Video interview questions work best when they are structured and intentional. The right questions show how candidates think, communicate, and make decisions, rather than just how well they can repeat prepared answers.
This curated set works for both live and one-way video formats, helping you evaluate fairly, reduce bias, and compare candidates consistently at scale.
The purpose of a video interview is not to make the final hire. It’s to identify who is good enough to keep going in the selection process.
Section 1: Start With These 6 Questions for Any Role
1. “Tell me about a recent project or piece of work you’re proud of. What was your role, and what changed because of your work?”
Why this works:It reveals ownership and impact quickly. Strong candidates clearly explain their contribution and the outcome they influenced.
What to watch out for: Vague team descriptions, no clear personal responsibility, or stories without measurable results.
Live follow-up: “What would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in?”
2.”Tell me about something you believed strongly about your work that you later changed your mind on.”
Why this works: The best candidates aren’t the ones who are always right. They’re the ones who can admit when they were wrong and change their thinking based on feedback or real-world results. This question shows whether someone is open to learning or just defending their old views.
What to watch out for: Very small, low-stakes examples (“I used to save files locally, now I use the cloud”) or answers that sound overly polished and rehearsed. If it feels scripted or too perfect, it usually is.
Live follow-up: “What shifted your thinking was it feedback, data, or experience?”
3.”Describe a situation where you had to get buy-in from someone who disagreed with your approach. What did you actually say?”
Why this works: Asking “what did you actually say” removes abstraction. You’ll hear whether they defaulted to authority, logic, or listening and which worked.
What to watch out for: “I explained my point clearly and they came around.” No specifics, no back-and-forth.
Live follow-up: “What did they say back? What did you do with that?”
4.”What’s one skill you’re actively improving for this role and what did you do in the last 30 days to get better at it?”
Why this works: A self-awareness test with real stakes. Candidates who answer well specific, honest, with context on what they’re actively doing about it are the ones who will grow in your organisation.
What to watch out for: “I’m working on not being too much of a perfectionist.” It sounds defensive, not honest.
5.”If I asked your last manager what they’d want to warn me about before working with you, what would they say?”
Why this works: This reframes the weakness question so candidates can’t give a polished version. It’s grounded in a real relationship and demands honest reflection.
What to watch out for: “I don’t think they’d have anything to warn you about.” That’s a red flag, not a green one.
Async-friendly format (for one-way video interviews):
Ask candidates to answer in three parts:
- What your manager would say
- A specific example that supports it
- What you’ve changed or improved since then
This structure prevents vague answers and makes reflection measurable across candidates.
6.”Describe the last time you had to learn something quickly because the situation demanded it. What was your process?”
Why this works: Being able to learn quickly is a great sign of how someone will do long-term in a job. It gives you a real way to judge if they really are fast learners, instead of just taking their word for it.
What to watch out for: Someone mentioning structured courses instead of times when they learned on their own because they had to.
Section 2: Sales Roles
In sales hiring, video interviews should simulate real selling moments.The goal isn’t to ask about theory, it’s to see whether they can actually sell under light pressure.
SDR (Outbound Prospecting)
7.”You’re about to reach out to a company you’ve never engaged with before. What do you do in the 15 minutes before sending the first message?”
Why this works: Shows immediately whether they rely on templates or actually understand who they’re contacting. Strong SDRs describe a research process; weak ones describe firing off a sequence.
Live follow-up: “What would make you decide not to send the message after that research?”
8.”A prospect replies: ‘Not interested.’ What’s your next message word for word if you can?”
Why this works: Strong SDRs construct a response on the spot, curious, not defensive.Less skilled reps tend to talk about their approach instead of proving they can actually do it.
9.“Write your first outbound message in 4 lines: opener, relevance, value, question.”
Why this works: This is perfect for one-way video interviews. It forces the candidate to be clear and specific. You quickly see whether they can actually write a strong message, not just talk about how they would do it.
10.”Tell me about a message or call that completely failed. What specifically did you change after?”
Why this works: Tests whether they treat failure as data or just move on.
11.”Explain what we do in two sentences, as if the person you’re talking to has never heard of our company.”
Why this works: If they can’t explain it clearly and simply, they’ll struggle to get replies from prospects. This question checks whether they truly understand the product and whether they can communicate it in a clear, concise way.
BDR (Inbound + Qualification)
12.”You have 60 inbound leads to follow up on today. How do you decide the order?”
Why this works: Shows whether the BDR prioritizes based on likelihood to convert (fit, urgency, engagement) or just works down a list. Strong answers mention intent signals and ICP fit. Weak answers focus only on speed or order.
13.“A lead books a demo but looks unqualified. What are the 3 questions you ask to qualify or disqualify in the first 5 minutes?”
Why this works: Tests real qualification logic under time pressure. Strong BDRs clearly disqualify criteria (pain, authority, urgency, fit) and protect AE time. Weak answers stay generic and try to keep every meeting alive.
14.”Tell me about a lead you chose not to pass to sales. Why?”
Why this works: BDRs who pass every lead waste sales time. Strong answers show clear qualification logic like budget, authority, need, timing not just “they weren’t ready.”
What to watch out for: “I usually let the AE decide.”
15.”A lead pushes back on pricing before discovery. What do you say?”
Why this works: Tests how they handle early price objections. Strong BDRs redirect to value and qualification instead of rushing to discount or avoid the question.
16.”How do you know when a lead is genuinely interested versus just curious?”
Why this works: This tells you if they can spot real intent. Look for behavior-based indicators urgency, stakeholder involvement, budget signals not just “they sounded excited.”
17.”What information do you always include when handing a qualified lead to an AE?”
Why this works: Tests commercial maturity. Strong answers include context, pain points, authority level, timeline, and buying triggers, not just meeting notes.
Account Executive
18.”Walk me through how you run a discovery call from the first five minutes. What’s your opening?”
Why this works: AEs who run good discovery describe question-driven structures, not pitches. You’ll know within 60 seconds whether this person sells or talks to people.
Live follow-up: “What’s a question you always ask that most AEs don’t?”
19.”A deal goes quiet after three strong calls. What do you do specifically, not generally?”
Why this works: This question shows whether the candidate has a clear, practical plan to restart momentum and knows when to move on instead of chasing endlessly. Strong answers are specific; weak ones are vague.
20.”Tell me about a deal you chose not to close. Why?”
Why this works: AEs who protect long-term customer value over short-term quota are rare and valuable. Strong answers include what the customer needed that the product couldn’t deliver.
21.”How would you explain our product’s value differently to a user, a manager, and a CFO?”
Why this works: This question shows whether the candidate can adjust their message based on what each person cares about, not just repeat the same pitch to everyone.
22.”What’s your current forecast accuracy, and how do you calculate it?”
Why this works: AEs who own their pipeline know this number and can defend it. Those who don’t give vague ranges. The answer tells you about accountability before you’ve checked a reference.
Section 3: Marketing Roles
You’re not testing creativity. You’re testing decision-making under constraint.
23.”Tell me about a campaign that failed. What was your read on why, and what did you change?”
Why this works: This question shows how they think after things go wrong. Strong candidates explain what failed, why it failed, and exactly what they changed. Weak answers avoid real analysis and stay vague.
24.”If you could only run one channel for 90 days, which would you pick and what would you measure weekly to prove it’s working?”
Why this works: Tests prioritization and comfort with trade-offs. Candidates who can’t defend a specific choice with clear reasoning probably lack strategic depth.
25.”Walk me through how you’d decide who to target before launching a new campaign.”
Why this works: It shows whether they start with the right audience before choosing tactics. Strong marketers define who and why first, weak ones jump straight to channels.
26.”Which three numbers tell you whether your work is driving pipeline not just traffic?
Why this works: Marketers who measure outcomes describe specific metrics tied to pipeline or revenue. Those who “feel busy” describe activity metrics.
27.“Tell me about a time you had to trade off volume vs quality. What did you change and what happened?”
Why this works: Tests judgment under constraints and whether they can protect quality without losing outcomes.
28.”Take me through a piece of work you’re proud of from the original idea to what actually shipped.”
Why this works: Shows real ownership. Strong answers explain what they decided, what went wrong, and what they’d improve next time.
29.”How do you decide if a piece of content is actually good before it is published?”
Why this works: Strong content operators describe editorial criteria clarity, relevance to the target audience and whether it stands out. Weak answers focus only on grammar or formatting.
30.”Tell me about a time you pushed back on a creative direction you thought was wrong. What happened?”
Why this works: Brand and content roles require judgment and conviction. Shows whether candidates have developed and defended a point of view.
31.”Tell me about a recent insight about your audience that changed something you created. Where did it come from?”
Why this works: Forces a real input source (customer calls, search data, win/loss, community signals) and shows whether insights actually change output.
Section 4: Engineering Roles
Engineering video interviews should test diagnostic thinking, trade-off judgment, and communication not memorization. These questions focus on how engineers reason under pressure and explain complexity clearly.
32.”You’re handed a production issue you’ve never seen before. Walk me through what you do in the first 10 minutes.”
Why this works: Strong engineers describe a diagnostic process isolating variables, checking logs, forming hypotheses before touching anything. Weak ones jump straight to tools.
33.”Tell me about a technical decision you made where there was no clean solution. What trade-off did you accept?”
Why this works: Engineering is mostly trade-offs. Shows judgment and systems thinking in a way no coding test does.
34.”When you ship something, what are 2-3 things you do to make it maintainable six months later?”
Why this works: Reveals whether they think long-term. Strong engineers build for maintainability, not just for getting it done quickly.
35.”What’s a technical concept you found genuinely difficult to learn? How did you eventually get it?”
Why this works: Learning trajectory matters more than current skill level. Strong answers describe a specific concept and a concrete method for working through it.
36.”Explain a system or architecture you’ve worked on to a non-technical stakeholder. Go.”
Why this works: Communication is a core engineering competency that gets ignored in technical screens. If they truly understand it, they can explain it simply.
37.”Tell me about a time when a code review of yours or someone else’s changed the outcome of a project.”
Why this works: Code review participation signals engineering culture fit. Strong answers describe specific feedback that improved the outcome.
Section 5: Customer Success / Support
You’re hiring people who represent your brand at its most difficult moments.
38.”Tell me about a customer who was genuinely angry. Not frustrated, angry. What did you do?”
Why this works: Requires real tension. Strong answers describe empathy first, problem-solving second, and what the customer said at the end.
39.”Describe a time you had to tell a customer something they didn’t want to hear. How did you frame it?”
Why this works: Asks for the specific framing of what words they actually used, not just that they delivered hard news.
40.”A customer asks you something you don’t know, live on a call. What do you say?”
Why this works: Tests how people handle knowledge gaps under pressure. Strong answers balance transparency with forward momentum.
41.”What’s the difference between a customer who will churn and one who will expand? How do you tell early?”
Why this works: Tests commercial awareness in a CS role. Strong answers describe specific behavioral signals, not just survey scores.
42.”How do you manage five accounts that all need attention at the same time?”
Why this works: Customer Success is about prioritizing under pressure. Strong answers show a clear way of deciding what comes first like urgency, revenue impact, risk of churn, or relationship stage. Weak answers focus on working harder instead of thinking clearly.
Section 6: Operations / Analyst Roles
Operations and analyst roles are about clarity, structure, and outcome orientation.These questions test whether candidates diagnose problems before jumping to solutions.
43.”Walk me through how you’d approach a process you’ve been handed that isn’t working. Where do you start?”
Why this works: Strong candidates explain how they first understand the process, find where it’s breaking, and test small improvements. Weak answers jump straight to fixing without diagnosing the problem.
44.”Tell me about a time you identified a problem no one had asked you to solve. What did you do?”
Why this works: It shows whether someone only follows instructions or takes initiative to fix problems on their own.
45.”Describe the most complex analysis you’ve built. What was the decision, and what changed because of your work? “
Why this works: Tests both technical depth and outcome orientation. Best answers describe a tool built to answer a real business question.
46.”How do you communicate findings to a stakeholder who doesn’t want to hear them?”
Why this works: Analysts who can only deliver good news are limited. This shows whether they can frame difficult findings to drive action rather than defensiveness.
Section 7: Leadership / Management Roles
Leadership interviews should test judgment, self-awareness, and accountability, not just experience. These questions reveal how managers think when stakes are high and decisions are uncomfortable.
47.”Tell me about a hire you made that didn’t work out. What did you miss, and what do you look for differently now?”
Why this works: The reflection quality reveals whether they learn from mistakes or rationalize them. Strong answers describe a specific gap in their evaluation and a concrete adjustment.
48.”How do you handle a team member who is performing poorly but is well-liked by the rest of the team?”
Why this works: This is the leadership situation most managers avoid. Strong answers describe a structured performance process not personality management.
49.”Describe a time you had to make a decision your team disagreed with. How did you handle the disagreement?”
Why this works: Shows how they handle disagreement under pressure. Strong leaders explain their reasoning, listen to feedback, and stand by decisions without avoiding conflict or giving in just to be liked.
50.”How do you know when someone on your team is struggling before they tell you?”
Why this works: Strong managers describe specific behavioral signals changes in communication patterns, output quality, participation. Not “gut feeling.”
51.”What’s the most significant change you’ve made to how you manage people in the last two years?”
Why this works: Managers who grow describe a specific shift in approach driven by evidence. Those who don’t grow describe refining what they already do.
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