‘Are you Batman or Robin?’ Offbeat interview questions can reveal the unexpected about job candidates
Posted 2nd April 2025 • Written by Tony Case on worklife.news • • • • • •
In a job interview, asking a candidate questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is so over.
How about putting this to a prospective hire instead: “How would you explain your job a five-year-old?” “What have you learned about yourself from a dream?” “If you had your own billboard, what would it say?” “Which are you, Batman or Robin?”
In the high-stakes business of talent recruitment, the questions employers ask candidates may well make or break their hiring success. And if they still rely on the most obvious questions for which prospects have carefully rehearsed answers, they’re likely missing out on the most valuable insights, according to workplace experts.
“The information you get from a candidate is almost entirely dependent on the questions you ask in the interview,” said David Garcia, co-founder and CEO of ScoutLogic, a company that does pre-employment screening. “Asking the standard boilerplate questions that candidates anticipate and even prepare for is unlikely to give you a deeper look into their suitability.”
Most hiring managers recognize the telltale signs of a rehearsed answer: polished, perfect and typically devoid of genuine insight.
Lorraine K. Lee, a career expert and author of the forthcoming book “Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career,” notes that most interview questions are wholly predictable — and with the most obvious questions come largely pat answers. “Candidates may give answers that sound good but don’t necessarily reveal how they think, adapt or solve problems,” she said.
Once, when Lee was hiring for a position that attracted more than 1,000 applicants, she relied on behavior-based questions to differentiate between them, to positive effect. For example: “Can you tell me about the last time you received constructive feedback and how you acted on it?” “Tell me about a time a project did not go as planned — how did you respond?” The interview, Lee said, “was the time to go beyond responsibilities and accomplishments to understand how we would work together.”
Matt Harrison, vp of global operations and marketing at Authority Builders, a marketing firm, opts for questions that reveal a candidate’s ability to think on their feet. “At the senior vp level, digital marketing is not just about data — we require agile thinkers,” he said. His go-to questions include: “Tell me about a time you had to completely pivot your strategy and what you learned from it?” and “If you could have a billboard anywhere in the world, what would it say and why?”
Wendy Makinson, HR manager at freight and cargo management company Joloda Hydraroll, also uses unexpected questions to break through the predictable. Some of her favorites: “How would you explain our solutions to a five-year-old?” and “If you had to choose between being Batman and Robin, which would it be and why?” Such queries, she explains, can help determine “how candidates prefer to work and see themselves within a team.”
“A big part of knowing what to ask is being aware of what you and your business are looking for specifically,” said Julia Yurchak, senior recruitment consultant at Keller Executive Search. “But there are questions that will help every employer in any industry get a good measure of a candidate.” They might include: “If we swapped roles for a day, what’s the first decision you’d make?” and “If you had to teach a masterclass on one topic related to this role, what would it be and why?”
Meanwhile, in the case of leadership roles, Richard Birke, chief architect at JAMS Pathways, which provides early conflict resolution services, says the interviewer should focus on assessing the candidate’s conflict-resolution skills. He advises against going with prospects who give predictable answers to conflict scenarios. “Conflict comes in many forms, and a one-size-fits-all answer probably won’t fit,” he said.
Often, the simplest questions can yield the most profound insights.
Seb Morgan, career expert at CV Genius, found that asking “Do you have any questions for us?” at the end of an interview can be surprisingly revealing, for example. He shares the story of a candidate who performed poorly on the technical questions but turned things around with his closing comment: “Before we wrap up, I want to make sure I’ve addressed what’s most important to you,” said the candidate. “Are there any points I can go back and address now that will help clear up any uncertainties you might have about my suitability for the job?”
“I was impressed,” Morgan said. “Not only was the candidate showing their openness to feedback and commitment to the role — they were also demonstrating some impressive strategic thinking.”
ScoutLogic’s Garcia also believes out-of-the-box questions can be revealing — questions like “What would you do if you were our CEO?” and “Describe a dream you’ve had that conveys a lesson for your life journey.” Such questions can provide insight into a candidate’s true character, their ability to think innovatively and their likelihood to perform well under pressure, Garcia says — qualities that may not be apparent on a resume.
As Lee put it, “An interview is a two-way street, for both of you to understand whether you are the right fit for each other. Anytime we can break out of autopilot is a good thing.”
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