Can You Believe These Interview Questions Still Exist?

Some interview questions refuse to die. We break down why hiring managers still ask questions like “Tell me about yourself,” “What’s your greatest weakness?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” even when they often provide very little useful evidence about whether someone can do the job. You’ll learn what these questions are actually measuring, what to ask instead, why structured interviewing leads to better decisions, and why the best interviewers focus less on finding the perfect question and more on asking better follow-ups.

Key Takeaways

Many outdated interview questions survive because they are familiar and easy to ask, not because they are effective.

“Tell me about yourself” is often too broad to produce consistent, job-related information.

Questions about weaknesses commonly produce rehearsed answers instead of useful evidence.

Understanding what candidates liked and disliked about past roles can reveal more than asking where they see themselves in five years.

“Sell me this pen” and other hypotheticals are weaker than asking about real past experience.

Animal questions, brain teasers, and other non-qualifying questions add little value to hiring decisions.

Structured interviews help hiring teams evaluate candidates more consistently.

The best interviewers are not the ones with the most creative questions. They know when to follow up.

When candidates speak generally, ask them to walk you through a specific situation.

A good interview is about collecting evidence you can actually use to make a hiring decision.

Timestamps

 01:04 The interview questions that won’t die 02:21 Why outdated interview questions survive 03:55 What to ask instead of “Tell me about yourself” 06:50 Why the weakness question misses 10:04 The problem with five-year questions 12:25 Why “Sell me this pen” fails 15:31 Retiring animal and brain-teaser questions 18:35 Why structured interviews work better 19:27 The interviewing skill that matters most 20:59 How to ask better follow-up questions

Keywords

interview questions to avoid best interview questions how to interview candidates structured interviews behavioral interview questions hiring manager interview training better interview questions interview follow-up questions