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Guys, check out these group interview questions because not every interview you conduct on the job is going to be one-on-one.

After all, the more, the merrier. It's more efficient the use of your time.

Recruiting and hiring with the right interview questions are becoming increasingly important in this day and age because nobody likes a canned response that is repeated over and over again and available all over the internet.

Contents

Best - #Best

Best

Personal - #Personal

Personal

Hypothetical - #Hypothetical

Hypothetical

Interesting - #Interesting

Interesting

Fun - #Fun

Fun

Ice Breaker - #Ice-Breaker

Ice Breaker

Unique - #Unique

Unique

Weird - #weird

Weird

Funny - #Funny

Funny

How to - #How-to

How To

14 Best Group Interview Questions

You might want to have each potential candidate go around answering these questions one by one. Notice how and if they bounce of each other's responses.

Observe how deeply they listen to the conversation as a whole, rather than focusing only on their own answer. This is important to consider because the ones who listen with most sincerity are going to be your best bets for a team that works well together.

1. How would your colleagues describe you?

A self-aware candidate has a good idea about how they are perceived by their peers and will be proud of the majority of it.

2. How would you describe yourself?

Look for awareness of any differences between self-perception and peer-perception. Do they add up?

3. Why do you want this job?

Observe whether their response carefully masks a survivalist, self-serving mindset like "for the money and that's pretty much it."

4. How do you work in a team?

Observe whether their verbal response corresponds accurately to what you observe of their actions and behaviors when you propose a mock team exercise between the group of potential candidates present for the group interview.

5. What made this team work successfully?

See if the candidate is aware of the nuances of social conduct.

6. Who would you hire from your group? Why?

See how generously and selflessly they are willing to promote and talk up their peers. Hint: the ones who do so most selflessly without giving away their own value are going to be the top quality choices for the team you're putting together.

7. What was your personal contribution to the team’s performance?

Do they brag? Are they steeped in exaggerated humility? Look for candidates who aren't arrogant, yet they know their worth.

8. How did you deal with the stress created by meeting the challenges?

Candidates with full toolboxes when it comes to dealing with stress and other mental-emotional challenges are the most resilient and best investments of them all.

9. What interested you in our company?

See how much research they did before showing up. See how well their own lifestyles align with the company mission.

10. How do you communicate effectively at work?

Nobody needs a passive aggressive employee who doesn't know how to clearly and confidently articulate their needs and wants. Make sure you weed these people out of the running as soon as possible.

11. What are your goals and how does this company and job fit with these goals?

Point blank, this question inquires how personally aligned the candidate believes they are with the company.

12. Why did you choose this career?

Was it just something to do? Did they get forced, socially pressured into it? How well screwed on was their own head when they made this pivotal choice in their lives? How authentic was that choice?

13. What is your biggest strength?

Find out where the candidates most believe in themselves.

14. What is your biggest weakness?

Can these candidates accurately and honestly acknowledge their weaknesses while being able to see the strength in their weaknesses too? For example, intense attention to detail can be both a weakness and a strength at different times and in different situations. You're feeling into whether the candidate knows the fine line between the two.

6 Personal Group Interview Questions

These days, work life and personal life often overlap. It's okay to get a little bit personal during your job interviews.

When you as a manager and hiring recruiter create an environment where all the candidates feel the most acknowledged and relaxed, you'll get the most out of each other with these personal interview questions.

15. What do you have to offer the company?

What's the gift that they are unfurling across the world? What do they hope to create? How do they wish to serve?

16. Can you tell us about a time when you collaborated with another department to complete a project?

The nuanced understanding of collaboration-- the give and take between two energies-- will reveal how deep they are willing to go.

17. Tell me about your previous employment

Whether the candidates are able to diplomatically and fairly describe a negative previous employment situation as a challenge that strengthened them and taught them something instead of just complaining about it or blaming will tell you a lot about their character.

18. What is the worst mistake you made in your previous position? How did you re mediate this?

Are they self-aware and able to take personal responsibility for self-correction?

19. Describe a time when you were working on a team project, and there was a conflict in the group. How did you handle the situation?

Caring, compassionate, diplomatic candidates who can harness their ego during a conflict are precious, rare, and should be sought after.

20. Describe a situation in which you influenced or motivated people

Look for candidates who are able to really understand that even subtle energy can positively influence people. Influence and motivation happen behind the scenes too. Not just in obvious and direct actions.

14 Hypothetical Group Interview Questions

You'll need hypothetical questions to figure out whether candidates can think on their feet in any future job-related situations. Be on the lookout for those rare gems who can pull a whole new perspective out on a typical situation.

21. What would you do if you saw a co-worker stealing an item from the store?

This is about direct confrontation or indirectly passing the information along to a supervisor. Actually both. Do they get evidence?

22. Give an example of a time when you had to explain a complex issue to someone who was unfamiliar with the topic.

How do they break it down?

23. Describe a situation where you need to collaborate with a difficult colleague.

How do they set boundaries while remaining fair and non-judgmental?

24. Describe a situation where you need to work with a difficult manager or difficult customer.

See above, plus any adjustments they make regarding the difference in position.

25. Describe any difficult situation at work and how you resolved it.

How much are they willing to reveal about their challenges?

26. Describe a situation when you need to convince others to change their decision.

How are they at encouraging and motivating people while tangibly supporting their argument?

27. Describe an instance when you were criticized?

Were the candidates able to see the criticism as constructive or they select an example in order to blame or vent? How did they integrate constructive criticism?

28. Describe a situation where you worked under strict deadline?

How is their time management, really?

29. Describe a situation when you require taking an initiative?

What steps to taking initiative are the candidates aware of and able to accomplish?

30. Describe a situation when you worked with a new team?

This tells how they go about forming new relationships with co-workers.

31. Describe a situation where your team needed to move to the other building but had a lot of new tasks.

How did the change of environment affect productivity?

32. Describe a situation when you're the team leader, and everyone in your team doesn't listen to you.

How does the candidate perceive being listened to? Were they aware of personal or environmental issues that prevented their team members attention? How did they make adjustments to better communicate?

33. Tell me about a time you reached a big goal at work.

Were there rewards and celebrations? Both of these are so important for company morale and motivation to keep striving!

34. Describe a situation where you weren't satisfied with your job.

Sometimes we outgrow our old situations. Sometimes we have to settle in order to learn what our real standards are.

13 Interesting Group Interview Questions

Keep things fresh and fantastic with even more interesting interview questions.

35. Why was your team successful?

The candidate's responses will tell you everything about what they really know about what makes success. This is one where you could get the most stunning response imaginable or something really boring, cliche and canned. This question weeds candidates out quickly.

36. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?

Do they take a back seat or a front seat? Don't assume a person who takes a back seat is lazy or less motivated. They may be one of the most careful, attentive listeners and receivers of information who will leap the most bounds in the end because their foundation is strong.

37. What inspires you?

Is it a mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual pursuit? Is there sacrifice involved?

38. What are your computing skills like?

Computer and internet literacy is a baseline inquiry.

39. How would you feel about frequent travel?

How adaptable are they to new environments?

40. How would you feel about relocating?

Sometimes next-level flexibility works great for both parties.

41. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?

Assess their industry awareness and what they see as pros vs. cons.

42. What are some of your leadership experiences?

This ultimately means their ability to help others realize their potential.

43. How would you fire someone?

It's a delicate procedure that should be handled with class.

44. What Motivates You?

This can be different from goals. Motivations are often in the form of communication and encouragement from others.

45. How Can Your Skills and Experiences Further Our Company’s Mission?

How does their puzzle piece fit into the whole?

46. How do you think your family and friends would describe you?

This is a further exploration of foundation and identity.

47. How do you deal with different personalities in the workplace?

Does the candidate embrace how important diversity of opinions is, or do they fear it and avoid confrontation?

12 Fun Group Interview Questions

We're all our best selves when we are feeling an authentic connection. We want to give more when we feel like we are seen in big ways. Cultivating such a positive work environment starts with some fun questions to ask.

48. What can you offer us that someone else can not?

You're asking what is so intrinsically them that it can't be imitated.

49. If you could give something to the last person you met, what would it be?

Extra points to the candidates who think of something that the person can multiply for long term sustenance.

50. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?

This could make some people blank and others light up because they've got 10 stories to choose from.

51. What do you want to be when you grow up?

As in, none of us are really grown up, no matter how old we physically are.

52. How would you rate your memory?

Photographic or Alzheimer's and fading more each day?

53. What do you work toward in your free time?

Note "work toward" as in, make progress in.

54. What are you known for?

And among who?

55. How would you convince someone to do something they didn’t want to do?

Is the thing something worth doing? Trick them or motivate them in a serious way?

56. What was the last thing you googled?

Because our google search histories aren't embarrassing whatsoever.

57. How would you sell ice cream in Antarctica?

That might mean selling heat simultaneously.

58. How would you test an elevator?

It's a serious question.

59. That’s something you believe that almost no one agrees with you about?

This will reveal their inner truth faster than all the other questions.

7 Best Ice Breaker Group Interview Questions

Along the same lines as fun group interview questions, ice breaker questions are always important to give everyone a chance to be their best self and let them know they are welcome valued whether they are selected for hire or not.

60. What superpower would you most like to have?

Let them entertain you with a superpower few people have heard of.

61. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title would be?

A few words to sum up their life.

62. If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?

Are they sweet or full of vinegar and hard to swallow in large amounts?

63. What country would you invest in? Why?

How's their geographical knowledge?

64. If you are a god what would you do to the world?

This is a variation of the superhero question.

65. What fictional character do you identify the most with? Why them?

How do they extract critical thought from fiction?

66. What would your dream company be like?

It can be so difficult for a manager to choose from several highly qualified, genuinely eager candidates and it's important for everyone to know that it's only because there's a right place for everyone, whether its with your company or elsewhere with a competitor.

5 Unique Group Interview Questions

Choose some unique interview questions for a transformative experience.

67. Do you believe it’s more important to work fast or get the job done right?

Let's be honest about this one. The candidate has got to strike a true balance between the two. There is no one or the other. This question is a test of whether or not they know that.

68. Who are your role models and mentors?

Who did they want to be when they were a kid?

69. If you had multiple projects and limited time, how would you go about managing your priorities?

How do the chips fall and stack?

70. Why are manholes round?

Throw them for a loop with this one. Why is the earth flat?

71. You’ve been given an elephant. Not for sale or gift. What would you do with the elephant?

Maybe the only choice is raising the elephant as their own.

4 Weird Group Interview Questions

Make sure you have a few weird interview questions up your sleeves for when they've blown the top off all your serious interview questions.

72. If you get the job, what do you hope to accomplish in your first week, month and year?

What's their comfort level for setting goals?

73. What are your favorite industry websites, books or other resources?

See how the candidate relates them back to their creative process.

74. Where do you believe our industry/profession will be in 5 or 10 years?

See how optimistic or pessimistic they are about the future.

75. If you were our CEO, what’s the first thing you would do?

This speaks of their basic belief systems.

6 Funny Group Interview Questions

Don't forget to get a few laughs out of everyone with some funny interview questions.

76. What would you do if you had a personal issue with someone else on your team?

You need candidates who are strong enough not to take every little conflict as a personal attack but rather as a chance to better understand each other and grow closer as team members.

77. What do you do when faced with an unfamiliar problem?

What sort of research skills have they got?

78. What has been your greatest achievement?

How do they know their strengths?

79. How would you describe your ideal job?

Are their dreams typical or revolutionary?

80. How would your worst enemy describe you?

Our worst enemies are our greatest teachers and vice versa. Would their enemies still have good things to say about the grace they carry themselves with?

81. Give me an example of a time when you failed to hit a deadline

How was the communication leading up to it?

Downloadable List of Group Interview Questions

Here is a downloadable list of interview questions (right-click the image and select Save Image As):...

How To Pick The Best Group Interview Questions

Not every question is for every moment. Choose wisely enjoy how the relationships unfold.

1. Go for variety

Balance serious questions with funny ones and difficult questions with easy ones.

2. Remember we're all in this together

Interview questions aren't meant to intimidate. They're meant to make sure everyone ends up in the position they'd be happiest and best at fulfilling.

3. Encourage authenticity and exploration

Ask questions that your candidates have never heard before so in their effort to give you a concise answer, they discover new and exciting observations about themselves.

More Questions To Ask

The inquiries don't stop there. They're simply part of a full and connected life.

  1. Figure out what to say with our conversation topics.
  2. Keep friends on their toes with random questions.
  3. Life never loses its sheen with deep philosophical questions.
  4. Get to know your crush with these questions to ask a girl.
  5. Enhance your friendship with these questions to ask a guy.

In Conclusion

As hiring manager, you have the gift of making great connections with people every day and helping people be more aware of their strengths and weaknesses by having them articulate them.

The best questions to ask not only stimulate the mind, but they touch the heart. They create grounds for sincerity, careful consideration, intricate self-awareness, high-level articulation, and ineffable self-reflection on past experiences.

By asking the right group interview questions, you'll be able to extricate the extraordinary matches from a sea of average jokes.