30+ Internal Interview Questions to Ask Your Applicants

Hiring managers conduct internal interviews to assess whether an existing employee is fit for a new role they’re seeking within the organization.

The right balance of questions will allow you to assess whether a candidate from your existing workforce is fit for the job. The internal interview involves several questions to understand the candidate profile and determine their motivation, behavior, communication skills, and leadership style.

We curated 30+ interview questions for internal candidates, clustering them by theme so you can easily find the questions relevant to your needs.

Internal interview questions focused on motivation

A candidate’s motivation is crucial to determining their response to challenges and extreme pressure. It can also show their willingness to learn and grow in their new role. Assessing this trait is complex, but asking targeted questions can help:

1. What made you interested in this new role?
2. What do you like about your current position?
3. What keeps you motivated to continue working for the company?
4. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
5. What is one thing you want to improve about the company, department, or team? How about your current role?
6. What is something you have learned from your current position that you will apply to this new role?
7. If you don’t get this new role, will you continue to work in your current job?

Internal interview questions focused on adaptability

Assessing an employee’s adaptability is essential to determine if they can thrive in a new environment and handle the specific challenges of the new role:

1. Tell us about a time when you encountered challenges in your current role. How did you manage your deliverables?
2. Can you tell us some of your past failures or areas for improvement in your current role? What will you do to prevent them from happening in this new role?
3. How much do you understand about the new role?
4. What responsibilities and challenges are you expecting in this role?
5. Are you willing to undergo training to understand and feel comfortable with your new role?
6. Tell us about a time when the team did not consider your proposed solution. What did you do?

Internal interview questions focused on behavior

Behavioral assessment is crucial for understanding how an employee interacts within the company and handles feedback and criticism:

1. Have you spoken to your current supervisor about this interview?
2. How do you think your supervisor would describe you?
3. How do you think your coworkers would describe you?
4. What do you usually do when you and your supervisor have opposing opinions?

Internal interview questions focused on leadership

Leadership skills are vital for employees moving up the corporate ladder. These questions help gauge leadership potential:

1. What is an effective leader for you?
2. Describe your leadership style.
3. Tell us about a favorite project where you were the lead. How did you delegate tasks?
4. How will you manage and drive your team to complete a challenging project on time and on budget?
5. How do you handle conflict within a team? Cite an example.
6. What are some points of improvement for your leadership skills?
7. Tell us about a time when you had a misjudgment. How did you handle it? Did you tell your team about it or fix it quietly?

Internal interview questions focused on collaboration

Collaboration questions help understand how well an employee works with others and resolves communication issues:

1. How do you think your coworkers will describe your communication style?
2. Describe an experience where you had to resolve communication issues with a coworker.
3. What communication style and platforms do you favor? Explain why.
4. What will you do when a directive or task from a higher-up isn’t clear?

Internal interview questions focused on hard skills

Evaluating hard skills ensures that an internal candidate possesses the necessary technical competencies for the new role:

1. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
2. What makes you fit for the role? Tell us about relevant previous experiences or projects you’ve been part of.
3. Tell us about a time when you improved an existing process. What did you do differently?
4. What have you done to contribute to the company’s goals?
5. What is your biggest accomplishment in your previous role?
6. Tell me about a time when you had to create solutions to solve a problem. How did you start your thought process? How did you achieve your goal?

Questions for candidates aiming to move from individual contributor to leadership roles

These questions are designed to comprehensively evaluate the readiness and potential of candidates transitioning to leadership roles, ensuring they possess the necessary skills and mindset for effective leadership.

Understanding leadership

1. What do you view as the essential qualities of an effective leader?
2. How would you describe your leadership style?

Transition from individual contributor to leader

1. What motivates you to move from an individual contributor role to a leadership role?
2. How do you plan to handle the transition from peer to leader within your team?

Team management and delegation

1. How would you ensure tasks are effectively delegated and completed on time?
2. Can you provide an example of a time when you successfully led a project or team effort?

Conflict resolution and decision-making

1. How do you approach conflict resolution within a team?
2. Can you describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision? What was the outcome?

Vision and strategy

1. How do you plan to align your team’s goals with the organization's overall objectives?
2. What strategies would you use to motivate and inspire your team?

Feedback and development

1. How do you plan to give constructive feedback to your team members?
2. How would you support the professional development of your team?

Handling challenges

1. Describe a time when you faced a significant challenge. How did you overcome it? What did you learn from the experience?
2. How do you plan to manage the increased responsibilities and pressures of a leadership role?

Building and sustaining team culture

1. How would you contribute to building a positive and inclusive team culture?
2. What steps would you take to ensure effective communication and collaboration within your team?

Internal interview questions to ask the applicant’s current supervisor

Determining whether an internal candidate is fit for the job doesn’t stop after you’ve interviewed them. Gathering feedback from the candidate’s current supervisor provides additional insights into their performance, skills, and behavior:

Performance and achievements

1. Can you describe a notable achievement of the employee in their current role?
2. How does the employee typically handle high-pressure situations or tight deadlines?

Work ethics and professionalism

1. How consistent is the employee in meeting their work commitments?
2. Can you provide an example of the employee demonstrating exceptional work ethic?

Team contribution and interaction

1. How does the employee contribute to team projects or collaborative efforts?
2. How well does the employee get along with colleagues and contribute to a positive team environment?

Learning and development

1. How proactive is the employee in seeking out professional development opportunities?
2. Can you provide an example of the employee learning from a mistake and improving their performance?

Adaptability and problem-solving

1. How well does the employee adapt to changes in the workplace or new project requirements?
2. Can you share an instance where the employee solved a complex problem or improved a process?

Communication skills

1. How effective is the employee in communicating their ideas and feedback?
2. Can you provide an example of the employee handling a difficult conversation or conflict?

Leadership potential

1. How has the employee demonstrated leadership qualities in their current role?
2. Do you believe the employee has the potential to succeed in a leadership position? Why or why not?

By following these structured and unbiased questions, organizations can ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of internal candidates, ultimately leading to better hiring decisions and improved team dynamics.

Best practices for asking the right internal interview questions

Preparation is essential for conducting effective internal interviews. To gain valuable insights about the candidate while maintaining their trust, follow these best practices:

1. Prepare a comprehensive list of questions

Develop a set of questions that will reveal whether the candidate can handle the new role’s responsibilities. Include questions about their soft and hard skills, performance in their current role, and interactions with coworkers and supervisors.

2. Conduct thorough research

Personalize the interview by incorporating specific questions based on feedback from the candidate’s current supervisor and colleagues. Observe their previous projects and work ethics to tailor your questions.

3. Focus on role-relevant skills and experiences

Ensure your questions are directly related to the new role's requirements and challenges. This focus will help you assess the candidate’s readiness and suitability for the position.

4. Encourage self-reflection and development

Ask questions that encourage candidates to reflect on their experiences, achievements, and areas for improvement. This approach not only assesses their capabilities but also their willingness to grow and develop.

5. Evaluate leadership potential (if applicable)

For candidates moving into leadership roles, focus on questions that assess their leadership style, ability to manage and motivate teams, and their approach to handling challenges and making decisions.

Unlock your company’s internal mobility from role clarity to crossboarding

Internal hiring is among the best ways for employees to achieve their career goals. Deel Engage can help you foster mobility within your organization:

• Career frameworks that showcase the various career paths in your organization
• Create competency-driven career paths for employees to have full transparency of what is expected of them
• Performance reviews and 360 degree feedback to assess employees without bias
• Onboarding or crossboarding journeys to ensure a successful transition to new roles, teams, or departments
• Learning journeys (with modern methods like microlearning and social learning) to give people helpful tips in their new job

Additionally, Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free.

Book a demo to see how our solutions will help you build a high-performance workforce.