.co.uk or click the button below.