# The Best Interview Questions We've Ever Published

Over the years, we've published interview questions recommended by leaders across every field. Here are the very best for hiring excellent performers every time.

## 1. Ask these questions to test for the 7 most important high-performer attributes.

As Co-founder and CEO of [Koru](http://www.joinkoru.com/?ref=review.firstround.com), [Kristen Hamilton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenm?ref=review.firstround.com) has long worked to bridge the gap between graduation and employment and place people in jobs where they’ll excel. Working with candidates who lack real-world experience has had a surprising byproduct — she now has a crystal clear sense of the skills and traits that make people great performers. She's identified **seven characteristics** that, taken together, best translate into someone killing it at their job. These traits transcend department or career stage, and they apply to entry-level engineers and marketing executives alike:

- **Grit**  
- **Rigor**  
- **Impact**  
- **Teamwork**  
- **Ownership**  
- **Curiosity**  
- **Polish**

To test for each of these qualities during a standard interview, Hamilton has curated very specific questions—

**For grit, ask:** Tell us about a time in your career that you wanted something so badly that you were unstoppable in pursuing it. What obstacles did you overcome to get there?

**For rigor, ask:** Tell us about a time you used data to make a decision.

**For impact, ask:** 1) Tell us about a time you had a measurable (read: quantitative) impact on a job or an organization. 2) Tell us about a person or organization that you admire. Why do you think they have made an important impact?

**For teamwork, ask:** 1) When working on a team, what's hardest for you? 2) What about a time you worked on a difficult team? What was your role and experience? 3) What makes you happiest and most effective when working with others?

**For ownership, ask:** Tell us about a time you experienced what you perceive to be an injustice.

**For curiosity, ask:** What's the last thing you really geeked out about?

**For polish:** 1) See how they handle themselves when you interject or interrupt them in the conversation. 2) Do they send a thank you note shortly after the conversation?

For more on how to ask these questions and suss out the 7 traits for success, [read the rest of Kristen Hamilton's interview here](https://review.firstround.com/hire-a-top-performer-every-time-with-these-interview-questions/).

## 2. This is the anatomy of the perfect technical interview.

As the former Technology VP for both Amazon and Zynga, [Neil Roseman](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/neil-roseman?ref=review.firstround.com)'s interviewed hundreds of people and believes every phase of the process needs to be meticulously designed to drill deep into skill sets, actual accomplishments, culture fit and leadership potential.

In his opinion, great interview questions focus on specific examples of the candidate’s unique contributions, actions, decisions and impact. Ideally, you want to:

- **Probe**: give me an example…  
- **Dig**: who, what, where, when, why and how on every accomplishment or project  
- **Differentiate**: we vs. I, good vs. great, exposure vs. expertise, participant vs. owner/leader, 20 yard line vs. 80 yard line

STAR questions include:  
- What's the background of what you were working on?  
- What tasks were you given?  
- What actions did you take?  
- What results did you measure?

When it comes to soft skills and culture fit, Roseman is a big fan of one question — he asks everyone, no matter the position: **Do you consider yourself lucky?**

For more questions and advice on how to structure interviews from Roseman, [read on here](https://review.firstround.com/The-anatomy-of-the-perfect-technical-interview-from-a-former-Amazon-VP/).

## 3. Identify 'Adaptable Leaders' with this list of questions.

According to [Anne Dwane](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwane/?ref=review.firstround.com), former CEO of Zinch, CBO of Chegg and now Co-founder of Village Global, the most important quality any startup leader (current or aspiring) can have is adaptability.

After making introductions, Dwane begins with a pointed two-part question: What motivates you and what do you want to do next?

**She then asks these questions to identify whether a candidate is an adaptable learner:**  
- What have you started?  
- How would you describe yourself in your own words?  
- How would a colleague describe you in three adjectives?  
- What current trends are you seeing in your profession?  
- What new things have you tried recently?

Take note of this as a critical demonstration of self-learning in your interview. For more on how to spot, hire and nurture adaptable leaders, [read more from Dwane here](https://review.firstround.com/the-adaptable-leader-is-the-new-holy-grail-become-one-hire-one/).

## 4. These questions are designed to bust bureaucracy before it starts.

As VP of Engineering at Airbnb, [Mike Curtis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtismike?ref=review.firstround.com) has seen the dire impact that bureaucracy can have on a company. To hire specifically for trustworthiness, Curtis recommends allocating at least 45 minutes to an interview that is entirely about culture and character.

**At Airbnb, Curtis found that these four moves truly extract the most value out of this type of interview:**  
- **Let them shine first.** For the first 15 minutes of your culture interview, let a candidate describe a project they’re particularly proud of.  
- **Then make them uncomfortable.** Ask them about difficult experiences, or moments when they were somehow not in control.  
- **Calibrate your results.** Have all interviewers review several packets at the same time to expedite the process of getting to some kind of calibration on what’s important.  
- **Watch out for signs of coaching.** If a candidate seems to have uncanny command of your internal language, take note.

For more from Curtis on how to hire and onboard new employees, [read more of our interview with him here](https://review.firstround.com/bureaucracy-isnt-inevitable-heres-how-airbnb-beat-it/).

## 5. Recruiting practices and questions for hiring 'Originals.'

Bestselling author and Wharton professor [Adam Grant](http://www.adamgrant.net/?ref=review.firstround.com) suggests asking the following questions to recognize and recruit 'originals' in a startup setting:  
- Tell me about the last time that you encountered a rule in an organization that you thought made no sense.  
- Why shouldn’t I hire you?  
- It’s your first few months on the job. What questions would you first ask and to whom?  
- How would you improve our interview process?

For more on fostering an environment where original talents can truly thrive, [read more from Todd Jackson here](https://review.firstround.com/find-vet-and-close-the-best-product-managers-heres-how/).

## 6. Interview questions for hiring the best product managers.

[Todd Jackson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddj0?ref=review.firstround.com) recommends making sure a candidate fits the following criteria:  
- Intellectual ability  
- Communication  
- Leadership  
- Effectiveness within the company culture  
- Knows what users want  
- Strategic/Analytical Thinking  
- Technical background  
- Entrepreneurial spirit

For more on finding, vetting and closing the best product management candidates, [read more from Todd Jackson here](https://review.firstround.com/find-vet-and-close-the-best-product-managers-heres-how/).

> _First Round Review is committed to giving you, our amazing audience, all the tools you need to hire the best team for your company. Stay tuned for more stories about interviewing and hiring._