Team and Culture · Published March 9, 2026
Some Bad Interview Questions
Some questions look professional but measure nothing.
As interviewers we have asked many questions, and been asked many more. Looking back, some yield almost no useful signal. Here are a few common ones and why they fail.
Three kinds
What is your greatest weakness? Everyone knows the safe answer, and honest candidates lose out. Ask about a failure instead.
Writing framework source from memory on the spot. Recall tests preparation, not capability. Allow docs and tools and watch how they solve.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In an industry where people change direction every few years, ask what they are learning lately and why.
Better questions
Tell me about something you broke. Listen for detail: what you thought, how you recovered, what you would do now.
How would you design this feature? Give a real scenario and let them clarify; watch the thinking, not the answer.
The code you are proudest of. Learn how they define quality and can describe trade-offs.
Interview questions exist to gather information, not to demonstrate the interviewer. One question that surfaces real experience beats ten brain teasers.
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