# Interview Question Bank > Creates role-specific interview question banks with behavioral, situational, and technical categories for structured hiring interviews. - Skill: `reaperinvest/interview-question-bank` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/interview-question-bank` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/interview-question-bank/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/interview-question-bank --- # Interview Question Bank ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Build a role-specific interview question bank organized by category - Create behavioral, situational, and technical questions for a hiring interview - Design questions that reveal real competency versus rehearsed answers - Standardize interview questions across multiple interviewers or hiring rounds **DO NOT** use this skill for hiring scorecards (use hiring-scorecard), job descriptions, or interview scheduling. This is for creating the questions themselves. --- ## Core Principle THE BEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS REVEAL HOW A CANDIDATE ACTUALLY BEHAVES, NOT HOW WELL THEY INTERVIEW — BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS ABOUT PAST ACTIONS PREDICT FUTURE PERFORMANCE BETTER THAN HYPOTHETICALS. --- ## Phase 1: Role Requirements Define what the questions need to assess. ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Role title** | "What role are you hiring for?" | No default | | **Key competencies** | "What are the top 3-5 skills or traits this role requires?" | No default | | **Employment type** | "Full-time, part-time, or contractor?" | Contractor | | **Interview stages** | "How many interview rounds? (screen, technical, final)" | 2 rounds | | **Culture priorities** | "What working style or values matter most?" | Self-starter, communicative | | **Deal-breakers** | "What would immediately disqualify a candidate?" | No default | **GATE: Confirm competencies before building the question bank.** --- ## Phase 2: Build Question Bank Create categorized questions mapped to competencies. ### Question Categories **Behavioral Questions (STAR format):** Ask about past behavior. Best predictor of future behavior. Format: "Tell me about a time when..." **Situational Questions:** Present a hypothetical relevant to the role. Format: "How would you handle..." **Technical/Skill Questions:** Test specific knowledge or ability. Format: "Walk me through..." or practical assessment. **Culture/Values Questions:** Assess working style and alignment. Format: "Describe your ideal..." or "What matters most to you about..." ### Question Bank Template ``` ## Interview Question Bank: [Role Title] --- ### Competency 1: [Competency Name] **Behavioral:** 1. "Tell me about a time you [relevant scenario]. What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the result?" - *Listen for:* [Specific evidence of competency] - *Red flag:* [Vague answers, blame-shifting, no measurable outcome] 2. "Describe a situation where [challenge related to competency]. How did you handle it?" - *Listen for:* [What good looks like] - *Red flag:* [What bad looks like] **Situational:** 3. "Imagine you are [scenario relevant to role]. What would your approach be?" - *Listen for:* [Structured thinking, relevant tools/methods] - *Red flag:* [No framework, just buzzwords] **Technical:** 4. "[Role-specific skill question or mini-task]" - *Listen for:* [Depth of knowledge, practical application] - *Red flag:* [Surface-level answers, cannot explain reasoning] --- ### Competency 2: [Competency Name] **Behavioral:** 5. "Tell me about a time you [scenario]." - *Listen for:* [Evidence] - *Red flag:* [Warning sign] ... --- ### Culture Fit **Values:** 9. "Describe your ideal working relationship with a manager or client." - *Listen for:* Alignment with your management style and communication norms 10. "What does accountability look like to you?" - *Listen for:* Ownership mindset, proactive communication about challenges 11. "When you disagree with a decision, what do you do?" - *Listen for:* Constructive pushback, willingness to commit after discussion --- ### Closing Questions 12. "What questions do you have for me about the role or the business?" - *Listen for:* Thoughtful questions that show research and genuine interest - *Red flag:* No questions, or only questions about pay and time off 13. "Is there anything we did not cover that you want me to know?" - *Listen for:* Self-awareness, relevant strengths they want to highlight ``` **GATE: Present the question bank for review.** --- ## Phase 3: Interview Guide Organize questions into interview stages. ### Stage-by-Stage Question Assignment ``` ## Interview Flow ### Stage 1: Screen (20-30 min) **Goal:** Confirm basic fit, motivation, and availability **Questions:** - [Culture question 1] - [Behavioral question for top competency] - [Logistical questions: availability, rate, start date] - [Closing question] ### Stage 2: Deep Dive (45-60 min) **Goal:** Assess core competencies in depth **Questions:** - [Behavioral question for competency 1] - [Behavioral question for competency 2] - [Situational question] - [Technical question or mini-task] - [Culture question 2] - [Closing question] ### Stage 3: Final (30 min) — if applicable **Goal:** Validate decision, address remaining concerns **Questions:** - [Situational question for remaining competency] - [Questions addressing any concerns from previous rounds] - [Candidate's questions about the role] ``` ### STAR Assessment Guide Train interviewers to listen for all four STAR elements: ``` ## STAR Response Evaluation | Element | What to Listen For | If Missing | |---------|-------------------|-----------| | **Situation** | Specific context — when, where, what was happening | Ask: "Can you set the scene?" | | **Task** | Their specific role or responsibility | Ask: "What was your role?" | | **Action** | What THEY did (not the team) | Ask: "What specifically did YOU do?" | | **Result** | Measurable outcome | Ask: "What was the result? Any numbers?" | ``` --- ## Phase 4: Maintain Keep the question bank relevant and effective. ### Post-Interview Calibration After each hire, review: - Which questions best predicted the candidate's actual performance? - Which questions did not differentiate between candidates? - Are any questions getting rehearsed answers? (Retire and replace them) ### Question Bank Updates - Add new questions when new competencies become important - Retire questions that every candidate answers the same way - Refresh situational questions with current, relevant scenarios - Review annually for legal compliance (avoid questions about protected characteristics) ### Legal Guardrails Never ask about: - Age, marital status, children, or family planning - Religion, national origin, or immigration status - Health conditions or disabilities - Arrest record (conviction may be asked in some jurisdictions) - Any protected characteristic not relevant to job performance --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Leading questions** — "You are a self-starter, right?" telegraphs the answer. Ask "Tell me about a time you identified and solved a problem without being asked." - **Hypothetical-only interviews** — "What would you do if..." reveals idealized behavior. "What did you do when..." reveals actual behavior. - **Same questions for every role** — a developer and a marketer need different questions. Customize to the competencies. - **Not listening for red flags** — candidates who say "we" for everything may be taking credit for team work. Probe for individual contribution. - **Asking too many questions** — depth on 5-6 questions beats surface coverage of 15. Allow follow-up probing. --- ## Recovery - **All candidates give similar answers:** The questions are too common. Add role-specific scenarios or mini-tasks that require demonstration, not just description. - **Interviewer is not sure what "good" looks like:** Define the ideal answer for each question before the interview. Compare responses against that standard. - **User is hiring for the first time:** Start with 3 behavioral questions + 2 culture questions + 1 closing question. That is enough for a strong 30-minute screen. - **Candidate gives short answers:** Prompt with "Can you walk me through that in more detail?" or "What happened next?" Use silence — most people will fill it. - **User needs to assess a skill that is hard to interview for:** Add a paid trial task or short project. Real work reveals more than any question.