The Top Questions to Ask Candidates to Identify Their Fit and Motivation

A candidate can look ideal on paper. They have the right experience, know the market and have delivered the results you're looking for.

But being able to do the job is only part of the picture.

You also need to understand what they want from their next move, which parts of their work they enjoy, how they like to be managed and whether the opportunity you're offering can genuinely give them what they're looking for.

You can't predict whether somebody will stay for years from an interview. But the more both sides understand about what the other is offering and expecting before an appointment is made, the less chance there is of discovering a fundamental mismatch after they start.

Fit Isn't About Hiring People Who Are Just Like Your Existing Team

Employers often talk about finding somebody who is a good "cultural fit". The problem is that cultural fit can easily become a judgement about whether somebody seems like the sort of person who will fit in.

That's not particularly useful.

What matters more is whether the candidate can succeed in the environment you're actually offering.

For example, somebody may enjoy working very independently while the manager prefers regular involvement and updates. A candidate may want the structure and resources of a large organisation while interviewing with a smaller MedTech business where people have much broader responsibilities.

Someone may be looking for rapid progression into management when there isn't realistically going to be that opportunity within the foreseeable future.

None of those things makes the candidate or employer wrong. They simply need to be understood before somebody accepts the job.

1. "Walk Me Through a Typical Week in Your Current Role. Which Parts Do You Most Enjoy?"

This gives you much more information than simply asking somebody what they enjoy about their job.

Listen to what they naturally spend time talking about.

Do they enjoy developing existing accounts or winning new ones? Building long-term customer relationships or closing opportunities? Theatre support? Training clinicians? Working independently across a territory or collaborating closely with a wider team?

Then compare that with the reality of your vacancy.

If somebody gets most satisfaction from developing new business and the role you're recruiting for is predominantly account management, that's worth exploring.

2. "Which Parts of Your Current Role Would You Like More of, and Which Would You Like Less of?"

Candidates are usually prepared to tell you what they want more of. What they want less of can be just as revealing.

Perhaps they're tired of spending several nights a week away from home. They may want more autonomy, less administration, greater customer contact or a role with more clinical involvement.

Whatever the answer, don't immediately try to sell your vacancy as the solution.

First ask whether your role genuinely provides what they're looking for.

3. "Why Are You Considering Leaving Your Current Role?"

This is an obvious question, but the first answer isn't always the whole answer.

"I'm looking for progression" could mean several different things.

Does progression mean moving into management? Taking responsibility for larger accounts? Increasing earning potential? Moving into marketing? Working with a more complex product portfolio? Developing greater clinical knowledge?

Likewise, "I want a new challenge" needs exploring.

Understanding what somebody actually wants to change helps you establish whether your opportunity represents the move they think it does.

4. "What Needs to Be Different in Your Next Role for a Move to Be Worthwhile?"

Changing jobs involves risk, particularly for somebody who is performing well and relatively happy where they are.

This question gets beyond why they're willing to leave and starts to uncover what they need from the move.

The answer could involve salary, products, territory, management, progression, company size, autonomy, working arrangements or the type of customers they want to work with.

It can also help distinguish between something that would simply be nice to have and something that's genuinely important to their decision.

5. "Think About the Working Environments Where You've Performed at Your Best. What Was It About Them That Worked Well for You?"

Rather than asking whether somebody will "fit your culture", understand the conditions in which they've previously performed well.

They may talk about having clear expectations but plenty of autonomy. Regular contact with their manager. A collaborative team. Fast decision-making. Strong processes. Freedom to try things their own way.

There isn't a correct answer.

The useful question for you is whether there is a reasonable match between the environment they're describing and the one they'll actually be joining.

6. "What Kind of Manager Brings Out Your Best Work?"

Management style can make a significant difference to somebody's experience of a role.

One candidate might value regular coaching and feedback. Another may perform best when they're given an objective and trusted to get on with it.

If the candidate needs frequent interaction but the manager leads a geographically dispersed team and expects people to operate very independently, both sides should understand that.

Again, the purpose isn't to identify a "right" answer. It's to understand whether expectations are compatible.

7. "Tell Me About a Time You Disagreed With a Colleague or Manager. How Did You Handle It?"

Teams don't need people who agree about everything.

A more useful thing to understand is how somebody deals with disagreement when it happens.

Ask for a real example and listen to what they actually did. Did they raise the issue? How did they communicate their position? Did they listen to the other person's perspective? What happened afterwards?

This gives you evidence of how they have handled a real working relationship rather than asking them to describe their communication style in abstract terms.

8. "What Are You Most Proud of Achieving in Your Current or Previous Role, and Why?"

The achievement itself is useful, but so is the reason they chose it.

One person might talk about exceeding a target. Another about winning a difficult account, supporting a successful product launch, helping a colleague develop or building a territory from very little.

The answer can give you a better understanding of what somebody finds rewarding as well as providing evidence of what they've achieved.

9. "What Would Make You Realise Quite Quickly That You'd Made the Wrong Move?"

This is a useful question because it brings potential deal-breakers into the conversation before an offer is made.

Someone might say they'd be concerned if the role turned out to involve significantly more travel than expected, if promised training didn't materialise, if there was little autonomy or if the role was substantially different from the one described during recruitment.

Listen carefully to the answer and ask yourself whether any of those things could realistically happen in your business.

If they could, it's better to talk about them now.

10. "Where Would You Like Your Career to Go Over the Next Few Years?"

You don't need candidates to produce a perfectly formed five-year plan.

You do need to understand whether the direction they want to travel is reasonably compatible with what your business can offer.

If somebody's primary reason for moving is to progress into sales management but you know there is unlikely to be a management opportunity, don't imply otherwise just to secure the hire.

Equally, career development doesn't always mean promotion. A candidate may want larger accounts, broader responsibilities, a different therapy area or the chance to develop new skills.

11. "If You Were in This Role a Year From Now, What Would Tell You It Had Been a Good Move?"

This can uncover expectations that haven't appeared elsewhere in the interview.

The candidate may talk about hitting particular targets, developing their knowledge, earning more, having stronger customer relationships, being given greater responsibility or simply enjoying their work more than they do now.

Whatever they say, consider whether the role has a realistic chance of delivering it.

12. "What Questions Do You Have for Us?"

This shouldn't be treated as the bit at the end of the interview that you rush through because you've run out of time.

The questions a candidate asks can tell you a lot about what matters to them.

They may want to understand the targets, territory, products, management style, training, progression, team structure or why the vacancy has arisen.

Answer honestly.

If a candidate is trying to establish whether your opportunity is right for them, giving them the most attractive answer rather than the most accurate one simply stores up a potential problem for later.

The Interview Has to Work Both Ways

Good interview questions can help you understand much more than whether somebody has the experience to do the job.

They can show you what the candidate is trying to move towards, what they're trying to move away from and what they need from their next employer.

But asking the questions is only useful if you're equally honest about what the role can provide.

If somebody wants a highly autonomous role, tell them how much autonomy they'll actually have. If progression is important, explain what progression realistically looks like. If the territory involves regular overnight stays, don't describe it simply as "some travel".

The aim isn't to persuade every strong candidate that your vacancy is right for them.

It's to establish whether the candidate and the opportunity are genuinely right for each other before either side makes a commitment.