Types of Interview Questions

This type of question allows you to obtain a lot of information from the person being asked. It makes her/him think and reflect on the question asked, helping to give their overall feeling on the situation.

• Closed

• Open-ended

• Third-person

This question is based on imaginary scenarios and used to encourage a person to try a different way of dealing with situations.

• Hypothetical

• Leading

• Direct/Specific

It is a question which requires a short answer or a simple yes/no.

• Closed

• Open-ended

• Direct/Specific

This type limits the interviewee’s choice of answers to one of the answers given in the question and is normally answered quickly and with short answers.

• Follow-up

• Closed

• Loaded

These questions allow you to get closer to the root of the problems and are used to urge the respondent to add more information to a previous response. They might be short phrases.

• Leading

• Follow-up

• Direct/Specific

These questions contain a controversial or unjustified assumption (e.g., a presumption of guilt). They are designed to get an emotional response.

• Loaded

• Third-person

• Hypothetical

This question suggests the particular answer or contains information the person who’s asking wants to have confirmed.

• Leading

• Open-ended

• Loaded

It is a question that refers to someone else.

• Hypothetical

• Closed

• Third-person