You're interviewing someone with six months of retail experience and a college degree. Their resume tells you almost nothing. Their cover letter is a template. And you've got 30 minutes to figure out if they'll be a solid hire or a three-month headache.
Welcome to entry-level hiring. The margin for error is tiny because the signal is thin. There's no track record to reference, no portfolio to review, and no former manager who can tell you what this person is actually like to work with.
That's why entry-level interview questions matter more than any other kind. When you can't rely on experience, you have to rely on the questions. The wrong ones give you rehearsed answers that sound good but mean nothing. The right ones surface how someone actually thinks, solves problems, and handles the parts of work that nobody prepares them for.
This guide gives you 40 questions organized by what they reveal — not by topic, but by signal. Each section targets a specific trait that matters in entry-level roles: work ethic, problem-solving, communication, coachability, and role fit.
Why most entry-level interview questions fail
The standard entry-level playbook goes something like this: "Tell me about yourself." "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
These questions fail because they test preparation, not potential. Any candidate who spent 20 minutes on Google can rehearse a passable answer to all three. You learn what they think you want to hear, not how they actually think.
Entry-level candidates don't have years of professional experience to draw from. So situational questions like "Tell me about a time you led a cross-functional project" don't work either. They've never done it. You're asking them to invent an answer, and the ones who invent the most convincing fiction score highest. That's backwards.
What works instead: questions that target transferable traits. Work ethic shows up in how someone handled a summer job, a group project, or a difficult class. Problem-solving shows up in how they describe navigating unfamiliar situations. Coachability shows up in how they respond to feedback — even hypothetical feedback.
The questions below are designed to pull signal from thin resumes. They work whether your candidate was a barista last month or graduated two years ago and hasn't worked yet.
Work ethic and reliability (8 questions)
Work ethic is the single most predictive trait for entry-level success. You can teach skills. You can't teach someone to show up consistently and care about doing good work.
1. Tell me about a time you had to do something tedious or repetitive. How did you handle it?
What you're listening for: honesty about the tedium and a practical approach to getting through it. Red flag: they claim to love repetitive tasks. Nobody does. You want someone who acknowledges the reality and does the work anyway.
2. What's the hardest you've ever worked on something? What made it hard?
What you're listening for: specificity. Vague answers like "school was hard" tell you nothing. You want a story with details — what the task was, what made it difficult, and what they actually did.
3. Describe a situation where you were given a task with unclear instructions. What did you do?
What you're listening for: initiative vs. paralysis. Strong candidates ask clarifying questions or make reasonable assumptions and check in. Weak candidates wait to be told exactly what to do or blame the person who gave the instructions.
4. Have you ever had to balance multiple commitments at once — school, work, family, extracurriculars? How did you manage it?
What you're listening for: evidence of prioritization. Not whether they did it perfectly, but whether they were thoughtful about tradeoffs.
5. Tell me about a time you showed up for something even though you didn't want to.
What you're listening for: reliability under low motivation. This question catches people off guard because it invites honesty. The response tells you a lot about their baseline dependability.
6. What does "good work" mean to you?
What you're listening for: whether they have any personal standard at all. Some candidates will describe concrete things (accuracy, timeliness, thoroughness). Others will give generic answers about "doing your best." The first group tends to hold themselves accountable.
7. Have you ever missed a deadline? What happened?
What you're listening for: ownership. The specifics of the miss matter less than whether they take responsibility or deflect. Bonus points if they explain what they did differently afterward.
8. What's something you've taught yourself without being asked to?
What you're listening for: initiative and curiosity. This could be a software tool, a cooking technique, a language, anything. The content doesn't matter. The self-direction does.
Problem-solving and critical thinking (8 questions)
Entry-level roles don't usually require complex problem-solving. But they do require the ability to figure things out when the answer isn't obvious — and every role has moments like that.
9. You're working on a project and realize halfway through that the approach isn't working. What do you do?
What you're listening for: adaptability. Do they pivot, ask for help, or push through a broken plan hoping it works? Strong candidates recognize when something isn't working and change course.
10. Tell me about a time you had to figure something out with limited information.
What you're listening for: resourcefulness. Entry-level work is full of situations where you don't have all the context. You want someone who can make progress without needing everything spelled out.
11. If I gave you a task you'd never done before and no one was available to help, what would you do first?
What you're listening for: their instinct for self-sufficiency. Google it? Read the documentation? Try it and see? All reasonable. The red flag is freezing or immediately escalating.
12. Describe a decision you made that turned out to be wrong. What did you learn from it?
What you're listening for: self-awareness and the ability to extract a lesson. The decision itself doesn't matter. Their reflection on it does.
13. You're helping a customer (or classmate, coworker) and you don't know the answer to their question. What do you do?
What you're listening for: honesty plus follow-through. The right answer is some version of "I'd tell them I'm not sure, then find out." The wrong answer is making something up.
14. What's the most complicated thing you've ever had to explain to someone who didn't understand it?
What you're listening for: communication clarity and patience. Strong candidates simplify without dumbing things down. This also reveals whether they can step outside their own perspective.
15. Tell me about a time something didn't go as planned. How did you adjust?
What you're listening for: flexibility. Plans fall apart constantly in every workplace. You want someone who treats that as a normal part of work, not a crisis.
16. If two people you respect gave you opposite advice on how to handle a situation, how would you decide what to do?
What you're listening for: independent thinking. This question tests whether they can weigh input without being paralyzed by conflicting opinions.
Communication and teamwork (8 questions)
Every entry-level role involves working with other people. These questions test whether a candidate can communicate clearly, handle friction, and contribute to a team without constant supervision.
17. Tell me about a time you worked on a team where not everyone was pulling their weight. What did you do?
What you're listening for: how they handle conflict. Avoid candidates who either did nothing and resented it, or went straight to the authority figure. The middle ground — direct conversation, stepping up, or finding a practical workaround — is the strongest signal.
18. How would you handle a situation where a coworker told you that you did something wrong?
What you're listening for: defensiveness vs. receptivity. Their hypothetical response here maps directly to how they'll handle real feedback on the job.
19. Describe a time you had to work with someone whose personality or work style was very different from yours.
What you're listening for: adaptability and tolerance. Every team has different personalities. You're looking for someone who adjusts without drama.
20. Have you ever had to deliver bad news to someone? How did you do it?
What you're listening for: directness and empathy. Strong candidates tell the truth clearly without being harsh. Weak candidates either avoid the conversation or over-soften it to the point of confusion.
21. If you disagreed with your manager's decision, how would you handle it?
What you're listening for: the ability to express disagreement respectfully and then execute. Entry-level candidates who can push back thoughtfully — and then commit to the decision once it's made — are significantly more valuable than ones who stay silent or become difficult.
22. What's the most helpful feedback you've ever received?
What you're listening for: whether they can identify and articulate a time feedback made them better. If they struggle to answer, it may mean they haven't been open to feedback before.
23. How do you prefer to communicate at work — email, chat, in-person, phone?
What you're listening for: self-awareness about communication preferences. There's no wrong answer, but you want someone who has thought about it. This also helps you assess fit with your team's workflow.
24. Tell me about a time you had to ask for help. What made it difficult?
What you're listening for: willingness to be vulnerable. Asking for help is a skill, and the ones who resist it early tend to struggle longer with mistakes they could have avoided.
Coachability and growth (8 questions)
For entry-level hires, coachability matters more than current skills. The candidate who can absorb feedback and improve quickly will outperform the one who shows up polished but resistant to change.
25. What's something you were bad at that you've gotten better at? How?
What you're listening for: growth trajectory. The specific skill matters less than the awareness that they were bad at it and the effort they put into improving.
26. Tell me about a time you received feedback you disagreed with. What did you do?
What you're listening for: maturity. Strong candidates consider the feedback before dismissing it. Weak candidates reject it immediately or agree outwardly but ignore it.
27. What's a mistake you keep making, or a pattern you're trying to break?
What you're listening for: honesty and self-awareness. This question is intentionally uncomfortable. Candidates who can name a real pattern — procrastination, over-committing, avoiding confrontation — and show they're working on it demonstrate the kind of self-reflection that predicts growth.
28. If your manager asked you to redo a task you thought was done well, how would you react?
What you're listening for: openness vs. ego. The right answer is some version of "I'd want to understand what they're looking for" — not "I'd be frustrated" or "I'd just do it."
29. How do you usually learn new things? Can you give me an example?
What you're listening for: whether they have a learning process. Some people learn by watching, others by doing, others by reading. The method matters less than having one and being able to describe it.
30. What's a skill you don't have yet that you think this role will require?
What you're listening for: honesty about gaps and eagerness to fill them. The candidate who says "I don't know Excel but I'd want to learn" is more trustworthy than the one who claims to know everything.
31. Tell me about a time you changed your mind about something important.
What you're listening for: intellectual flexibility. People who can change their mind when presented with new information are generally easier to coach and quicker to adapt.
32. If I were your manager and gave you a piece of critical feedback right now, how would you prefer I deliver it?
What you're listening for: self-knowledge about how they process criticism. This also gives you practical insight into how to manage them if you hire them.
Role fit and motivation (8 questions)
These questions test whether the candidate actually wants this specific role — not just any job. For entry-level positions, genuine interest is a strong predictor of retention.
33. Why this role and not one of the other 50 entry-level jobs you could apply for?
What you're listening for: specificity. If their answer could apply to any company or any role, they haven't thought about it. You want evidence they researched the position and see a real connection.
34. What does your ideal first 90 days in a new job look like?
What you're listening for: realistic expectations. Candidates who say "I want to learn as much as I can and contribute where possible" are stronger than ones who say "I want to make an immediate impact." The first answer shows awareness that entry-level means learning. The second sounds borrowed from a LinkedIn post.
35. What kind of work drains your energy? What kind gives you energy?
What you're listening for: self-awareness about fit. If the role is 70% repetitive data entry and they say repetition drains them, that's useful information for both of you.
36. What's the least glamorous part of this job, based on your understanding of it?
What you're listening for: whether they've actually thought about the role beyond the job title. Candidates who can name the unglamorous parts — and still want the job — tend to stick around longer.
37. Where did you hear about this role, and what made you decide to apply?
What you're listening for: the trigger. This question sometimes reveals referrals, specific interest in your company, or just honest "I was searching for entry-level jobs and this one seemed good." All are fine. What isn't fine is a blank stare.
38. If you could design the perfect entry-level role for yourself, what would it include?
What you're listening for: how closely their ideal overlaps with reality. If there's a significant mismatch, better to know now.
39. What would make you leave this role within the first year?
What you're listening for: honesty about deal-breakers. This question surfaces expectations around growth, management style, and workload that you can either meet or be transparent about.
40. What questions do you have for me about the role or the team?
What you're listening for: curiosity. Candidates who have no questions either aren't interested or haven't thought critically about the role. The quality of their questions tells you as much as the quality of their answers.
How to use these questions: a scoring framework
Asking 40 questions in a single interview would be ridiculous. Pick 8–12 that align with the traits most important for the role you're filling, then score consistently.
Here's a simple framework:
Step 1: Choose your signals. Decide which 3–4 categories matter most. For a customer service role, communication and coachability might outweigh problem-solving. For a data entry role, work ethic and reliability come first.
Step 2: Pick 2–3 questions per category. That gives you 8–12 questions total — enough to get meaningful signal in a 30-minute interview.
Step 3: Use a consistent rating scale. Rate each answer on a 1–4 scale:
- 1 — No signal or red flag
- 2 — Vague or generic response
- 3 — Clear, specific response with a relevant example
- 4 — Strong response showing self-awareness, growth, or genuine insight
Step 4: Compare candidates on the same dimensions. When you interview multiple candidates with the same questions and the same scale, you can compare signal to signal instead of impression to impression. This matters — especially for entry-level roles where "vibe" can easily override evidence.
Where one-way video interviews change the equation
One of the hardest parts of entry-level hiring is the volume. You post a role, get 200 applications, and need to figure out which 10 people are worth a live conversation. Resumes don't help because everyone has the same thin experience. Phone screens take 20 minutes each and most confirm what you already suspected — they're not a fit.
One-way video interviews let candidates answer your questions on their own time, recorded on video. You set the questions. They record their responses. You review them when you're ready.
This changes entry-level screening in three ways:
You see communication skills before the live interview. For entry-level roles, how someone communicates is often more important than what they say. Video shows you presence, clarity, and confidence that no resume can capture.
You screen more candidates without spending more time. Instead of 20-minute phone screens with 30 people, you review video responses and focus your live interviews on the candidates who already showed the right signals.
Every candidate gets the same questions. Consistency matters most when experience is thin. When every candidate answers the same prompts, you compare responses directly instead of comparing whatever random conversation happened during each phone call.
Truffle takes this further with AI-assisted candidate screening software. Candidates record their responses, and Truffle's AI analyzes each answer against the criteria you define for the role. You get a ranked shortlist with match scores and 30-second Candidate Shorts that surface the key moments — so you can review 50 candidates in the time it used to take to phone-screen 5.
The result: you get from 200 applications to your top 10 without the phone-screen marathon. And every candidate gets a fair, consistent first-round experience.
FAQ on entry-level interview questions
What are the best entry-level interview questions?
The strongest entry-level interview questions target transferable traits rather than professional experience. Focus on questions that reveal work ethic, problem-solving ability, communication skills, coachability, and role fit. Situational questions that draw from school, volunteer work, part-time jobs, or personal projects work better than traditional behavioral questions that assume years of work experience.
How many questions should I ask in an entry-level interview?
Plan for 8–12 questions in a 30-minute interview. Pick 2–3 questions from each of the trait categories most relevant to the role: work ethic, problem-solving, communication, coachability, and role fit. Asking too many questions rushes the candidate and gives you shallow answers. Fewer questions with more depth gives you stronger signal.
How do I review entry-level candidates with no work experience?
Look for transferable traits rather than job-specific skills. Work ethic shows up in how someone handled school deadlines, part-time jobs, or personal projects. Problem-solving shows up in how they describe navigating unfamiliar situations. Coachability shows up in how they respond to feedback and whether they can name areas where they've grown. Use a consistent 1–4 rating scale across candidates so you're comparing signal, not gut feelings.
What's the difference between entry-level and experienced interview questions?
Entry-level questions target traits and potential. Experienced interview questions target skills and track record. With experienced candidates, you can ask "Tell me about a time you managed a project with multiple teams involved" because they've done it. With entry-level candidates, that question falls flat — so you adapt it: "Tell me about a time you had to coordinate with multiple people to get something done." The underlying trait (coordination) is the same; the context is different.
How do I avoid bias when interviewing entry-level candidates?
Use the same questions for every candidate, score each answer on a consistent rating scale, and compare candidates on the same dimensions. When you use different questions for different people, you introduce inconsistency that makes it easy for personal preference to override evidence. Structured interviews — same questions, same order, same scoring — are the most effective way to keep evaluation consistent across candidates with thin resumes.
The TL;DR
You're interviewing someone with six months of retail experience and a college degree. Their resume tells you almost nothing. Their cover letter is a template. And you've got 30 minutes to figure out if they'll be a solid hire or a three-month headache.
Welcome to entry-level hiring. The margin for error is tiny because the signal is thin. There's no track record to reference, no portfolio to review, and no former manager who can tell you what this person is actually like to work with.
That's why entry-level interview questions matter more than any other kind. When you can't rely on experience, you have to rely on the questions. The wrong ones give you rehearsed answers that sound good but mean nothing. The right ones surface how someone actually thinks, solves problems, and handles the parts of work that nobody prepares them for.
This guide gives you 40 questions organized by what they reveal — not by topic, but by signal. Each section targets a specific trait that matters in entry-level roles: work ethic, problem-solving, communication, coachability, and role fit.
Why most entry-level interview questions fail
The standard entry-level playbook goes something like this: "Tell me about yourself." "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
These questions fail because they test preparation, not potential. Any candidate who spent 20 minutes on Google can rehearse a passable answer to all three. You learn what they think you want to hear, not how they actually think.
Entry-level candidates don't have years of professional experience to draw from. So situational questions like "Tell me about a time you led a cross-functional project" don't work either. They've never done it. You're asking them to invent an answer, and the ones who invent the most convincing fiction score highest. That's backwards.
What works instead: questions that target transferable traits. Work ethic shows up in how someone handled a summer job, a group project, or a difficult class. Problem-solving shows up in how they describe navigating unfamiliar situations. Coachability shows up in how they respond to feedback — even hypothetical feedback.
The questions below are designed to pull signal from thin resumes. They work whether your candidate was a barista last month or graduated two years ago and hasn't worked yet.
Work ethic and reliability (8 questions)
Work ethic is the single most predictive trait for entry-level success. You can teach skills. You can't teach someone to show up consistently and care about doing good work.
1. Tell me about a time you had to do something tedious or repetitive. How did you handle it?
What you're listening for: honesty about the tedium and a practical approach to getting through it. Red flag: they claim to love repetitive tasks. Nobody does. You want someone who acknowledges the reality and does the work anyway.
2. What's the hardest you've ever worked on something? What made it hard?
What you're listening for: specificity. Vague answers like "school was hard" tell you nothing. You want a story with details — what the task was, what made it difficult, and what they actually did.
3. Describe a situation where you were given a task with unclear instructions. What did you do?
What you're listening for: initiative vs. paralysis. Strong candidates ask clarifying questions or make reasonable assumptions and check in. Weak candidates wait to be told exactly what to do or blame the person who gave the instructions.
4. Have you ever had to balance multiple commitments at once — school, work, family, extracurriculars? How did you manage it?
What you're listening for: evidence of prioritization. Not whether they did it perfectly, but whether they were thoughtful about tradeoffs.
5. Tell me about a time you showed up for something even though you didn't want to.
What you're listening for: reliability under low motivation. This question catches people off guard because it invites honesty. The response tells you a lot about their baseline dependability.
6. What does "good work" mean to you?
What you're listening for: whether they have any personal standard at all. Some candidates will describe concrete things (accuracy, timeliness, thoroughness). Others will give generic answers about "doing your best." The first group tends to hold themselves accountable.
7. Have you ever missed a deadline? What happened?
What you're listening for: ownership. The specifics of the miss matter less than whether they take responsibility or deflect. Bonus points if they explain what they did differently afterward.
8. What's something you've taught yourself without being asked to?
What you're listening for: initiative and curiosity. This could be a software tool, a cooking technique, a language, anything. The content doesn't matter. The self-direction does.
Problem-solving and critical thinking (8 questions)
Entry-level roles don't usually require complex problem-solving. But they do require the ability to figure things out when the answer isn't obvious — and every role has moments like that.
9. You're working on a project and realize halfway through that the approach isn't working. What do you do?
What you're listening for: adaptability. Do they pivot, ask for help, or push through a broken plan hoping it works? Strong candidates recognize when something isn't working and change course.
10. Tell me about a time you had to figure something out with limited information.
What you're listening for: resourcefulness. Entry-level work is full of situations where you don't have all the context. You want someone who can make progress without needing everything spelled out.
11. If I gave you a task you'd never done before and no one was available to help, what would you do first?
What you're listening for: their instinct for self-sufficiency. Google it? Read the documentation? Try it and see? All reasonable. The red flag is freezing or immediately escalating.
12. Describe a decision you made that turned out to be wrong. What did you learn from it?
What you're listening for: self-awareness and the ability to extract a lesson. The decision itself doesn't matter. Their reflection on it does.
13. You're helping a customer (or classmate, coworker) and you don't know the answer to their question. What do you do?
What you're listening for: honesty plus follow-through. The right answer is some version of "I'd tell them I'm not sure, then find out." The wrong answer is making something up.
14. What's the most complicated thing you've ever had to explain to someone who didn't understand it?
What you're listening for: communication clarity and patience. Strong candidates simplify without dumbing things down. This also reveals whether they can step outside their own perspective.
15. Tell me about a time something didn't go as planned. How did you adjust?
What you're listening for: flexibility. Plans fall apart constantly in every workplace. You want someone who treats that as a normal part of work, not a crisis.
16. If two people you respect gave you opposite advice on how to handle a situation, how would you decide what to do?
What you're listening for: independent thinking. This question tests whether they can weigh input without being paralyzed by conflicting opinions.
Communication and teamwork (8 questions)
Every entry-level role involves working with other people. These questions test whether a candidate can communicate clearly, handle friction, and contribute to a team without constant supervision.
17. Tell me about a time you worked on a team where not everyone was pulling their weight. What did you do?
What you're listening for: how they handle conflict. Avoid candidates who either did nothing and resented it, or went straight to the authority figure. The middle ground — direct conversation, stepping up, or finding a practical workaround — is the strongest signal.
18. How would you handle a situation where a coworker told you that you did something wrong?
What you're listening for: defensiveness vs. receptivity. Their hypothetical response here maps directly to how they'll handle real feedback on the job.
19. Describe a time you had to work with someone whose personality or work style was very different from yours.
What you're listening for: adaptability and tolerance. Every team has different personalities. You're looking for someone who adjusts without drama.
20. Have you ever had to deliver bad news to someone? How did you do it?
What you're listening for: directness and empathy. Strong candidates tell the truth clearly without being harsh. Weak candidates either avoid the conversation or over-soften it to the point of confusion.
21. If you disagreed with your manager's decision, how would you handle it?
What you're listening for: the ability to express disagreement respectfully and then execute. Entry-level candidates who can push back thoughtfully — and then commit to the decision once it's made — are significantly more valuable than ones who stay silent or become difficult.
22. What's the most helpful feedback you've ever received?
What you're listening for: whether they can identify and articulate a time feedback made them better. If they struggle to answer, it may mean they haven't been open to feedback before.
23. How do you prefer to communicate at work — email, chat, in-person, phone?
What you're listening for: self-awareness about communication preferences. There's no wrong answer, but you want someone who has thought about it. This also helps you assess fit with your team's workflow.
24. Tell me about a time you had to ask for help. What made it difficult?
What you're listening for: willingness to be vulnerable. Asking for help is a skill, and the ones who resist it early tend to struggle longer with mistakes they could have avoided.
Coachability and growth (8 questions)
For entry-level hires, coachability matters more than current skills. The candidate who can absorb feedback and improve quickly will outperform the one who shows up polished but resistant to change.
25. What's something you were bad at that you've gotten better at? How?
What you're listening for: growth trajectory. The specific skill matters less than the awareness that they were bad at it and the effort they put into improving.
26. Tell me about a time you received feedback you disagreed with. What did you do?
What you're listening for: maturity. Strong candidates consider the feedback before dismissing it. Weak candidates reject it immediately or agree outwardly but ignore it.
27. What's a mistake you keep making, or a pattern you're trying to break?
What you're listening for: honesty and self-awareness. This question is intentionally uncomfortable. Candidates who can name a real pattern — procrastination, over-committing, avoiding confrontation — and show they're working on it demonstrate the kind of self-reflection that predicts growth.
28. If your manager asked you to redo a task you thought was done well, how would you react?
What you're listening for: openness vs. ego. The right answer is some version of "I'd want to understand what they're looking for" — not "I'd be frustrated" or "I'd just do it."
29. How do you usually learn new things? Can you give me an example?
What you're listening for: whether they have a learning process. Some people learn by watching, others by doing, others by reading. The method matters less than having one and being able to describe it.
30. What's a skill you don't have yet that you think this role will require?
What you're listening for: honesty about gaps and eagerness to fill them. The candidate who says "I don't know Excel but I'd want to learn" is more trustworthy than the one who claims to know everything.
31. Tell me about a time you changed your mind about something important.
What you're listening for: intellectual flexibility. People who can change their mind when presented with new information are generally easier to coach and quicker to adapt.
32. If I were your manager and gave you a piece of critical feedback right now, how would you prefer I deliver it?
What you're listening for: self-knowledge about how they process criticism. This also gives you practical insight into how to manage them if you hire them.
Role fit and motivation (8 questions)
These questions test whether the candidate actually wants this specific role — not just any job. For entry-level positions, genuine interest is a strong predictor of retention.
33. Why this role and not one of the other 50 entry-level jobs you could apply for?
What you're listening for: specificity. If their answer could apply to any company or any role, they haven't thought about it. You want evidence they researched the position and see a real connection.
34. What does your ideal first 90 days in a new job look like?
What you're listening for: realistic expectations. Candidates who say "I want to learn as much as I can and contribute where possible" are stronger than ones who say "I want to make an immediate impact." The first answer shows awareness that entry-level means learning. The second sounds borrowed from a LinkedIn post.
35. What kind of work drains your energy? What kind gives you energy?
What you're listening for: self-awareness about fit. If the role is 70% repetitive data entry and they say repetition drains them, that's useful information for both of you.
36. What's the least glamorous part of this job, based on your understanding of it?
What you're listening for: whether they've actually thought about the role beyond the job title. Candidates who can name the unglamorous parts — and still want the job — tend to stick around longer.
37. Where did you hear about this role, and what made you decide to apply?
What you're listening for: the trigger. This question sometimes reveals referrals, specific interest in your company, or just honest "I was searching for entry-level jobs and this one seemed good." All are fine. What isn't fine is a blank stare.
38. If you could design the perfect entry-level role for yourself, what would it include?
What you're listening for: how closely their ideal overlaps with reality. If there's a significant mismatch, better to know now.
39. What would make you leave this role within the first year?
What you're listening for: honesty about deal-breakers. This question surfaces expectations around growth, management style, and workload that you can either meet or be transparent about.
40. What questions do you have for me about the role or the team?
What you're listening for: curiosity. Candidates who have no questions either aren't interested or haven't thought critically about the role. The quality of their questions tells you as much as the quality of their answers.
How to use these questions: a scoring framework
Asking 40 questions in a single interview would be ridiculous. Pick 8–12 that align with the traits most important for the role you're filling, then score consistently.
Here's a simple framework:
Step 1: Choose your signals. Decide which 3–4 categories matter most. For a customer service role, communication and coachability might outweigh problem-solving. For a data entry role, work ethic and reliability come first.
Step 2: Pick 2–3 questions per category. That gives you 8–12 questions total — enough to get meaningful signal in a 30-minute interview.
Step 3: Use a consistent rating scale. Rate each answer on a 1–4 scale:
- 1 — No signal or red flag
- 2 — Vague or generic response
- 3 — Clear, specific response with a relevant example
- 4 — Strong response showing self-awareness, growth, or genuine insight
Step 4: Compare candidates on the same dimensions. When you interview multiple candidates with the same questions and the same scale, you can compare signal to signal instead of impression to impression. This matters — especially for entry-level roles where "vibe" can easily override evidence.
Where one-way video interviews change the equation
One of the hardest parts of entry-level hiring is the volume. You post a role, get 200 applications, and need to figure out which 10 people are worth a live conversation. Resumes don't help because everyone has the same thin experience. Phone screens take 20 minutes each and most confirm what you already suspected — they're not a fit.
One-way video interviews let candidates answer your questions on their own time, recorded on video. You set the questions. They record their responses. You review them when you're ready.
This changes entry-level screening in three ways:
You see communication skills before the live interview. For entry-level roles, how someone communicates is often more important than what they say. Video shows you presence, clarity, and confidence that no resume can capture.
You screen more candidates without spending more time. Instead of 20-minute phone screens with 30 people, you review video responses and focus your live interviews on the candidates who already showed the right signals.
Every candidate gets the same questions. Consistency matters most when experience is thin. When every candidate answers the same prompts, you compare responses directly instead of comparing whatever random conversation happened during each phone call.
Truffle takes this further with AI-assisted candidate screening software. Candidates record their responses, and Truffle's AI analyzes each answer against the criteria you define for the role. You get a ranked shortlist with match scores and 30-second Candidate Shorts that surface the key moments — so you can review 50 candidates in the time it used to take to phone-screen 5.
The result: you get from 200 applications to your top 10 without the phone-screen marathon. And every candidate gets a fair, consistent first-round experience.
FAQ on entry-level interview questions
What are the best entry-level interview questions?
The strongest entry-level interview questions target transferable traits rather than professional experience. Focus on questions that reveal work ethic, problem-solving ability, communication skills, coachability, and role fit. Situational questions that draw from school, volunteer work, part-time jobs, or personal projects work better than traditional behavioral questions that assume years of work experience.
How many questions should I ask in an entry-level interview?
Plan for 8–12 questions in a 30-minute interview. Pick 2–3 questions from each of the trait categories most relevant to the role: work ethic, problem-solving, communication, coachability, and role fit. Asking too many questions rushes the candidate and gives you shallow answers. Fewer questions with more depth gives you stronger signal.
How do I review entry-level candidates with no work experience?
Look for transferable traits rather than job-specific skills. Work ethic shows up in how someone handled school deadlines, part-time jobs, or personal projects. Problem-solving shows up in how they describe navigating unfamiliar situations. Coachability shows up in how they respond to feedback and whether they can name areas where they've grown. Use a consistent 1–4 rating scale across candidates so you're comparing signal, not gut feelings.
What's the difference between entry-level and experienced interview questions?
Entry-level questions target traits and potential. Experienced interview questions target skills and track record. With experienced candidates, you can ask "Tell me about a time you managed a project with multiple teams involved" because they've done it. With entry-level candidates, that question falls flat — so you adapt it: "Tell me about a time you had to coordinate with multiple people to get something done." The underlying trait (coordination) is the same; the context is different.
How do I avoid bias when interviewing entry-level candidates?
Use the same questions for every candidate, score each answer on a consistent rating scale, and compare candidates on the same dimensions. When you use different questions for different people, you introduce inconsistency that makes it easy for personal preference to override evidence. Structured interviews — same questions, same order, same scoring — are the most effective way to keep evaluation consistent across candidates with thin resumes.
Try Truffle instead.
