The Interview Questions That Actually Work

Claire Monroe

Heyyy, welcome back to The Science of Leading. I’m Claire Monroe—and sitting across from me is the ever-wise Edwin Carrington. Edwin, I wanna jump right in—'Cause honestly? Hiring mistakes… they’re one of those things you don’t really get until you’ve been through the pain yourself.You've worked with, sooo many orgs over the years. Do you have a real story—like, when a bad hire really, I dunno, blew things up?

Edwin Carrington

Oh, definitely. One comes to mind right away.I was working with a mid-sized logistics company—this was maybe ten years back. They brought in this new operations manager. He looked like a dream hire. Strong background, glowing references.But a few months in? Total chaos.Productivity dipped, turnover went up, and the whole strategy kind of… just stalled.Now—this person wasn’t bad at their job. But the fit? Wasn’t there.The way they gave feedback, the way they communicated—it clashed with the team’s rhythm.It took almost a full year to recover from that decision.

Claire Monroe

Yeah… I so get that.It’s weird, right? You think if someone’s got the right background, they’ll just… slot in.But nope...Back when I led my first project team—I hired someone who, like, on paper, looked solid. But the group vibe? Off.Meetings got awkward… people stopped speaking up…And I remember—I literally started dreading work.It’s wild how one person can shift the energy of a whole team.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. And yet—most companies are still using the same tired interview questions.You know: “Tell me about yourself.” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”We’ve had decades of research showing those don’t actually predict success.But old habits stick. There's comfort in the familiar—even if it's not working.

Claire Monroe

Yeah, why is that? I mean… we know better.There’s all this evidence out there—and still, people fall back on surface-level stuff.Is it just, like… inertia? Or is there more to it?

Edwin Carrington

Some of it’s inertia, sure. But some of it is fear.Because going deeper—asking the real questions—it means facing answers you might not know how to handle.And people worry: “What if the candidate shuts down? What if I say the wrong thing?”But the truth is… the cost of not asking those deeper questions?It’s way higher.It’s not just about dollars.It’s about momentum. Morale. Even your reputation as a leader.

Claire Monroe

Okay—so let’s get into the good stuff.Like, what are the questions that actually work?I know you and the OAD team are big on behavioral interviews.What are these five magic questions I keep hearing about?

Edwin Carrington

Right. The core idea is—go beyond the resume.These five questions dig into how someone operates under pressure, how they handle feedback, and whether they’ll thrive in your environment.They’re things like:“Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly to a major change.”Or… “Describe a situation where you got tough feedback—how’d you respond?”What you’re looking for is patterns. Not polished answers—but real behavior.

Claire Monroe

I love that.'Cause honestly, anyone can fake their way through the usual questions.But when you’re asking about real-life moments? You see how they think.How do these questions help you spot stuff like, I dunno—adaptability? Coachability?

Edwin Carrington

It’s in the details.With adaptability, you’re listening for whether they resisted the change—or leaned in and figured things out.With coachability, it’s whether they took feedback in stride—or got defensive.And you’ll hear it.Do they blame others? Or do they own their mistakes and grow?

Claire Monroe

Okay but—what about culture fit?That one always feels like… a moving target.What does a poor fit actually look like, like… day-to-day?

Edwin Carrington

It’s subtle, but constant.Imagine someone used to a strict, top-down structure—and now they’re in a team that thrives on collaboration.They don’t share info. They make decisions alone.Or maybe your team values direct feedback—and this person just shuts down when challenged.Little things add up.You get tension. Missed expectations.Eventually—turnover.

Claire Monroe

Oof—yeah.There’s this tech startup I talked to once…They started using behavioral questions, and it was like night and day.They could tell who could roll with the chaos—and who needed hand-holding.Saved them so much stress.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly.The goal isn’t to trick anyone.It’s clarity.When you ask the right questions, you see both strengths and limits—before the hire happens.

Claire Monroe

Alright—so let’s say I’m a manager who actually wants to get this right.How do I use these questions to make faster, better decisions?Do you have, like, a success story?

Edwin Carrington

I do.One client—a family-owned manufacturing company—was really struggling with supervisor turnover.We brought in the five questions, and pretty quickly, they saw patterns.The candidates who showed self-awareness and adaptability?They stuck.They performed better. Team morale went up.It wasn’t magic…but it was predictive.They stopped guessing—and started hiring with intention.

Claire Monroe

That’s huge.And I think a lot of leaders still underestimate how much culture matters.Especially heading into 2025.Why do you think people still overlook it?

Edwin Carrington

Because skills are easy to see.Fit? Not so much.Culture feels abstract, so it gets ignored.But here’s the thing—Culture doesn’t happen by accident.It’s either shaped… or it slips away.And great teams?They’re built on alignment. Not just talent.

Claire Monroe

Mmm, yeah.I’ve seen that in retail too.Like when teams use OAD’s role-fit tools—They catch red flags early.Like, someone who’s awesome with customers… but hates routine.Or the opposite.It’s not about filtering people out—it’s about setting them up to win.

Edwin Carrington

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s predictability.If you know what you’re looking for—and ask the right things—You can build teams that last.And that’s the edge. Especially as work keeps evolving.And if you're wondering where to start—honestly?Just book a demo. The OAD team makes it simple to see where your hiring process is working… and where it's not.

Claire Monroe

Yep—and that demo’s totally free.Just head over to oad.ai—that’s O-A-D dot A-I—and you can book it in like… a minute.Especially if you’ve got new roles to fill soon? Don’t wing it. Now I think that’s the perfect place to pause.Edwin, thank you—again—for always bringing the clarity.

Edwin Carrington

Always a pleasure, Claire.And thank you to everyone listening.We’ll be back soon with more on building teams that thrive.

Claire Monroe

Take care, everyone. See you next time on The Science of Leading.