36 Internal Interview Questions To Ask Internal Candidates
When it comes to interviewing internal candidates, you need a different set of interview questions. For internal interview questions, the focus shifts from assessing basic qualifications and cultural fit to evaluating the candidate’s performance within the organization and their potential for growth.
According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, helping employees advance in their careers improves retention and organizational agility. Employees who made an internal move within their company have a 75% chance of staying with the company after two years of employment.
Employees who move into new jobs internally are 3.5 times more likely to be engaged employees than those who remain in their current positions. L&D leaders agree it is less expensive to reskill an existing employee than to hire a new one, so promoting people costs less than hiring new employees.
Contents
What is an internal interview?
36 internal candidate interview questions
– Leadership questions
– Questions on motivation
– Behavior questions
– Collaboration questions
– Questions on contribution and achievements
-Scenario-based questions
Internal interview tips for HR
What is an internal interview?
Internal interviews are different from those conducted for non-employees. Though both interviews would ask about the candidates’ skills and experiences, HR would use a different approach when interviewing current employees.
Unlike external applicants, employees have insider information. They already know about the ins and outs of the company, its policies, and its culture. Most likely, they also know the hiring manager or the person they would work for if they get the role. The interview would also be less formal since the applicant and interviewer work for the same company.
In the next section, we will present 37 internal interview questions you could ask to understand whether your existing employee is the right for the role you are hiring for.
36 internal candidate interview questions
Interview questions for internal candidates are more specific than those for external applicants because HR could share more organization-specific details. For example, if the company is hiring a new manager to launch a new line of business, it would mention specific campaigns or confirm the hiring manager who will work directly with the candidate should that person be selected.
Recruiting the best candidate for the role requires asking the right questions, whether they are an internal or external candidate. It’s about discovering their abilities, skills, motivation, and behavior. The combination of questions can help recruiters review and choose the best individual for the position.
Leadership questions
Internal promotion interview questions are vital when recruiting for managerial roles to ensure they can manage teams and projects successfully. Candidates must know how to prioritize tasks, make quick and effective business decisions, and properly handle conflicts within the group.
Questions to ask 1. Describe your leadership style. 2. How do you handle conflicts among team members? 3. What are your achievements in your current managerial role? 4. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? 5. How do you plan to improve your leadership skills? 6. Tell us about a time you’ve made a wrong leadership decision. What are the consequences, and how did you address the mistake? 7. In your opinion, what does it take to become a successful leader? 8. What do you think are the challenges you’ll encounter as a manager, and how do you plan to tackle them? 9. Why should we hire you for this position even if you don’t have previous managerial experience?
Even if the applicant doesn’t have previous leadership experience, you could throw in scenario-based questions to gauge how they will lead the team if selected.
When interviewing for management positions, consider the position’s responsibilities, challenges, and organizational culture. Frame your questions to align with these factors.
HR tip
During the interview, focus on the leadership competencies of the applicant. Assess their ability to lead, motivate, and inspire team members. Ask them how they make business decisions and solve problems to see if they match the leadership qualities required by the role. Also, HR should assess the candidate’s strategic thinking and vision. As a leader, they should be able to see the big picture, set goals, and implement initiatives to achieve them.
Questions on motivation
Motivation questions help recruiters understand the candidate’s purpose, engagement, and commitment to achieving goals. It also helps determine how they react when faced with challenges and pressure. People who are motivated for the wrong reasons won’t experience long-term success in their roles.
Questions to ask 10. Why are you interested in becoming a manager? 11. What are your short-term and long-term goals? 12. How do you stay motivated when faced with setbacks? 13. What motivates you to grow professionally? 14. How do you encourage and inspire others to give their best? 15. What motivates you to excel at work?
HR tip
The candidate’s motivation should not only be limited to individual goals but also cover their enthusiasm towards the company’s future. Asking the candidate’s long-term goals allows HR to see if they intend to grow with the company. Their answers illustrate their mindset, helping HR assess their suitability for the internal role.
Find out if the candidate shares the same values as the organization. Research says that employees who share the same values as their employers are keener to stay longer.
Behavior questions
Behavior is critical to evaluating whether an individual fits the job. Your best predictor of future behavior is past performance in a similar situation. A clean track record within the organization indicates they will also do well in other roles, i.e., they have not committed any office misdemeanor or displayed offensive behavior.
Questions to ask 16. Describe a time here at x company when you had to make a hard decision that affected your career significantly. 17. Here in x company, can you share your most recent challenge with us? What was it about, and how did you overcome that challenge? 18. In x project, what was your role, and how did you contribute to its success? 19. Can you share a recent situation where you demonstrated strong leadership skills?
HR tip
Evaluate the candidate’s ability to manage obstacles and make effective decisions by asking questions that showcase their problem-solving skills. For instance, you could ask, “Tell us about a time when you had to make a critical decision under pressure from your boss or client. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?”
Check if the candidate is capable of adjusting to changes. For example, if they are in a situation where they need to learn a new skill quickly, pose a question like “Can you share an example of a time when you had to learn a new technology or process fast to meet project deadlines?”
Collaboration questions
The emergence of remote work has made collaboration critical in ensuring smooth workflow. Interview questions about collaboration should reveal the candidate’s ability to work effectively with others, contribute to a team environment, and build positive working relationships.
Questions to ask 20. How do you create a collaborative work environment in your current role? 21. Share an experience where you had to collaborate with a difficult team member. 22. Tell us of a time when your collaboration with another employee resulted in a successful outcome. 23. How do you handle changes in project scope or team members while collaborating? 24. How do you ensure everyone contributes to their full potential? 25. What are some approaches you take when collaborating with others?
HR tip
Collaboration involves effective communication. Ask questions to gauge the candidate’s communication style and interactions with others, e.g., “How do you ensure clear communication between you and other team members?”
Also, check if the candidate considers collaboration essential in creating a successful work relationship. Ask them to share what they’ve learned from collaborating with others. e.g., “Can you share an instance when you received constructive feedback from a collaboration? How did you take the feedback to improve your work?” This question will help HR discover if the individual prefers collaboration or working independently so they can be designated in roles where they’ll be more successful.
Questions on contribution and achievements
Achievement questions assess the candidate’s understanding of the company’s goals and objectives and ability to align their performance with overall strategy. It also demonstrates their dedication to the company’s success.
Questions to ask 26. Describe a successful project in which you initiated or played a significant role. 27. Share when you went the extra mile in your job to exceed customer expectations or pacify an angry client. 28. How have you contributed to the success of your current team? 29. Can you share a specific instance where you identified a problem or challenge and developed a solution that improved the company’s operations or processes? 30. Can you describe when you received positive feedback from a customer or manager based on your work? 31. How have you measured your accomplishments and tracked your progress in achieving your goals? 32. How have you used your experience and knowledge to contribute to the company’s growth and success?
HR tip
When interviewing applicants for managerial positions, ask them about their contributions to leading teams or projects. You can ask, “Describe a time when you led a project or a team. What were your achievements?” If their resume indicates winning awards and recognitions validating their accomplishments, you can inquire, “Tell me about the xxx awards you received from our recent employee recognition event. What was it all about?”
Scenario-based questions
Scenario-based questions evaluate problem-solving skills and the candidate’s ability to manage complex workplace concerns. Candidates could share details of the typical challenges they could face at work and how they plan to tackle them.
HR professionals and hiring managers can better understand a candidate’s skills, competencies, and suitability when using behavior-based questions in job interviews.
Questions to ask 33. How would you deal with a team member who cannot meet a deadline? 34. How would you maintain a positive relationship with a customer who has made several unreasonable demands? 35. When asked to take on a task outside your job scope, what would you do to learn the knowledge and skills to perform the tasks correctly? 36. When you face budget cuts that affect your team’s resources, how would you make adjustments to ensure you still deliver on your tasks?
HR tip
Use the STAR method with scenario-based questions: Situation, Task, Action, and Result). This method provides a comprehensive answer from the candidate by describing the scenario or context, their role, actions, and the outcomes. The STAR method also allows HR to glimpse how the candidate thinks and would approach a particular scenario, regardless of their prior experience. For example, “Can you give me an example of a challenging situation you worked on (situation), what your responsibilities were (task), how did you handle it (action), and what results did you achieve (results)?”
Internal interview tips for HR
Conducting internal interviews is no different than interviewing applicants from outside the organization. Here are 5 tips for HR professionals when interviewing internal candidates:
- Review the candidate’s current performance and contributions: This includes understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and how they have grown in their current role. Performance evaluations help HR professionals decide whether the candidate’s abilities and experiences match the job requirements. Past performances also help identify areas of development and measure potential growth within the organization.
- Avoid bias or favoritism based on your existing relationship with the candidate: You should not give a particular candidate preferential treatment just because you know them personally. The company risks overlooking the most qualified candidate when personal relationships interfere with hiring decisions. Objective evaluation guarantees everyone a fair and equal opportunity to compete.
- Prepare for the interview: Understand the job requirements; the new role’s responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications. Familiarize yourself with the candidate’s responsibilities and achievements. Personalize your interview questions to cover the candidate’s current and future work environment and visualize their fit for the position.
- Encourage open communication and feedback: Don’t limit yourself to close-ended questions. Ask open-ended questions so candidates can express themselves more comprehensively and elaborate on their experiences and knowledge. Listen actively by responding. Ask clarifying questions to avoid misunderstandings. Encourage candidates to ask questions or share feedback to show you are open and willing to address their concerns.
- Follow up: After the interview, inform candidates of what’s next. Update them on the hiring timelines. And don’t forget to thank them for their interest and effort, even if they were not selected for the position. Maintain positive relationships by giving them feedback on what they can improve so they don’t hesitate to apply for future roles.
Key takeaway
Internal interview questions are job interview questions HR asks internal candidates. HR conducts internal interviews with employees interested in applying for new roles.
Internal interview questions should cover leadership, motivation, behavior, scenario-based, collaboration, contribution, and achievement topics to help recruiters evaluate whether the internal candidate fits the position. Just like recruiting external candidates, HR should review the candidate’s performance, avoid favoritism, promote open communication, and follow up to ensure a successful internal hiring process and a positive candidate experience.
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