The Best Interview Questions to Ask Your Internal Candidate

Job vacancy rates in Canada have remained unchanged for the last five quarters. While there has been a slight decline across provinces, it’s likely your business still has a need to expand your team to ensure success.

Hiring internally has multiple benefits for both your business and the candidates who apply. You can find top talent that already knows the ins and outs of your business, which may tackle some of the issues we are seeing with the rise in automated tools reviewing applications. 90% of employers use automation to vet applications, but are finding that candidates that look good on paper are not the right fit in the end. Hiring internally can help prevent this sort of issue.

Another benefit is that you’ll likely know the applicants or their manager, so can quickly gauge if they’d be a good fit. However, it isn’t enough to go by their reputation or their latest performance review. Whether the employee is being promoted or changing positions, they’re probably going to encounter new challenges and responsibilities. Not only that, but there may be multiple applicants, all competing for the same role.

Asking the right questions at internal interviews gives you the chance to test applicants and determine whether they’re right for the role. In this guide, we’ve considered some of the best internal interview questions to find the right fit for your open role.

What’s the difference between an external and internal interview process?

The key difference between the external and internal interview process is who you’re interviewing. If you’re speaking with an external candidate, it’s likely this is the first or second time you’ve met them, so you’ll want to include questions about their job history and current role. You’ll also want to get a snapshot of them as a person, to understand if they’re a good fit for your business.

If you’re speaking with an internal candidate, you’ll probably already have a good understanding of what they do and what their responsibilities include. So, you might focus solely on competency (skill-based) and situational (hypothetical scenario) questions.

Do I need to interview internal candidates and ask questions?

Yes, it’s important to interview internal candidates, and critical that you ask the right interview questions.

You may be tempted to overlook your internal candidates if you believe they don’t have the necessary skills for the job—but this would be a mistake. Many employees will have experience from previous roles at other companies, and those who don’t may still be able to pick up new skills, especially if they’re familiar with how the role and business operate.

Internal hiring can also be an effective way to reap the rewards of your employee development efforts. Promoting internal mobility, where staff move roles within a business, can bring a wealth of benefits, including:

• A boost to overall job satisfaction
• Retaining key talent
• Reducing recruitment costs

Providing fair consideration for your employees can help you demonstrate your organization’s willingness to invest in employee development and recognize progress, whether or not the internal candidate gets the job.

The key is to narrow your internal interview questions to focus on the most important aspects required of the role and its career path.

30+ internal job interview questions

We’ve pulled together a list of internal job interview questions to help uncover your employee’s motivation for making the change and whether they will remain engaged if they don’t get the new position. Take these considerations into account as you select your internal interview questions and find the perfect candidate for the job.

8 internal job interview questions about leadership

Just because an internal candidate hasn’t had managerial titles doesn’t mean they haven’t shown leadership skills. Have they taken the lead on important projects? This can demonstrate that they have the trust of their managers and organization. Do they regularly offer constructive feedback to more junior team members? This reveals strong mentorship skills.

Find out more about their potential leadership style and thoughts on management with these questions:

1. What traits do you think make someone a good leader?
2. How would your teammates describe your leadership style? (Or—if they’re not in a leadership role—ask them to describe what their leadership style would be like).
3. Please describe a project where you took leadership responsibilities.
   • Who worked with you?
   • How did you distribute job responsibilities?
   • Did you work within a budget or allocate other resources?
   • What went well with this project?
   • What would you do differently?
4. What are some areas where you can continue to improve your leadership skills?
5. What do you enjoy about leadership responsibilities?
6. What excites you about the challenges of leadership?
7. What do you feel is the main benefit for you in a leadership role?
8. What’s the first change you’d look to implement in this role as a leader?

10 interview questions for internal candidates about communication

One of the benefits of hiring an internal candidate is that you’ll already have an idea about the way they communicate. But it’s always recommended that you ask follow-up questions to better understand their preferred communication style and skills. It’s no secret that strong communication is important in any role. Effective workplace communication can boost efficiency, encourage better teamwork and improve conflict resolution.

As you assess internal candidates’ communication skills, ask for examples of how your company values have influenced their communication patterns. If you value openness, for example, you could ask a question like “Describe a time when you needed to admit you were wrong. How did you go about it?”

Feature these questions in your interview to get an idea of your internal candidate’s communication skills:

1. How would your teammates describe your communication style?
2. What are your preferred methods for cross-department communication?
3. Do you prefer written communication, verbal communication, or a combination of the two? Why do you prefer that way?
4. How do you clarify directions when a task is unclear?
5. Explain what you did when you had to clarify your specifications when your coworkers asked for further information.
6. Can you describe how you’ve solved a communication issue with a team member?
7. Tell me about a time when you’ve had to share your opinion in a meeting.
8. Describe a time when your communication skills have helped you accomplish a task or project.
9. Tell me about a time when you’ve had to explain a complex idea to someone who wasn’t familiar with the idea.
10. How do you approach delivering negative or sensitive information in writing?

10 internal job interview questions about collaboration

Collaboration is essential in the workplace, so delving deeper into the candidate’s collaboration skills is essential. As the old saying goes, “teamwork makes the dream work,” so collaboration should be at the top of your considerations when looking to hire for a new role.

Below, we’ve featured some internal interview questions about teamwork that you can ask:

1. What is your ideal team structure?
2. How would you manage collaborative communication on projects?
3. Which members of your department have you worked with directly? In what capacity?
4. Have you worked with other departments in the organization before?
5. What do you do when a project doesn’t go smoothly? How do you collaborate with team members to address issues?
6. What are the signs of collaboration breaking down, and how would you rectify this?
7. What experience have you had in collaborating with partners outside of the business?
8. How would you set up a new process to enhance team collaboration?
9. Describe a time when you had to collaborate with someone whose working style was very different to yours.
10. What role do you typically take when in a team, and why?

10 internal interview questions about time management

It’s no secret that remote work has affected how we manage and prioritize our time. With many businesses now adopting a flexible approach to being in the office, it’s more crucial than ever for business leaders to recognize the importance of time management.

Effective time management is essential in our new hybrid work approach—56% of job seekers are looking for hybrid roles. It can bring a wealth of benefits not only to a business but also to an employee’s work-life balance. Consider asking these internal interview questions if the role requires strong time management skills:

1. What process do you use to determine time requirements for your projects?
2. Do you write down what’s needed and timings on paper, or do you use a project management system?
3. How do you handle situations where you know you will miss a deadline?
4. What method do you use to prioritize your projects for the day? Week? Quarter?
5. How do you track actual time spent on tasks?
6. As a leader, how would you monitor the time spent on tasks across your team?
7. How would you encourage good time management on your team if you were in a leadership position?
8. How do you manage your time working within our flexible working model?
9. What was the most challenging project that you’ve worked on in terms of time management? What would you change in how it was run to make it less challenging?
10. Describe a time you successfully improved your time management. What did you do differently and why? How did it improve?

How to conclude an internal interview

After you’ve asked your interview questions, it’s time to think about wrapping up the interview. No matter the outcome of the conversation, you’ll likely continue to see your internal candidates regularly, so it’s crucial to leave on a positive note.

Some best practices to incorporate as you approach the conclusion of your interview are:

• Allow candidates to ask questions. Set aside time for your internal candidates to ask questions. Not only will this be a good opportunity for them to learn more about the role, but it may also help you learn a little more about them. Their questions may also raise potential concerns about the role, which can fuel an open and productive discussion.
• Provide information on the next steps. Let your internal candidate know approximately how long it’ll take you to get back to them and whether there will be a follow-up interview. Be transparent. You don’t want to mislead them or leave them hanging. This is particularly important if they’re a current employee. It’s vital that you continuously provide timely updates and communicate with them to demonstrate that you care.
• Let them know they can reach out to you. Saying, “Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns”, is always a nice touch at the end. Though it might seem insignificant, it shows that your door is always open and that you’re willing to help them out.

Tips for making your internal interview a success

If you want to find the right candidate from a pool of internal applicants, there are a handful of things you can do to guarantee the process is a success.

• Speak to the candidate’s peers and manager for insight into how they work, their strengths, and skill sets.
• Give the candidates a task that reflects the role they’re applying for. This can be useful if you need to differentiate between applicants.
• Keep things positive and sentiment high by making comms clear and setting expectations early on.

How to keep an internal candidate motivated if they don’t get the job

Your best employees are often focused on development. Effective internal job interview questions can reinforce how their current position has contributed to their development in these four areas, whether the internal candidates end up in new positions or not.

Look out for them by being mindful of these components and the way you conclude your interview. There may be potential opportunities on the horizon that can further enhance their career.