The best question to ask candidates in an interview

To help cut through the rehearsed responses and understand the person beneath.
Interviews are short and stressful, making it hard to truly understand the person you’re talking to.
But there’s one question Simon Sinek asks in every interview that can help you do just that.
What’s the question?
“I hate surprises. Can you tell me something that might go wrong now so I’m not surprised when it happens?”
Why is this question so powerful?
It’s a better way of asking, “What are your weaknesses?”.
Because no one wants to admit their flaws, so they give you a not so subtle strength:
- Perfectionist
- Too detail orientated
- Too high expectations
But instead of putting them on the defensive.
You’re asking them to help you by discussing potential challenges that you’ll need to deal with in your working relationship.
Try it out next time you hold an interview. You might be surprised by some of the answers.
To watch the full video with Simon Sinek click here.
Consult Recruitment
Recent Posts
Bring Back the Humans! AI & Leadership Event
New Zealand job market update from our CEO, Karly Boast
IT, Digital & Transformation Recruitment update
Introducing Karly Boast, Consult Recruitment’s New CEO
August 2026 Recruitment Market Update
Blog categories
Our latest blog posts.

Bring Back the Humans! AI & Leadership Event
Every leader is under pressure to adopt AI faster, deploy it wider, and prove the productivity gains. Fewer are being

New Zealand job market update from our CEO, Karly Boast
Latest NZ Job Market Update from our CEO at Consult Recruitment, Karly Boast We sat down with our CEO, Karly

IT, Digital & Transformation Recruitment update
IT & Digital Recruitment Market Update We asked Natalie Parr from our IT & Digital recruitment team what she’s seeing
Hiring or job hunting? You’ll want this.
Get our latest What the Buck? Market Snapshot & Salary Report.
What the Buck? is proprietary research we run once a year. It’s fresh, NZ-specific and built to help businesses and professionals understand the job market and make better hiring and career decisions.