interview questions to ask research scientist

Research Scientist Interview Questions

The most important interview questions for Research Scientists, and how to answer them

Getting Started as a Research Scientist

• What is a Research Scientist
• How to Become
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Interviewing as a Research Scientist

Types of questions to expect in a research scientist interview, technical expertise and scientific knowledge questions, problem-solving and critical thinking questions, behavioral and situational questions, project and research management questions, preparing for a research scientist interview, how to do interview prep as a research scientist.

• Understand the Research Focus of the Company: Investigate the company's current research projects, publications, and areas of interest. This will help you speak knowledgeably about how your expertise aligns with their work.
• Review Your Own Research and Publications: Be prepared to discuss your previous research in detail, including methodologies, outcomes, and how it applies to the position you're interviewing for.
• Prepare for Technical Questions: Expect to answer technical questions related to your field of study. Review key concepts, recent advancements, and be ready to solve problems or analyze data on the spot.
• Understand the Broader Impact: Think about how your research can contribute to the larger goals of the company, including product development, innovation, and addressing customer needs.
• Practice Your Presentation Skills: You may be asked to present your research findings. Practice delivering clear, concise, and engaging presentations that can be understood by both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Anticipate Behavioral Questions: Reflect on past experiences that demonstrate your teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving abilities. Be ready to share specific examples that highlight these competencies.
• Prepare Thoughtful Questions: Develop insightful questions that show your interest in the company's research direction and how you can contribute to their success.
• Mock Interviews: Practice with peers, mentors, or through mock interviews to refine your answers, get feedback, and build confidence.

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Research Scientist Interview Questions and Answers

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Research Scientist Job Title Guide

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20 Common Researcher Interview Questions and Answers

Common Researcher interview questions, how to answer them, and sample answers from a certified career coach.

You’ve been invited to interview for a research position—congratulations! You know you have the skills and experience, but now it’s time to prove it.

The key to success? Being prepared. To help make sure you shine in your upcoming interview, we’ve compiled some of the most common questions asked during research interviews. Read on, get familiar with them, and practice your answers so you can ace that job interview like a pro.

• What research methods do you use to collect data?
• How do you ensure the accuracy and validity of your research results?
• Describe a time when you had to analyze complex data sets and draw meaningful conclusions from them.
• Explain how you would go about designing an experiment or survey to answer a specific research question.
• Are you familiar with any statistical software programs? If so, which ones?
• What strategies do you use to stay organized while conducting research?
• How do you handle ethical considerations when conducting research?
• Have you ever encountered a situation where you had to adjust your research methodology due to unexpected circumstances?
• Describe a time when you had to present your research findings in a clear and concise manner.
• Do you have experience working with large datasets?
• What challenges have you faced when collecting primary data for a research project?
• How do you approach writing up a research paper or report?
• What techniques do you use to identify potential sources of bias in your research?
• How do you evaluate the quality of secondary sources used in your research?
• What strategies do you use to keep track of changes in the field of research you are studying?
• How do you decide which research questions to pursue?
• What is your experience with peer review processes?
• How do you manage competing demands on your time when conducting research?
• What strategies do you use to ensure that your research remains relevant and up-to-date?
• How do you ensure that your research meets the highest standards of academic integrity?

1. What research methods do you use to collect data?

Research methods are the core of any researcher’s job. You’ll need to be familiar with a variety of different methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and experiments, and be able to explain how you use each one in your work. This will help the interviewer understand your process and how you can contribute to their organization.

How to Answer:

You should be prepared to explain the research methods you have used in your past work. Talk about how you use surveys, interviews, focus groups, and experiments to collect data, as well as any other methods you may have experience with. If you’re just starting out, then talk through the steps you would take to select a method for each project. You can also mention any specialized methods or software that you are familiar with.

Example: “I use a variety of research methods to collect data, depending on the project. I often use surveys and interviews as primary sources of information, but I also have experience with focus groups, experiments, and software tools like Qualtrics for collecting quantitative data. I’m familiar with specialized methods such as content analysis and ethnography when appropriate. My goal is always to select the method that will provide the most accurate and reliable data for each project.”

2. How do you ensure the accuracy and validity of your research results?

Research requires a level of precision that goes beyond the normal workplace. Good researchers are able to identify what data is relevant and how to collect it in order to make reliable conclusions. Interviewers will want to know that you have the skills and knowledge to conduct research that is both accurate and valid. They’ll also want to know if you use any specific methods or tools to ensure accuracy and validity.

You should be prepared to explain what methods you use to ensure accuracy and validity of your research. This could include double-checking sources, using multiple data points, or triangulating information from different sources to verify results. You can also mention any specific tools or techniques you use, such as conducting surveys or interviews with experts in the field. Be sure to emphasize how important it is for you to make sure that your research is accurate and valid before drawing conclusions.

Example: “When I was working on a research project for ABC Corporation, I had to analyze the data from three different sources. My approach was to use statistical analysis techniques and software tools to cross-reference the data sets and identify any potential discrepancies or outliers. After analyzing the results, I identified a number of key trends that allowed us to draw meaningful conclusions about the company’s operations. The insights gained from this research ultimately led to improvements in the organization’s processes, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity.”

3. Describe a time when you had to analyze complex data sets and draw meaningful conclusions from them.

Research projects often involve a lot of data analysis and interpretation. Knowing how to take large amounts of data and make it into something meaningful is a valuable skill for any researcher. This question is a way for the interviewer to gauge your ability to work with data and draw meaningful conclusions from it.

You should be prepared to provide a specific example of when you had to analyze complex data sets and draw meaningful conclusions from them. Talk about the project, your approach to analyzing the data, and any insights or conclusions that you drew from it. Be sure to emphasize the impact of your findings on the project or organization as well.

Example: “I recently worked on a project for my previous employer in which I had to analyze a large and complex data set. My approach was to break down the data into smaller, more manageable chunks and then look for patterns or correlations between different variables. After doing this, I was able to identify a few key trends that were relevant to the project goals. This allowed us to make better decisions about how to allocate resources and focus our efforts, resulting in a successful outcome.”

4. Explain how you would go about designing an experiment or survey to answer a specific research question.

This question is designed to determine if you have the skills necessary to design and implement valid research experiments. The interviewer wants to know if you understand the fundamentals of research design, such as how to select a sample, how to develop a hypothesis, and how to determine the validity of a study. They also want to know if you can explain the process in a clear and concise manner.

Start by explaining the steps you would take to design an experiment or survey. You should include the following: defining the research question, selecting a sample, developing a hypothesis, creating a data collection plan, and determining how to analyze the results. Be sure to explain any specific techniques you might use in each step, such as random sampling or stratified sampling for your sample selection process. Finally, emphasize the importance of validating the results to ensure they are accurate and reliable.

Example: “When designing an experiment or survey, the first step is to define the research question. Once the research question has been identified, I would then select a sample that is representative of the population being studied. I would also develop a hypothesis based on my understanding of the research question and the available data. After that, I would create a data collection plan that outlines how the data will be collected, such as using surveys, interviews, or focus groups. Finally, I would determine the best method for analyzing the results in order to draw valid conclusions from the research. In all cases, it’s important to validate the results to ensure they are accurate and reliable.”

5. Are you familiar with any statistical software programs? If so, which ones?

Researchers often have to analyze data and present it in a meaningful way. This requires familiarity with statistical software programs like SPSS, SAS, or R. Knowing how to use these programs is a critical part of being a successful researcher, so this question is meant to gauge your level of expertise.

If you are familiar with any of the programs mentioned above, be sure to mention that and explain how you have used them in past research projects. If you are not familiar with these programs, it is still important to emphasize your ability to learn new software quickly. Explain how you approach learning new technologies and provide examples of times when you have successfully done so in the past.

Example: “I have used SPSS and SAS in my previous research projects. I am also comfortable with learning new statistical software programs, as I have done so on multiple occasions in the past. For example, when starting a new project at my last job, I was asked to learn R quickly in order to analyze data. Within two weeks, I had become proficient enough to use it for all of our research needs.”

6. What strategies do you use to stay organized while conducting research?

Research can be a long and complex process, with lots of data to sift through, organize, and analyze. It’s important to show the interviewer that you have a system in place to stay organized throughout the research process, from the initial research plan to the final report. This will demonstrate that you can effectively manage your time and resources, as well as prioritize tasks and remain focused on the task at hand.

You can answer this question by talking about the strategies you use to stay organized while conducting research. You could mention that you create detailed research plans, break down large tasks into smaller ones, and prioritize tasks based on importance and deadlines. Additionally, you could talk about how you utilize organizational tools such as spreadsheets and databases to store data, track progress, and easily access information when needed. Finally, you might also discuss how you take notes during your research process in order to keep track of important ideas or findings.

Example: “I use a variety of strategies to stay organized while conducting research. I always start by creating a detailed research plan that outlines the scope of my work and any deadlines associated with it. From there, I break down large tasks into smaller ones in order to tackle them more efficiently. Additionally, I prioritize tasks based on importance and deadlines in order to remain focused on the task at hand. To help store data, track progress, and access information quickly, I also utilize organizational tools such as spreadsheets and databases. Finally, I take notes during my research process in order to keep track of important ideas or findings.”

7. How do you handle ethical considerations when conducting research?

Research often involves collecting personal data, and it’s important that researchers understand how to approach these situations with respect and integrity. Interviewers want to know that you are aware of ethical considerations and that you are capable of adhering to them. This question is likely to be asked to all potential researchers, as it is an important part of the job.

Talk about the ethical considerations you take into account when conducting research. These can include obtaining informed consent from participants, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity of data, respecting privacy laws, protecting vulnerable populations, and considering potential biases that may arise in your research. You should also mention any processes or protocols you have implemented to ensure ethical compliance with research projects. Finally, emphasize how important it is for researchers to adhere to ethical standards and how seriously you take them.

Example: “I understand the importance of adhering to ethical standards when conducting research, and I take this responsibility very seriously. In my current position as a researcher at ABC University, I follow a strict protocol for obtaining informed consent from participants and ensuring that data is kept confidential and anonymous. I also make sure to consider any potential biases in our research before collecting data and am familiar with applicable privacy laws. Lastly, I always strive to protect vulnerable populations, such as children or those with disabilities, when conducting research.”

8. Have you ever encountered a situation where you had to adjust your research methodology due to unexpected circumstances?

Research is a dynamic process and researchers must be prepared to adjust their methods as needed. This question is designed to assess the flexibility of potential candidates and their ability to think on their feet. It also provides insight into how well a candidate understands the research process, including how to identify and address potential problems.

To answer this question, provide an example of a situation where you had to adjust your research methodology due to unexpected circumstances. Explain how you identified the problem and how you adjusted your methods in order to successfully complete the project. Be sure to emphasize any creative solutions you implemented and the positive outcome that resulted from your adjustment.

Example: “I recently encountered a situation where I had to adjust my research methodology due to unexpected circumstances. I was conducting a survey to analyze consumer behavior in relation to a new product launch. After collecting the first round of data, I noticed a discrepancy in the results that could not be explained. After further investigation, I realized that the sample size I was using was not large enough to accurately capture the data. I quickly adjusted my methodology by increasing the sample size and collecting more data, which ultimately allowed me to identify the discrepancy and provide an accurate analysis of consumer behavior.”

9. Describe a time when you had to present your research findings in a clear and concise manner.

Researchers often have to communicate their findings to colleagues, stakeholders, and the public. The ability to communicate complex research findings in an understandable way is a key skill for someone in this role. This question allows the interviewer to gauge your ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.

You should come prepared with an example of a time when you had to present your research findings. Talk about the project, what the goal was, and how you went about presenting it. If possible, provide specific details such as the type of presentation (oral, written, etc.), who you presented to, and the feedback you received. You should also explain the strategies that you used to make sure that the audience understood your message. This could include using visual aids, breaking down complex concepts into simpler terms, or providing examples to illustrate your points.

Example: “My most recent research project focused on the long-term effects of climate change on agricultural production. I knew that it was important to make sure that the findings were presented in a way that was easy to understand and digest. I created a PowerPoint presentation that included visuals and graphs to illustrate my points, as well as a written report that provided a detailed breakdown of the findings. I then presented my findings to a group of stakeholders and received positive feedback. They appreciated my ability to take complex concepts and explain them in a way that was easy to understand.”

10. Do you have experience working with large datasets?

Many research roles require the ability to work with large datasets and analyze the information within them. This question helps employers understand how comfortable you are with such tasks, and it also serves as a way to gauge your technical skills. To answer this question, talk about how you’ve used various tools and techniques to analyze data and how you’ve been able to draw meaningful insights from it.

Start by talking about the types of datasets you’ve worked with, such as structured or unstructured data, and explain how you’ve gone about analyzing them. Then, provide a few examples of projects you’ve completed that involved working with large datasets. Finally, discuss any tools or techniques you’ve used to work with the data, such as statistical software, data visualization tools, machine learning algorithms, etc. Be sure to emphasize your ability to draw meaningful insights from the data and how those insights have helped inform decisions.

Example: “I have experience working with large datasets in both structured and unstructured formats. I have utilized various tools and techniques to analyze the data, such as statistical software and data visualization tools. I’ve also employed machine learning algorithms to uncover patterns and trends from the data. For example, in my most recent project I utilized a variety of data sources to identify potential new markets for our company. Through analyzing the data, I was able to identify key demographic, geographic, and psychographic trends that we could use to target our new customers. This analysis provided valuable insights that informed our marketing strategy and ultimately led to increased sales.”

11. What challenges have you faced when collecting primary data for a research project?

Research often involves gathering primary data from sources such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations. It’s important to determine whether the candidate has the skills necessary to design and implement a research project in order to successfully collect data. This question helps the interviewer understand the candidate’s ability to handle the logistics and challenges of primary data collection.

When answering this question, it’s important to provide specific examples of challenges you have faced and how you overcame them. For example, you could talk about the challenge of finding participants for a survey or focus group, or the difficulty in scheduling interviews with busy professionals. You can also discuss any logistical issues that arose during data collection, such as having unreliable equipment or dealing with uncooperative participants. Be sure to emphasize your problem-solving skills and ability to think on your feet when facing unexpected obstacles.

Example: “I’ve encountered a few challenges when gathering primary data for research projects. For example, when I was working on a survey project for a university, it took me several weeks to find participants willing to answer the survey. I had to be creative in my approach and reach out to different groups, such as student organizations, to recruit participants. I also encountered a few logistical issues, such as having unreliable equipment or dealing with uncooperative participants. I was able to quickly come up with solutions to these issues, such as having backup equipment and developing strategies to engage the participants. Overall, I was able to successfully gather the data I needed and produce valuable research findings.”

12. How do you approach writing up a research paper or report?

Research is a process that requires both creativity and structure. As a researcher, you must be able to synthesize information from a variety of sources, develop strong arguments, and communicate those arguments clearly and concisely in written form. Being able to articulate your approach to researching and writing up a paper will demonstrate your ability to think critically and logically.

Your answer should include the steps you take when writing up a research paper or report. This could include outlining your topic, researching relevant sources, organizing and synthesizing data, developing an argument, drafting and revising the paper, and proofreading for accuracy. It is also important to emphasize how you use critical thinking skills to develop strong arguments and draw meaningful conclusions from your research. Finally, make sure to mention any specific techniques or strategies that you have used successfully in the past.

Example: “When writing up a research paper or report, I approach the task systematically. I begin by outlining my topic and any relevant research questions. I then conduct research to find relevant sources, both primary and secondary. I carefully review and analyze the information I find, and use it to develop my argument. After that, I draft and revise the paper, making sure to include evidence to support my points. Finally, I proofread for accuracy and clarity. Throughout the process, I strive to use critical thinking skills to ensure that my arguments are sound and my conclusions are meaningful.”

13. What techniques do you use to identify potential sources of bias in your research?

Researchers need to be able to identify potential sources of bias in their work, such as selection bias or confirmation bias, in order to ensure the accuracy of their data and the validity of their results. By asking this question, the interviewer is gauging your ability to identify potential sources of bias and how you handle them.

To answer this question, you should discuss the techniques you use to identify potential sources of bias in your research. This could include methods such as double-checking data for accuracy and completeness, using multiple sources of information, or conducting blind studies. Additionally, you can talk about how you handle any biases you may find, such as adjusting your research design or changing your methodology. Be sure to emphasize that accuracy and validity are important to you and that you take steps to ensure they remain a priority.

Example: “I understand the importance of accuracy and validity in research, so I always strive to identify and address any potential sources of bias. I use several techniques to identify bias, such as double-checking my data for accuracy and completeness, using multiple sources of information, and conducting blind studies. When I do identify a potential source of bias, I adjust my research design or change my methodology to address it. I also make sure to communicate any changes to my team and stakeholders to ensure that we’re all on the same page.”

14. How do you evaluate the quality of secondary sources used in your research?

One of the most important skills of a researcher is being able to evaluate the quality of sources used in research. This question allows the interviewer to get a better understanding of your research process and your ability to critically evaluate sources. It also allows them to gauge your level of experience in the field and your knowledge of the research landscape.

To answer this question, you should explain your process for evaluating secondary sources. You can talk about the criteria that you use to evaluate a source’s credibility such as its author or publisher, the date of publication, and any peer reviews that have been conducted on the source. Additionally, you can mention any methods you use to assess the accuracy of information in the source such as cross-referencing with other sources or conducting additional research on the topic. Finally, you should discuss how you use these evaluations to inform your own research.

Example: “When evaluating the quality of secondary sources I use in my research, I consider a few key factors. I always look at the author or publisher of the source, the date of publication, and any peer reviews that have been conducted. I also use a variety of methods to assess the accuracy of the information in the source, such as cross-referencing with other sources and conducting additional research. From there, I use my evaluations to inform my own research and determine how best to use the source. This helps me ensure that I’m using the most reliable and up-to-date sources in my research.”

15. What strategies do you use to keep track of changes in the field of research you are studying?

Research is an ever-evolving field and keeping up with changes in the field is essential to remain relevant and up to date. Interviewers want to know that you have the skills and strategies to stay on top of the latest research, trends, and developments in the field. They’ll be looking for evidence that you have the self-discipline and organizational skills to stay on top of your work and be able to provide timely, accurate research.

You should be prepared to discuss the strategies and tools you use to stay up-to-date on changes in your field. Talk about how you keep track of new research articles, publications, conferences, and other sources of information that are relevant to your work. You can also talk about how you use technology such as RSS feeds, social media, or email alerts to ensure that you’re aware of any news or updates related to your research. Additionally, mention any methods you have for organizing and cataloging the information you collect so it is easily accessible when needed.

Example: “To stay on top of changes in my field, I use a variety of strategies and tools. I subscribe to relevant RSS feeds and email alerts to ensure I’m aware of any new research articles or publications. I also use social media to follow industry leaders and experts in the field and get updates on their work. I also keep an organized library of research material that I have collected over the years. I use a combination of software tools and physical filing systems to keep track of all the information I need. This allows me to quickly access any information I need, when I need it.”

16. How do you decide which research questions to pursue?

Being a researcher requires the ability to prioritize and select the best questions to pursue in order to achieve the desired outcome. This question helps the interviewer get a sense of your process and how you approach problem solving. It also gives them an insight into your critical thinking skills, as well as your ability to analyze data and make meaningful conclusions.

The best way to answer this question is to provide a step-by-step approach of how you decide which research questions to pursue. Start by explaining the research process you go through, such as collecting data, analyzing it and forming hypotheses. Then explain how you prioritize certain questions based on their importance and relevance to the project at hand. Finally, discuss how you use your findings to make informed decisions about which questions are worth pursuing further.

Example: “When I’m deciding which research questions to pursue, I start by gathering all the available data related to the project. From there, I analyze the data to form hypotheses and then prioritize the questions based on their importance and relevance to the project. I also consider the impact each question could have on the overall outcome of the research. Once I have a list of the most important questions, I evaluate the data and use my findings to make informed decisions about which questions are worth pursuing further. Ultimately, my goal is to select the best questions that will yield the most meaningful results.”

17. What is your experience with peer review processes?

Peer review is a critical part of the research process. It requires that researchers review and critique each other’s work in order to ensure that the research is unbiased and credible. This question is a way for the interviewer to assess your knowledge of the research process and your ability to work with other researchers.

To answer this question, you should provide specific examples of your experience with peer review processes. Talk about how you have worked with other researchers to review and critique their work, as well as how you have incorporated feedback from peers into your own research. You can also discuss any challenges or successes you had during the process. Finally, emphasize your understanding of the importance of peer review in the research process and why it is necessary for producing high-quality results.

Example: “I have extensive experience with peer review processes, both as a reviewer and as an author. I have worked with other researchers to review their work and provide constructive feedback, as well as incorporating feedback from peers into my own research. I understand the importance of peer review in the research process and am committed to producing high-quality results. I have also had success in resolving disagreements between reviewers and authors when needed, and I have a strong track record of producing quality research that has been accepted for publication.”

18. How do you manage competing demands on your time when conducting research?

Research can be a demanding job, with a lot of deadlines, competing agendas, and complex data sets to analyze. The interviewer wants to make sure you can prioritize tasks, keep track of multiple projects, and adjust when needed. Your ability to manage competing demands on your time is a key indicator of how successful you will be at the job.

To answer this question, you should focus on how you prioritize tasks and manage deadlines. Talk about the strategies you use to stay organized, such as setting up a calendar or using task management tools. Also discuss any techniques you have for staying focused when there are multiple demands on your time. Finally, emphasize your ability to adjust your plans when needed, such as if an unexpected project comes in or a deadline needs to be moved up.

Example: “I have a few strategies for managing competing demands on my time when conducting research. I prioritize tasks by breaking them down into smaller, manageable chunks and then assigning deadlines to each one. I also use task management tools to keep track of what I need to do and stay organized. And I make sure to take regular breaks to stay focused and energized. When I need to adjust my plans due to unexpected events, I’m able to reassess and re-prioritize my tasks accordingly. I’m confident in my ability to manage competing demands on my time and stay organized when conducting research.”

19. What strategies do you use to ensure that your research remains relevant and up-to-date?

Research is a dynamic field, and the best researchers know that they need to stay informed of the latest developments and trends in order to remain relevant. This question allows your interviewer to assess your knowledge of the field and your commitment to keeping up with the latest research. It shows that you are aware of the need to stay ahead of the curve and that you have the skills to do so.

To answer this question, you should start by discussing the strategies that you use to stay informed. You can talk about how you read industry publications, attend conferences and seminars, or network with other researchers in your field. You should also mention any specific platforms or tools that you use to keep up-to-date on the latest research. Finally, you should explain why staying informed is important to you and how it helps you do better work.

Example: “I use a variety of strategies to ensure that my research remains relevant and up-to-date. I read industry publications, attend conferences and seminars, and network with other researchers to stay informed. I also use specific tools like Google Scholar and ResearchGate to keep track of new developments in my field. It’s important to me to stay ahead of the curve and make sure that my research is as current and relevant as possible. Doing so not only helps me do better work, but it also helps me to provide more value to my employer and contribute to the success of their projects.”

20. How do you ensure that your research meets the highest standards of academic integrity?

Research is the backbone of any organization, and it is crucial for a researcher to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Employers want to know that you understand the importance of being thorough and accurate, as well as ethical in your research. They may also want to know how you go about verifying the accuracy of your data and sources, and how you ensure that your research meets the standards expected in the field.

Start off by detailing the steps you take to ensure that your research meets academic integrity standards. For example, you can mention how you always double-check sources and data for accuracy and reliability, or how you use peer review processes to vet your work. Additionally, be sure to emphasize any specific techniques or methods you have used in the past to verify the validity of your findings. Finally, explain why it is important to you to maintain the highest level of academic integrity in your research.

Example: “I understand the importance of academic integrity and take it very seriously in my research. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy, I always double-check my sources and data, and use peer review processes to vet my work. Additionally, I frequently use replication studies to verify the validity of my findings. To me, it is essential to ensure that my research meets the highest standards of academic integrity, as it is the foundation of any successful research project.”

20 Interview Questions Every Data Center Engineer Must Be Able To Answer

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Top 20 Research Scientist Interview Questions and Answers 2024

Editorial Team

Research scientists play key roles in laboratory-based examination and trials. They design, undertake and analyze any information obtained from these tests and trials.

As a research scientist, you will mostly work in government laboratories, specialist research organizations, universities, or environmental organizations.

This article will look at some of the questions you should expect in a research scientist interview. Also, work on your presentation and interview skills to increase your chances of landing the job.

Take a look at the following questions:

1. Why Are You Interested in This Job?

Why did you choose to become a research scientist, or why did you decide to apply for this job? This is a chance to sell yourself to the interviewer and mention what the organization stands to gain from your services. You can also give a personal experience first.

Sample Answer

I am a naturally curious person who enjoys researching new things.  I, therefore, decided to pursue this career to make use of my passion, coupled up with my love for Biology. I have been in this field for quite some time and would like to use my experience, skills, and expertise to better your organization, hence my application.

2. What are the Roles of a Research Scientist?

Do you know what your Work as a research scientist entails? The interviewer wants you to mention some of your mandates. You can refer to the job description or mention some of your roles in your former workplace, provided that it relates to the role.

A research scientist plans and conducts experiments, writes research papers and reports, collects different samples, conducts other types of fieldwork, monitors experiments, and records data. Other roles are supervising junior staff members, demonstrating different procedures and staying updated on different developments.

3. What are Some of the Qualities that a Research Scientist Need to Be Effective?

What are some attributes that a research scientist needs to have to be good at their Work? Make sure that you only mention job-specific qualities. We advise that you mention some of the qualities that have helped you reach this far in your career.

A research scientists should be curious and willing to learn more about their subjects of expertise. They should also have leadership skills that can make the work atmosphere productive and enthusiastic. Other qualities include open-mindedness, analytical skills and the ability to work in team settings. ( make sure that you can relate all the attributes that you have mentioned to the position at hand)

4. Mention a Challenge that You Faced in Your Last Role and How You Overcame it

Even though your main Work will be finding more about different subjects, you will also be needed to solve problems that come your way. The interviewer must therefore confirm that you are a problem solver. To answer this question, give an experience that will shed some light on your problem-solving skills.

I worked in an ill-equipped lab. Therefore, most of the time, I lacked the resources to conduct extensive research. It was a startup that faced lots of funding difficulties, and therefore I understood. Luckily, I had a personal lab at home and conducted most of the technical research there, at times excusing myself from Work, which my employer understood.

 5. What is Your Daily Routine?

What are some of the daily activities that a research scientist performs? Keep in mind that there are overall and daily roles of research scientists. Find out as much as possible about the potential employer and mention some of the roles that their research scientists perform daily.

My day as a research scientist mainly revolves around planning and performing experiments, analyzing data, generating reports, attending meetings with different people and talking to the line manager when briefing him/her about my Work.

6 Briefly Describe Your Experience

This is a common question in different interviews that attempts to find out some of the places you have worked in, the accolades you have gathered and the roles you have occupied in your line of Work. However, since most of this information is captured in your CV and work resume, make your answer short and direct to the point.

I have been in this field for the last ten years. I began shortly after completing my Master’s degree, which taught me teaching skills, research paper writing, public speaking and advanced mathematics. I have worked in five labs in my years of practice and a record five schools. I also pursued a doctorate which made my dreams of being a leading research scientist come to pass.

7. Mention a Strategy and Mindset Required For This Role

Which working style and perspective makes you an excellent research scientist? The best way to answer this question is to draw from your personal experience. Mention a strategy and mindset that has seen you through your career. Make sure that you can relate them to the role if asked.

There are lots of strategies that one can adopt in this job. However, I have discovered that using peer-reviewed articles in one’s research papers is essential. It ensures that you will work with accurate and well-cited information, essential for any research scientist. As for the right mindset, one needs to be open-minded and receptive to new information.

8. Mention a Challenge that You Foresee in This Role?

What is the main obstacle that you foresee In This job?  You should take time and conduct extensive research to find areas that may prove troublesome later in your new job. However, while mentioning a Challenge, desist from anything that may make you look incompetent in the interviewer’s eyes. You can also turn this question around and instead sell yourself.

Having been in this field for quite some time, I have realized that most of the challenges cut across. I have dealt with them all through my career, always finding new ways or modifying previous solutions. Therefore, I believe that with your help, I will solve any challenge that comes my way in this job.

9. How Do You Stay Motivated In this Role?

What gives you the needed push to wade through all the challenges you face in this role? Remember, this is a highly engaging job that will mostly drain you. You should therefore have a source of motivation that is not material in nature.

I believe that my passion for research has kept me going this far by giving me the much-needed motivation. I love discovering new information about different subjects, thanks to my curiosity. My desire for learning and obtaining new information is also a great motivating factor. ( You can also mention your support network, be it

 your friends or family)

10. Mention a Time That You Failed In This Role and the Lesson You Learnt

Can you be accountable, admit that you made a mistake and learn from it? This interview question is testing your accountability skills and ability to learn from your mistakes. Please do not treat it as a trap; give an experience that bettered your career.

During my early days as a research scientist, I failed to use peer-reviewed articles and resorted to a common search engine. Most of the information turned out to be inaccurate, and my boss was really mad. However, I managed to convince him and redid the article, this time with peer-reviewed articles. I learnt the importance of using credible sources when conducting research. I haven’t looked back since.

11. What is the Most Challenging Part of your Job?

What is the most challenging thing about being a research scientist?  This question seeks to establish your experience as a research scientist and areas that you find problematic. The best approach is to draw from your experience.

The hardest part of being a research scientist is finding adequate credible resources for our Work. We have to pay to access certain information on the internet at times, which makes this venture pretty expensive. I have spent a lot of money on books, which does not seem to change anytime soon.

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12. How Do You Organize, Plan and Prioritize Your Work?

The interviewer wants to know how you handle well you can handle all the tasks that come your way and meet the set deadlines. How do you prioritize and plan your Work? You can mention some of the things that you use, such as a planner. All in all, convince the interviewer that you are a good organizer and planner.

I normally list all my activities in my planner at the beginning of the day. I then prioritize them by beginning with the most urgent before progressing to the ones with flexible deadlines. I also set alarms for every task, which I always strive to achieve. Therefore, I normally meet deadlines.

13. Mention Some of the Original Research that You Have Conducted in Your Career

The interviewer wants to know about some of your works that you are most proud of. You should tell how the Work is original and impress the interviewer with your answer. Also, show how you planned your time and the results that you got.

I once researched the effects and healing power of cannabidiol, which is the active compound in Marijuana. I conducted it in my lab from scratch and published a whole article about it, which shows just how original it is. It is yet to be peer-reviewed, but I am sure that it is pretty insightful. ( Just mention any research that you have carried out in your area of expertise)

14. Would You Consider Data Analysis a Strength?

Your Work as a research scientist involves data analysis, which is also one of the necessary skills for any research scientist. It would be best if you considered data analysis a strength since you cannot be good at your job without it.

I believe that data analysis is a strength. Cleaning, transforming and modelling data into useful information is not an easy task, and therefore, not everyone can do it well. That explains why research scientists must be good at data analysis, an important skill during research.

15. Have You Ever Worked in a Rapidly Evolving Workplace? How Do You Normally Deal with Change

The interviewer wants to know if you are receptive to change. Can you adapt to change? Remember, change can be in terms of technology, change in the workplace, or a new culture. In your line of Work, there will be new introductions that you should be ready for.

 Yes. I have firsthand witnessed change in my work settings. I am receptive to change and appreciates it since it makes my work easier and more manageable. I also love introducing, driving and implementing change in the workplace. It is, therefore, safe to say that I do not mind a Rapidly changing environment.

16. Are You  Okay With Teamwork?

The interviewer is testing your ability to collaborate with others on projects. As much as you may be expected to work independently, you should also be willing to do the same with a team of other researchers. Convince the interviewer that you are a team worker and wouldn’t mind joining hands with others.

I am a team worker. I believe in collaboration, especially when working on large projects that need team efforts. I believe that teamwork enhances accuracy and makes works easier, allowing us to work faster and meet all the set deadlines. I have also been a lead researcher several times, in charge of a team of researchers and therefore wouldn’t mind working with a team.

17. How Do You Normally Persuade Others to Adopt Your Line of Thinking?

The interviewer is testing your persuasion skills, which is highly important, especially if a team is involved. You may need to persuade others to adopt your line of thinking, especially if you are a lead researcher. The best approach here is to draw from an experience where you convinced others to join you.

I understand just how important it is to at times persuade others to adopt my line of thinking in this job. To do this successfully, I normally explain my view and convince them of the perks we stand to gain by relying on it.  I also give them time to ask questions, which I answer dutifully and with great detail.

18. Has Your Patience Ever Been Tested? How Did You Deal With that Scenario?

Remember, one of the traits we mentioned when discussing the qualities every research scientist needs is patience. Your patience will be tested in this field in experiments or when working with a team. However, you should be able to handle such situations maturely and not lose sight of your research objectives. Tell the interviewer how you normally take care of such situations.

My patience has mainly been tested in group settings. Whenever we have lots of work to do, we divide it into small proportions, and everyone is given something to do. However, some people normally fail to meet the set deadlines, and hence inconvenience the entire team. I try as much as possible to maintain my cool and push them to finish the work during such times. If they are still not able to, the Work is reassigned, and they are removed from the team.

19. Mention a Strength that Makes You the Right Choice for this role

Do you know what it takes to be a research scientist? Do you have it in you? If you understand all the qualities one needs to be a research scientist; you definitely know some that you have. Mention these and try to relate them to the role.

I am a generally curious person. I love knowing more about things and learning about new subjects. To be a good researcher, one needs to be curious, a trait which I already have.

20. What is Your Greatest Weakness?

It would be best if you were careful when answering this question. Do not mention a weakness that will automatically disqualify you from this role. Try to identify the least harmful and show that you can manage it.

My greatest weakness is perfectionism. I normally want things to turn out exactly as I envision them and get mad at myself when they don’t. However, I am learning to go easy on myself and acknowledge that things do not normally turn out as anticipated, which is still okay.

These are a few questions that you should expect in a research scientist interview. Make sure that you have the right responses at your fingertips, and also try to think about unique responses that will satisfy the interviewer.

Also, remember that the interviewer will be looking for more than just answers. Show that you are confident and can perform exceedingly well if given the job.

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Research Scientist Interview Preparation

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Do your research.

Before the interview, take time to research the company's products, services, values, and culture. Understanding the company will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate your interest in the job.

Top 10 Research Scientist Interview Questions and Answers

Research scientists play a pivotal role in scientific research and discovery. They are responsible for conducting experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting their findings to the scientific community. When hiring a research scientist, interviewers typically ask a series of questions that are designed to assess the candidate's qualifications, experience, and problem-solving skills. Here are ten commonly asked research scientist interview questions along with tips on how to answer them.

1. Can you tell us about your research experience?

You should be prepared to describe your previous research experience, including any publications or presentations you have given. Be specific about the techniques and methodologies you have employed in your research.

2. How do you approach solving a research problem?

When answering this question, emphasize your ability to think critically and creatively. Explain how you would gather relevant data, develop hypotheses, test and evaluate hypotheses, and implement solutions.

3. What technical skills do you possess?

Here, you should talk about any specific technical skills that are relevant to the job. For example, familiarity with certain lab equipment, software or programming languages, or statistical analysis tools.

4. Can you discuss your experience working in a team?

Most research projects require collaboration with other scientists or researchers. Be prepared to describe your experience working in a team, including your specific role and contributions.

5. How do you stay current with new developments in your field?

Research scientists should be up-to-date with the latest findings in their field. Discuss any industry publications, conferences or other resources you use to stay current.

6. Can you discuss a project you led from conception to completion?

Provide details on a research project you took ownership of. Explain how you defined the project goal, assigned tasks, monitored progress, and delivered results.

7. How do you handle unexpected roadblocks in your research?

Be honest while explaining how you handle obstructions in your research. Mention problem solving techniques you employ, such as seeking help from colleagues, reviewing literature, or rethinking the original hypothesis.

8. How do you ensure data quality in your research?

Data quality is a vital aspect of research. Be familiar with the experimental control process, blind study design, data normalization and statistical techniques.

9. Are you comfortable working with large data sets?

Many research projects require extensive data analysis. You should be able to explain your experience working with large data sets and how you handle data storage, extraction, transformation, and visualization.

10. Why do you want to work for our company?

This is your chance to explain why you are interested in the particular company, describe its mission and values, or provide details about its research focus.

By anticipating these top 10 research scientist interview questions, you can prepare for your interview and highlight your qualifications, experience, and skills. Remember to stay calm, focused, and confident throughout the interview process.

How to Prepare for Research Scientist Interview

1. review the company's research and mission statement.

• The first step to preparing for a research scientist interview is to research the company you are applying to. Make sure you understand the company's mission, values, and goals. Review the company's research to get a sense of the projects they undertake, the techniques they use, and the types of publications they produce. Knowing this information shows that you are not only interested in the job but also in the company as a whole.

2. Refresh your foundational knowledge

• Interviewers will typically ask you basic scientific questions to ascertain your understanding of foundational concepts. It is critical to brush up on your knowledge of scientific theories and principles to answer any questions that might come up. It is best to review both the broad ideas and the specific techniques related to your field.

3. Be prepared to discuss your research experience

• Research scientists are hired for their experience and scientific insights. Therefore, be ready to discuss your previous research projects and what you learned from them. Highlight your achievements and why they are important. It is also crucial to explain any challenges you faced during your previous work, what you did to overcome them, and what you learned from the experience.

4. Think about practical situations

• In many cases, interviewers will want to understand how you would approach some practical issues. To ensure that you are prepared, think about practical situations that may arise in your field or industry, and prepare to answer questions on these matters. You can research how other scientists have handled similar problems, experiment techniques or equipment utilized, and even common mistakes that scientists make in your field.

5. Connect with your interviewers

• Finally, it would help to know who will be conducting the interview so that you can research their background and academic work. During the interview, try to establish a rapport with your interviewer. Make use of their names, learn about their academic background, and find opportunities to discuss how you can complement their research efforts.

Final Thoughts

Preparing for an interview for a research scientist role can be daunting. However, with proper research and preparation, you can feel confident and ready to impress your interviewer. The most significant thing to remember is to hone your research abilities, know your strengths and weaknesses, and be thoroughly familiar with the company's mission and goals. Good luck with your interview!

Common Interview Mistake

Not bringing a copy of your resume.

Failing to bring a copy of your resume may make you seem unprepared. Bring several copies, even if you've already submitted your resume online.

Interview prep information you may interested

The Research Scientist Interview (Interview Questions, & More!)

What does a research scientist do ‌‌.

The divide between research scientists and data scientists isn’t clearly defined. Still, research scientists are generally responsible for building and developing models in a very niche field using complex machine learning, mathematics, and deep learning theory.

While data scientists and adjacent positions work with broad swaths of data and metrics, research scientists encapsulate a deep understanding within a specific area of expertise, working cross-functionally with different teams to develop prototypes and validate hypotheses.

Required Skills and Qualifications for a Research Scientist

The requirements for research scientists largely vary by company: some have more stringent standards, while others are more flexible on the number of years of experience, degree levels, etc. Even within companies, job qualifications can change between different teams, so double-check for positions you’re interested in.

Generally, you can be sure to expect the following:

• Strong programming experience: Python or C++ is for sure the go-to for many top companies, but some also accept similar qualifications with other programming languages. ‌‌
• M.S., Ph.D. in a relevant field: Looking at top employers, a Master’s is often the minimum degree requirement for research scientists. Relevant fields generally include robotics, statistics, computer science, etc. Note: industry experience can compensate for different degrees, i.e., “B.S. with 3 years of industry experience”. ‌‌
• Experience with Deep Learning and Machine Learning: This largely varies by company and field, but many positions require you to understand how to apply machine learning concepts to different solutions. ‌‌
• All Things Data: You should be very familiar with data analysis and visualization , as well as how to redirect your analyses into actionable insights.

For some companies and positions, there’s also an additional, rather unique, requirement:

• Heavy research experience: First-author publications and experience publishing at top-tier conferences is important and a large indicator of your involvement and experience within different projects.

Top Companies with Research Scientist Roles‌‌

To illustrate the sheer variety in research scientist roles across different companies, here are some examples of open positions in top-tier companies within tech and other industries. Please do note: several of the given examples of research scientist positions at these companies are hiring at the mid to senior level, so the requirements listed may not reflect the qualifications needed for research scientists as a whole.

1. Lyft‌‌ Research Scientist Interview

Lyft has several open positions around the world for the general Research Scientist position. Within this role, you’d work on different teams with engineers and product analysts to analyze data and provide business insights. ‌

‌This company has rather stringent requirements, looking at candidates with an M.S. and at least four years of industry experience and a whole slew of additional preferences. ‌‌

In addition, positions with specific designations and divisions (such as “Research Scientist, Autonomous Driving”) work with small, highly specialized teams to develop certain products and services, often within industry-breaking roles. These jobs have higher requirements: a Ph.D., deep learning knowledge, publishing experience, etc.

2. Facebook‌‌ Research Scientist Interview

Compared to Lyft, which has a variety of general Research Scientist positions in addition to specialized ones, Facebook organizes all of its research scientists into specific divisions. Here are some examples currently open worldwide:‌‌

• Research Scientist (Perpetual Research)‌‌
• Research Scientist (AI)‌‌
• Research Scientist (Privacy Research)‌‌
• Research Scientist (Neural Interface Interactions)

Depending on the area, these positions often require a Ph.D. in a relevant field, at least a year’s worth of lab experience, and first author publications, along with extensive experience involving different concepts, skills, and techniques, depending on the position.

3. Linkedin‌‌ Research Scientist Interview

The Linkedin research scientist role is comparable to a combination of Lyft’s general research scientist responsibilities and Facebook’s hiring requirements. ‌‌

The research scientist job at Linkedin consists heavily of data manipulation and organization, with variable allowances for specific teams. Candidates are generally expected to have an M.S. or PhD in relevant fields, with several years of industry experience depending on the specific role. ‌‌

Other qualifications primarily depend on the team you’re applying for. For instance, the AI team requires in-depth machine learning knowledge for developing algorithms within the job search function. ‌‌

The Research Scientist Interview Process

As always, there are several key steps in the interview process for a research scientist position. Here’s a broad framework of what you can expect, though it definitely varies by company.

Initial Phone Screen‌‌

This interview will be conducted either with a recruiter or hiring manager. General topics to be covered will include your past experience, your resume, and certain projects you’ve worked on that relate to the position. This is a very general ‘getting to know you’ conversation between you and the company, so just relax and put your best foot forward. ‌‌

Technical Interview‌‌

This is (most likely) another phone interview where you’ll be expected to demonstrate technical knowledge specifically pertaining to the research scientist position. Common subjects will most likely be tied around machine learning concepts, analyzing case studies, and basic statistical concepts. The difficulty and breadth of the questions in this interview depend on the position’s focus. ‌‌ Note: some interviewers may combine the initial phone screen and the technical interview or simply skip the former altogether, so make sure you’re always prepared! ‌‌

On-Site Interview‌‌

The on-site interview is the last part of the interview process for research scientists. At this point, you have passed the basic screening and adequately demonstrated your technical knowledge, so this interview is more of an assessment of your fit within the company and, if relevant, within the specific team. ‌‌

You can expect lots of behavioral-type questions, as well as potentially more technical questions relating to the team’s current projects. Here, the technical interview will be less focused on the range of your knowledge and more on your approach and justifications for specific parts of the problem. ‌‌

Culture and fit questions are sure to come up, so it’s a good idea to research company values and really learn more about the goals of the team before going into the interview. ‌‌

Finally, the structure of the on-site interview largely depends on the company itself. Larger, more-established companies, like Facebook, Amazon, Google, etc., likely have multiple interviewers and rounds for the on-site part, meaning you may be interviewing most of the day with different members of the team, other research scientists, and so on. ‌‌

Types of Research Scientist Interview Questions

What are the types of interview questions for research scientists?

How does the X concept work? / What are the assumptions of X? / How would you apply X?‌‌

You get the point: this type of question basically asks for a textbook recall of different machine learning concepts and their applications or conditions. ‌‌

Don’t overcomplicate it! Interviewers here are just checking that you know and understand basic concepts. For research scientists specifically, you can definitely count on basic machine learning concepts to come up at least once. Other common topics can range from different statistical applications to programming questions.

1. Case Study‌‌ ‌‌

Case study interview questions may be asked during the technical screening of research scientists’ roles but almost definitely within the on-site interview. ‌‌

Here, the focus isn’t so much on the specific methodology or content (although you don’t want to be spewing out total nonsense), but more on your approach– the choices you make towards different features and their trade-offs. If you can justify your approach and actively talk through the problem with the interviewer, you should be good to go. ‌‌

2. Product/Feature Questions‌‌

This type of question requires more individual research into the specific team and company you’re applying for. The structure of this question will follow along “How would X change as Y changes?”, where X and Y may constitute different variables in team projects. ‌‌

Basically, this question just really comes down to the commitment in your preparation. The interviewer is looking to evaluate whether you know the goals of the company, the focus of your team, and the overall objective of your position. ‌‌‌‌‌‌

3. Coding Questions

Coding questions come up pretty frequently for research scientist positions. Almost all research scientists at tech companies have to develop and simulate their ideas and theories in practice before handing them off to an engineer to actually scale.

Most research scientists’ coding interview questions revolve around testing mathematical and algorithmic concepts. You could be asked to simulate different kinds of random variables (binomial, bayes) or simulations (monte carlo).

Interview questions

• Interview Questions
• Science and Technology Interview Questions

Research Scientist Interview Questions

Research scientists conceptualize and roll out studies to explicate understudied phenomena. Research scientists also distribute their outcomes to boost scientific literacy.

When interviewing research scientists, promising candidates should be cognizant of the human and knowledge-related impacts of their research. Avoid uncooperative candidates who lack all requisite analytical techniques.

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Interview Questions for Research Scientists:

1. how would you secure research funding.

Evaluates grant writing and gainful networking skills.

2. Which techniques would combat the heavily extractive nature of research?

Highlights thoughtfulness about beneficence.

3. How would you mitigate the influence of undetectable extraneous variables?

Discerns research design and problem-solving capacities.

4. How would you promote the accessibility of your findings?

Evaluates science communication techniques.

5. What would you do if you detected a consequential error in your publication?

Illustrates morals and the propensity to amend or retract publicly accessible outputs.

Related Articles:

Researcher interview questions, research specialist interview questions, research scientist job description, researcher job description, research specialist job description.

14 Scientist Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

It's important to prepare for an interview in order to improve your chances of getting the job. Researching questions beforehand can help you give better answers during the interview. Most interviews will include questions about your personality, qualifications, experience and how well you would fit the job. In this article, we review examples of various scientist interview questions and sample answers to some of the most common questions.

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Common Scientist Interview Questions

What is the most exciting aspect of your job, what inspired you to pursue a career in science, what is the most important thing you hope to accomplish in your field, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing science today, what is your favorite scientific discovery, what do you think will be the most important scientific breakthrough of the next decade, what is the biggest misconception about science that you encounter, how do you communicate your findings to non-scientists, how does your work contribute to society, what are the ethical considerations of your work, what are the potential risks and rewards of your research, what are the most exciting challenges facing your field of study, what are your future goals for your research, what advice would you give to aspiring scientists.

The most exciting aspect of a scientist's job may be the opportunity to make new discoveries. This is important because it allows scientists to advance their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Additionally, it may also be exciting for a scientist to share their findings with others and help to improve the lives of people.

Example: “ There are many exciting aspects to my job as a scientist. One of the most exciting things is the opportunity to learn new things and discover new knowledge. I also enjoy the challenge of solving problems and finding new ways to do things. Additionally, I find it very rewarding to help others learn and understand the world around them. ”

The interviewer is trying to learn more about the scientist's motivations and why they decided to pursue a career in science. This information can help the interviewer understand the scientist better and potentially ask follow-up questions about their research interests or why they chose their particular field of study. Additionally, this question can help the interviewer gauge the scientist's level of passion for their work and whether they are likely to be a good fit for the position.

Example: “ I've always been fascinated by the natural world and how it works. I was always asking questions about why things are the way they are, and that curiosity led me to a career in science. I love being able to explore the world around me and figure out how things work, and I hope to continue doing that for as long as I can. ”

One reason an interviewer might ask a scientist about their future goals is to gauge their dedication to their field. It can be important for a scientist to be passionate and committed to their work in order to make significant advancements. Additionally, the interviewer may be interested in whether the scientist has long-term goals that align with the company's mission or research objectives. By understanding the scientist's future goals, the interviewer can get a sense of how dedicated they are to their work and whether they will be a good fit for the company.

Example: “ There are many important things that I hope to accomplish in my field, but one of the most important is to develop new and improved methods for studying and understanding the universe. This includes developing new ways to observe and collect data, as well as developing new theories and models to explain what we observe. Additionally, I hope to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the universe by sharing my knowledge with others through teaching and writing. ”

An interviewer might ask "What do you think are the biggest challenges facing science today?" to a scientist in order to get a sense of the scientist's priorities and areas of focus. It is important to know what challenges a scientist is facing in their field in order to better understand their research and work.

Example: “ There are a number of challenges facing science today. One of the biggest is the issue of funding. With government budgets being cut back in many countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult for scientists to secure the funding they need to carry out their work. This can lead to a situation where only the most ‘sexy’ or high-profile projects are able to get funding, while important but less glamorous research is neglected. Another challenge facing science is the increasing difficulty of getting published in journals. With the proliferation of scientific journals in recent years, competition for publication has become fierce. This can lead to scientists feeling pressure to ‘sex up’ their results or make their findings more exciting than they really are in order to increase their chances of getting published. This can obviously have a negative impact on the quality of scientific research. Finally, another challenge facing science is the way that it is often portrayed in the media. Science stories are often sensationalized or oversimplified in order to make them more newsworthy. This can give people a distorted view of what science is really about and what scientists do on a day-to-day basis. It can also make it difficult for people to understand complex scientific issues, leading to a situation where people are ”

The interviewer is trying to assess the scientist's level of scientific knowledge and understanding. It is important to know if the scientist is up-to-date on the latest discoveries in their field, and if they are able to articulate their thoughts on the subject. This question also allows the interviewer to gauge the scientist's level of enthusiasm for their work.

Example: “ There are so many amazing scientific discoveries out there that it's hard to choose just one favorite. However, if I had to narrow it down, I would say my favorite scientific discovery is the existence of black holes. Black holes are some of the most fascinating objects in the universe. They are incredibly dense, with a gravitational force so strong that not even light can escape from them. They are also believed to be responsible for the formation of galaxies. The discovery of black holes has led to a greater understanding of the universe and its workings. It has also opened up new areas of research, such as trying to understand how these incredibly dense objects form. ”

An interviewer might ask this question to a scientist to get their opinion on what the most important scientific breakthrough of the next decade will be. It is important to ask this question because it allows the interviewer to get an idea of what the scientist thinks is important and what they are looking for in the next decade.

Example: “ The most important scientific breakthrough of the next decade will be the discovery of a new form of energy that can replace fossil fuels. This new form of energy will be cleaner and more efficient than fossil fuels, and it will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow down climate change. ”

An interviewer might ask "What is the biggest misconception about science that you encounter?" to a scientist to gain insight into how the scientist views the public's understanding of science. It is important to understand how the public perceives science, as this can impact how effectively scientists communicate their findings to the public. Additionally, this question can help the interviewer gauge the scientist's ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to a lay audience.

Example: “ There are a few misconceptions about science that I encounter on a regular basis. The first is that science is all about cold, hard facts. While it is true that science relies on evidence and data to support its claims, there is also a lot of creativity and intuition involved in the scientific process. The best scientists are able to combine both logical and creative thinking to come up with new ideas and solutions. Another misconception about science is that it is always certain. In reality, science is constantly evolving as new evidence and data are discovered. What was once considered a fact may be disproven by new information, and scientists must always be open to new discoveries that may change their understanding of the world. This flexibility is what allows science to make progress and advance our knowledge of the universe. ”

One of the most important roles of a scientist is to communicate their findings to the public. This is important because it allows people to make informed decisions about the world around them. Scientists need to be able to communicate their findings in a way that is easy for non-scientists to understand.

Example: “ There are a few ways to communicate findings to non-scientists. One way is to write articles or books that explain the findings in layman's terms. Another way is to give talks or presentations to groups of interested people. Finally, many scientists also work with the media to communicate their findings to a wider audience. ”

An interviewer might ask "How does your work contribute to society?" to a scientist in order to better understand the impact of the scientist's work on the world. It is important to know how one's work contributes to society because it can help to ensure that one is having a positive impact on the world and making a difference.

Example: “ My work as a scientist contributes to society in many ways. I conduct research that helps us better understand the world around us and the universe we live in. I also develop new technologies and products that improve our quality of life. In addition, I help train the next generation of scientists through my teaching and mentoring. ”

An interviewer would ask "What are the ethical considerations of your work?" to a scientist in order to get a better understanding of the scientist's thought process and how they would handle difficult ethical decisions. It is important to understand the ethical considerations of a scientist's work because it can have a direct impact on people's lives.

Example: “ The ethical considerations of my work include the responsible use of data and information, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of individuals and groups, and safeguarding the welfare of research participants. In addition, I am committed to conducting research in a manner that is respectful of cultural differences and sensitive to social and economic inequalities. ”

An interviewer might ask "What are the potential risks and rewards of your research?" to a scientist in order to gain a better understanding of the scientist's research goals and objectives. Additionally, this question can help the interviewer determine whether the scientist is aware of the potential risks and rewards associated with their research. It is important for scientists to be aware of the potential risks and rewards associated with their research so that they can make informed decisions about how to proceed with their work.

Example: “ The potential risks of my research include the possibility of failure to achieve the desired results, and the possibility of negative consequences if the results are not what we expect. The potential rewards of my research include the possibility of success in achieving the desired results, and the possibility of positive consequences if the results are what we expect. ”

The interviewer is trying to gauge the scientist's level of enthusiasm for their work and to see if they are up-to-date on the latest developments in their field. This is important because it helps the interviewer to determine if the scientist is truly passionate about their work and if they are keeping up with the latest advancements. Additionally, this question allows the interviewer to get a sense of the scientist's areas of interest and expertise.

Example: “ The most exciting challenges facing my field of study are: 1) Developing new and improved methods for studying the universe and its contents. 2) Gaining a better understanding of the nature of dark matter and dark energy. 3) Investigating the possibility of life beyond our solar system. ”

The interviewer is trying to determine if the scientist is committed to their research and if they have long-term goals for their work. It is important to know if the scientist is dedicated to their field and if they are planning on continuing their research for a long period of time.

Example: “ I would like to continue my research in the area of ​​materials science, specifically in the area of ​​nanomaterials. I am particularly interested in the development of new nanomaterials with improved properties for use in a variety of applications. In addition, I would like to continue my work on developing novel methods for synthesizing and characterizing nanomaterials. ”

An interviewer might ask "What advice would you give to aspiring scientists?" to a scientist in order to gain insight into the individual's experience and expertise in the field. It is important to ask for advice from those who have experience in the field in order to learn from their mistakes and successes.

Example: “ There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best advice for aspiring scientists will vary depending on their individual circumstances and goals. However, some general advice that could be useful for all aspiring scientists is to get a strong foundation in the basics of their chosen field, to be persistent and patient in their pursuit of knowledge, and to always be open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Additionally, it can be helpful to build a network of supportive colleagues and mentors who can offer advice and guidance throughout your career. ”

Related Interview Questions

• Forensic Scientist
• Formulation Scientist
• Analytical Scientist
• Associate Scientist
• Atmospheric Scientist
• Environmental Scientist

Practice Interview Questions

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Meta Data Science Interview Guide [30 LEAKED Questions from 2024]

By Nick Singh

(Ex-Facebook & Best-Selling Data Science Author)

Currently, he’s the best-selling author of Ace the Data Science Interview, and Founder & CEO of DataLemur.

April 16, 2024

Meta is the best place in the world to be a Product Data Scientist. But, I’m a bit biased – I worked on Facebook’s Growth Team and wrote a book with my bestie whose an Ex-Facebook Data Scientist. We've got a lot of love for the company, and want to see you get hired there too!

In this article, we'll share insider tips into the Meta Product Analytics Data Science interview process, and leak share 30+ recently asked Meta Data Science interview questions. After you read this 6,000 word guide, you’ll be ready ace the Meta interview, just like we did:

In this Meta Data Science Interview guide, we’ll cover:

• Stages of the interview process
• Analytical Execution Questions
• Analytical Reasoning Questions
• Research Design Questions
• Product Goals and Success Metrics Questions
• Recently asked Meta SQL Interview Questions
• Product Case Study Questions
• Meta Behavioral Interview Questions
• 6 Resources to Prepare for the Meta Data Science Interview

The Meta Data Scientist (Product Analytics) Interview Process

The interview process for Meta usually takes about 4-6 weeks. During that time you will have multiple SQL, product-sense, and analytical case study rounds. Let's dive into each part of the interview loop:

Round 1: Recruiter Screening

The first step in the Meta interview process is the recruiter screen:

• 💼 Format: Phone Call
• ⏰ Duration: 30-45 minutes
• 👤 Interviewer: Technical Recruiter or Talent Acquisition Specialist
• ❓ Questions: Culture fit, Understanding your Experience, Logistics

Insider Tip: Have a convincing answer ready to go for the inevitable question " Why do you want to be a Product Data Scientist at Meta? ". Your best bet is to tell a story about a time you did data work that and had to work closely with business & product stakeholders. Your story should try to use keywords like A/B testing, product analytics, SQL, because these are the skills a Meta recruiter is trained to listen for.

Note that Product Analytics Data Scientists at Meta DO NOT build Machine Learning models. So don't yap on-and-on about your passion for Deep Learning and PyTorch and training LLMs. You might be a great Data Scientist/Machine Learning at some other company, but a terrible fit for this specific role which is much more SQL & product-sense heavy.

Round 2: Technical Screening

The next step after the phone screen is a virtual technical screen:

• 💼 Format: Virtual video call
• ⏰ Duration: 45 - 60 minutes
• 👤 Interviewer: Hiring Manager/Senior Data Scientist
• ❓ Questions: Technical Skills (SQL), Product case

The Meta SQL test is typically conducted on Coderpad, or a similar virtual coding environment where the interviewer can watch you code.

Insider Tip: Meta needs you to be very fast & accurate with writing SQL. Being rusty with SQL because you use R or Python day-to-day is NOT a valid excuse at Meta. They have thousands of people who apply for this role, and the SQL screen is an easy black-and-white filter to remove candidates, so you should aim for flawless execution here.

The best way to practice for the technical screen is to solve real SQL interview questions asked by Meta. We covered these in our article 9 Meta/Facebook SQL Interview Questions and built an interactive coding-pad to help you practice:

Final Round: 4-5 Interviews On-Site

Anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks following the Technical Screen, you will hear if you’ve moved to the next round. The On-Site Meta Data Science Interview is split into 4 interviews of 45 minutes each focusing on a different topic:

• ⏰ Duration: 45 minutes each
• ❓ Questions: Product Case Study Questions, Metrics Definition Questions, Statistics & A/B Testing Questions, SQL Questions, Behavioral Questions

We'll cover each of these types of questions in the next section.

Meta Data Science Interview Questions

The Meta Data Science Interview questions can be broken into 7 major types of problems:

• 🎯 Product Metrics
• 📊 Analytical Execution
• 💡 Analytical Reasoning
• 🔍 Research Design
• 💻 Technical Analysis
• 📚Case Studies
• 🧠 Behavioral Questions

Let's cover each type of interview question, how to study for it, and then work through 35 leaked Meta Data Science interview questions.

Meta Product Metrics Questions

Meta product-metric questions focus on setting product goals, selecting the corresponding success metrics, measuring the impact of product changes at Meta, and diagnosing metric drops.

Some recently asked Product Metrics questions at Meta:

• Meta's mobile app is experiencing high bounce rates and low session durations. How would you identify usability issues and define success metrics to optimize the user experience and increase engagement?
• A user advocacy group raises concerns about the accessibility of Meta's platform for individuals with disabilities. How would you assess accessibility metrics and define success criteria to ensure inclusivity in product design and development?
• Imagine you launched a feature to grow engagement of Facebook Groups. The Daily-Active-Users of groups goes up by 2%, but the average time-spent on Facebook Groups goes down by 3%. How would you determine if you should ship this feature?
• Meta is trying to launch social shopping, similar to TikTok Shop. Without building a beta-test of the feature, how would you opportunity size the revenue impact from the feature?
• Imagine Meta is planning to launch a new video feature aimed at young adults. How would you assess the product-market fit and define success metrics to ensure resonance with the target demographic?

To prepare, read our in-depth Product-Sense Interview Guide to get tips on:

• Defining a Product Metric
• Diagnosing a Metric Change
• Brainstorming Product Features
• Designing A/B Tests

Meta Analytics Execution Questions

Analytical Execution questions aim to assess your proficiency in statistics, data analysis, data and strategic decision-making based on data insights. Be prepared to provide specific examples from your past experiences and highlight the impact of your work on business outcomes.

• Can you walk us through your approach to conducting exploratory data analysis (EDA) on a large dataset? How do you identify relevant insights and trends?
• Describe a time when you had to develop and implement a machine-learning model to solve a business problem. How did you select the appropriate algorithm, and how did you validate the model's performance?
• Discuss a project where you used data visualization techniques to communicate complex findings to stakeholders. How did you choose the most effective visualization methods, and what impact did your visualizations have on decision-making?
• Tell us about a time when you had to extract and analyze data from multiple sources or databases. How did you ensure data integrity and consistency, and how did you handle challenges related to data quality or missing values?
• Can you share an example of a data-driven recommendation or strategy you proposed to optimize product performance or user engagement? How did you measure the success of your recommendation, and what were the outcomes?

Meta Analytical Reasoning Questions

These questions assess your ability to think analytically, apply data science concepts to real-world problems, and communicate your reasoning effectively. Be prepared to explain your approach, justify your decisions, and provide clear and logical solutions to the challenges presented.

• Meta's data science team is analyzing user engagement metrics for a new feature rollout on its social media platform. However, the data shows a significant drop in engagement rates shortly after the feature launch. How would you investigate the cause of the drop in user engagement, prioritize potential factors contributing to the decline, and propose data-driven strategies to address the issue?
• Meta's advertising team is exploring ways to optimize ad targeting to increase revenue and improve ad relevance for users. However, ad click-through rates are lower than expected, indicating potential issues with targeting accuracy. How would you analyze user demographic and behavioral data to assess the effectiveness of ad targeting algorithms, and what strategies would you propose to improve targeting accuracy and ad performance?
• Meta's product team is considering introducing a new feature that allows users to customize their profile settings. However, there are concerns about potential privacy implications and data security risks associated with the feature. How would you conduct a privacy impact assessment to evaluate the potential risks and benefits of implementing the new feature, and what analytical methods would you use to assess user privacy preferences and mitigate privacy concerns?
• Meta's data science team is exploring ways to improve search relevance for users navigating its marketplace platform. However, search queries are returning irrelevant or inaccurate results, leading to frustration among users. How would you analyze user search queries and click-through behavior to identify issues with search relevance, and what machine learning techniques would you use to enhance search ranking algorithms and improve result accuracy?
• Meta's data science team is investigating the impact of algorithmic bias on content recommendations in its news feed. Users have reported instances of bias in recommended content, leading to concerns about fairness and diversity. How would you quantify and measure algorithmic bias in content recommendations, and what analytical techniques would you use to identify biased patterns and mitigate the impact of bias on user experience and content diversity?

Meta A/B Testing & Research Design Interview Questions

Meta's goal is to understand the depth of your A/B testing skills with these questions. Get familiar with key terms like A/B testing, KPIs, longitudinal user behavior, and RCT.

• Explain how you would set up a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of a new privacy feature on Meta's messaging platform.
• Describe a methodological approach you would use to assess the usability of a new user interface design for Meta's virtual reality applications.
• What data sources would you leverage to evaluate the effectiveness of Meta's educational initiatives?
• How would you recruit participants for interviews or focus groups, and what strategies would you use to ensure diverse perspectives are represented?
• Can you explain how you would analyze the data to identify patterns and insights regarding ad targeting effectiveness?

For more practice, read our blog on 50 A/B Testing Interview Questions which also covers resources to learn this material in-case you haven't done much with product experimentation before.

Meta Technical SQL Questions

These questions assess your understanding of SQL, as well as your speed in writing SQL queries. The exact flavor of SQL you use doesn't matter – it's not a test of nitty-gritty syntax. Here's a few example SQL questions from Meta:

21. Page With No Likes (Meta SQL Interview Question)

Assume you're given two tables containing data about Facebook Pages and their respective likes (as in "Like a Facebook Page").

Write a query to return the IDs of the Facebook pages that have zero likes. The output should be sorted in ascending order based on the page IDs.

Example Input:

Example Output:

The dataset you are querying against may have different input & output - this is just an example !

p.s. If you have literally no idea how to solve this, maybe give our free SQL tutorial a try first?

22. Product vs. Square (Meta Statistics Interview Questions)

There are two games involving dice that you can play. In the first game, you roll two dice at once and receive a dollar amount equivalent to the product of the rolls.

In the second game, you roll one die and get the dollar amount equivalent to the square of that value. Which has the higher expected value and why?

This is the same question as problem #27 in the Statistics Chapter of Ace the Data Science Interview !

23. Weekly Churn Rates (Meta SQL Interview Question)

Facebook is analyzing its user signup data for June 2022. Write a query to generate the churn rate by week in June 2022. Output the week number (1, 2, 3, 4, ...) and the corresponding churn rate rounded to 2 decimal places.

For example, week number 1 represents the dates from 30 May to 5 Jun, and week 2 is from 6 Jun to 12 Jun.

Assumptions:

• If the last_login date is within 28 days of the signup_date, the user can be considered churned.
• If the last_login is more than 28 days after the signup date, the user didn't churn.

User ids 1001, 1002, and 1004 signed up in the first week of June 2022. Out of the 3 users, 1002 and 1004's last login is within 28 days from the signup date, hence they are churned users.

To calculate the churn rate, we take churned users divided by total users signup in the week. Hence 2 users / 3 users = 66.67%.

Want some more SQL Questions? Try these 9 Meta SQL Interview Questions .

24. Case Study: User Engagement Retention Strategies at Meta

Question: You're tasked with analyzing user engagement on Meta's new social media platform. The product team wants to understand factors that influence user retention and identify strategies to improve engagement. Given access to user interaction data, how would you approach this analysis, and what insights would you provide to the product team?

Sample Answer:

• Define key metrics related to user engagement and retention: Daily Active Users (DAU), Session Duration, and Churn Rate
• Segment Users: Demographic Information, Usage Patterns, Engagement levels
• Conduct an Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) to understand user behavior
• Use statistical methods to analyze correlations and other variables
• Employ Machine Learning techniques: predictive modeling, identifying user segments with high churn risk, retention strategies
• Communicate your findings through clear actionable insight

25. Case Study: Feature Impact Evolution at Meta

Question: Meta is launching a new feature aimed at enhancing user experience on its social media platform. As a Data Scientist, you're tasked with evaluating the impact of this feature launch on user engagement and satisfaction. How would you design and execute an experiment to assess the effectiveness of the new feature, and what metrics would you use to measure its success?

• Form a clear hypothesis about the expected impact of the new feature on user engagement and satisfaction
• Example: Users who experience the new feature will exhibit higher engagement metrics, such as increased time spent on the platform and higher interaction rates
• Conduct A/B testing for treatment and control groups to test satisfaction
• Collect relevant metrics: session duration, number of interactions, user feedback ratings, retention rates
• Conduct a statistical analysis to compare the performance of the two groups, and calculate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Interpret the results and draw actionable insights

Meta Behavioral Questions

These questions aim to assess your communication abilities and your decision-making skills.

• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a challenging data science project. How did you approach the problem, and what was the outcome?
• Describe a situation where you had to communicate complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience. How did you ensure effective communication, and what was the result?
• Can you share an example of a time when you faced a setback or failure in a data science project? How did you handle it, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Discuss a project where you had to collaborate with cross-functional teams or stakeholders. How did you manage differing priorities and opinions, and what was the outcome of the project?
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision based on incomplete or ambiguous data. How did you approach the situation, and what were the implications of your decision?

For more insight into crafting kick-ass answers to behavioral questions, check out our Data Science Behavioral Interview Question Guide .

Preparation Tips for the Meta Data Scientist Interview

Now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about the interview process it’s time to prepare. You must navigate the interview process with confidence and precision, so take the time to prepare and refresh both your hard and soft skills.

Tips for the Day of Your Meta Interview:

• Think out loud 🤔: Provide a narrative as you go through the problem so that the interviewer has insight into your thought process.
• Deconstruct your problems 🛠️: Deconstruct complicated or ambiguous problems into groups, and combine the groups for a solution.
• Hints 💡: Pivot your answer if your interviewer prompts you that you’re heading in the wrong direction.
• Clarification 🔍: Ask clarifying questions during the interview.
• Say why you’re interested in a career at Meta 🌟: Meta interviewers like to see people who know about our environment, projects, challenges, etc.
• Questions ❓: Ask questions about Meta and analytics if there’s time.

7 Best Resources to Prepare for the Meta Data Science Interview

If you're serious about acing the Meta Data Science interview, one blog article ain't gonna cut it. Here's the 7 best resources to study next:

• Khan Academy Statistics and Probability Course : good for the Meta analytical execution questions that cover prob/stats
• DataLemur : 200+ SQL interview questions from Meta, and other big-tech companies like Amazon, Google, TikTok, Netflix etc.
• Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle Laakman McDowell : good for the Meta Product-Sense & Product Case Study questions
• Ace the Data Science Interview : written by 2 Ex-Facebook employees, this is the go-to resource for Acing the Meta Data Science Interview. The book has 201 real FAANG interview questions, including 11 from Facebook/Meta.
• A/B testing Questions Blog : this guide walks you through how to run consumer experiments, which is a frequent topic due to how important product experimentation & interpreting test results is for Meta Product Analytics roles
• Meta Careers Website : Visit this site to learn more about the company culture, values, and available data science roles
• Meta ML/Engineering Blog : Get more familiar with the technical problems Meta's tackling.

Interview Questions

Career resources.

20 Good Questions to Ask in an Interview

In a job interview , there are few things worse than responding to an interviewer’s final question, “Do you have anything to ask me?” by saying “No, I’m all set.”

According to Sara Hutchison, CEO and executive career consultant at Get Your Best Resume , not coming prepared with questions will “kill the tone” — even if it was a great interview up to that point.

“The questions you asked show whether or not you did research,” Hutchison said. “It shows that you’re genuinely interested in this organization or in the technologies.” 

Best Questions to Ask in an Interview

• What do you do to foster an inclusive team?
• What does career growth for this role look like? 
• How does your company support its employees?
• Why is this position open now?
• What tools and platforms do your teams work with?
• If you left this company, what is the biggest thing you would miss?
• What is the biggest challenge facing this team right now?
• How is performance rewarded?
• How does your company nurture innovation?

To help you leave a positive impression in your next interview, we asked HR leaders and career advisers to provide the best types of questions to ask during a job interview. It might just be the difference between securing an offer and not.

Questions About Management and Leadership

1. what do you do to foster an inclusive team  .

A broader related question could be, “What is your company doing to encourage  workplace diversity ?”

When Ji Park, a software developer at LaunchPad Lab , first applied to work there, it was important to her to work for a company that emphasized diversity. She asked her interviewer about diversity statistics at the company, and found out that the team was mostly made up of white men, but her interviewer also mentioned that they were making efforts to make their team more inclusive . “In a case like that, I think it’s important to keep asking, ‘What are those efforts? What plans do you have to hire more diverse candidates?’” she said. 

Being intentional with your questions pushes companies to be accountable and can get them to better focus on issues like diversity and inclusion that often get overlooked.

2. What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Company’s Leadership?

It’s important to have a good understanding of how the company’s leadership works because their actions ultimately affect employees at all levels of the organization. Dawid Wiacek, career and interview coach and founder of  The Career Fixer , said related questions you can ask are “How long has the leadership been in place?” “What’s their leadership style ?” “What are they really great at?” “What are their gaps?” 

“You’ll want to understand the management style of the person who can make your life great or a miserable living hell,” Wiacek said.

3. How Do You Practice and Implement Your Company’s Values?

This question can provide a closer look at how authentic company executives are in practicing what the business preaches. It also shows how effective leaders and managers are in getting employees to buy into a  company culture and abide by specific values. Strong, positive leadership by leaders at various levels of an organization is necessary for a company to have a thriving culture that everyone believes in.

4. What Excites You About the Company’s Direction? 

It’s much easier to find purpose and growth at a company where leaders possess a clear vision for where they want to take the business moving forward. Asking about the company’s direction can lead to key intel on whether a company has goals and whether these goals align with yours.

More on Interview Questions How to Use the STAR Interview Method to Land a Job

Questions About Employee Development and Job Growth

5. what does career growth in this role look like.

This question will help you determine if there are opportunities for you to grow at this company and help you envision how the role fits into your  career path . Plus, it shows that you are excited about the potential of sticking with a company for years to come.

“When people ask those questions in interviews, it suggests that they want to stay at this company in the long term, that they’re not just looking at this as a waystation, and that’s really appealing to employers,” said Erin Brown, associate director of graduate student career services at UCLA.

6. How Does the Company Invest in Training and Development?

This question will give you a sense of whether or not the company cares about nurturing its talent and growing existing employees’ skills. Another related question is, “What is manager coaching and training like?” This question is good to ask, even if you’re not pursuing a managerial role. 

“If people are like, ‘I don’t know what happens there,’ then that makes it clear the company doesn’t  invest in management , which is so critical to everyone’s experience,” said Emily Connery, senior director of people and talent at people analytics platform ChartHop . 

7. How Does Your Company Support Its Employees?

At any job, you’re going to run into challenges or snags that you’ll need help overcoming. Before joining a new company, you want to be positive that they care about their employees and will support you when things get tough.

When applying to jobs in the middle of the pandemic, Park knew that jumping into a new role while remote would be tricky. She wanted to make sure that whatever company she joined would provide her with adequate support to make the transition .

“In my interview I made sure to ask what resources the company provided to make people feel well-adjusted,” Park said. “I wanted to know that they were aware of the common challenges teammates might face and were ready to help them out.”

8. What’s the Typical Career Path for Employees in This Role?

This is a great question to explore what kind of movement is possible within a company. Perhaps employees who thrive in a role follow a specific career track within their department and receive promotions . Or maybe they’ve moved laterally to other departments, applying transferable skills to a variety of roles. 

You could also follow this up by asking what the most popular paths are that employees follow within a department. It’s a promising sign if an interviewer not only provides a detailed explanation of what employees are doing now, but also lays out a process for how the company has helped employees get to their current positions.

More on Interview Questions How to Answer ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ In a Job Interview

Questions About the Job Role

9. why is this position open now  .

While there’s a risk that this question could put the interviewer on the defensive if the last person in the role left on bad terms, asking this question can help you understand important information about the team. You could ask, “Is the role brand-new, and if so, what prompted its creation?” If you’re pursuing an established role, you might want to know how many people have held the position lately. If there’s been a revolving door of people in the role and high turnover on the team, that might be a red flag.

You could even ask, “Where did the previous person in the role go? Did they stay at the company and climb up?” Wiacek said.

10. What’s a Non-Obvious Skill That Would Make Someone a Great Fit for This Role?

This is a question that can help you stand out in a later-stage interview. You’re ultimately asking the interviewer what would be the skills that their dream candidate would have. Maybe you actually have this skill, and this presents an opportunity to talk about it. Or, if you don’t have that skill and are interested in learning , you could talk about ways you would be willing to acquire it. 

11. What Tools and Platforms Do Your Teams Work With?

If you’re applying for a software development or data science role, you’ll likely be expected to work with a variety of technology stacks, and some might be unfamiliar. Ask about what platforms or  tools you’ll need to use as a part of your role and find out what kind of training resources they offer to help you learn new technologies .

“Asking what value the customers will get from what we build shows that you’re not just myopically thinking about how to write a line of Python or build a machine learning model,” said David Fellows, chief digital officer at analytics company Acuity Knowledge Partners . “You’re actually thinking about providing solutions that people can use.”

Typically, don’t save this question until the end of the interview process, and don’t pose the question to the recruiter or someone not on the technical side . 

12. What Is the 90-Day Plan for This Role?

To understand what roadmap and support exist for a certain role, a helpful question to ask is, “What is the  90-day plan for this role?”

“It should be clear. They should really understand what the first 90 days should look like, and if it’s not, I think that tells you a lot about the level of organization,” Connery said.

Ultimately, you could ask the more common but important questions like, “How will the success of this candidate be measured?” 

“It helps you to kind of have goals for yourself for those first three to six months,” Hutchison said. “It gives them an idea of what their expectations are and how much guidance you’re going to have before they let you on your own.”

More on Interview Questions The Best Way to Answer ‘Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?’

Questions About the Company and Company Culture

13. if you left this company, what would you miss the most.

This is a way to flip around the question that candidates often hear, “ Why do you want to work at this company? ” You want to understand the best parts of the company and why employees stay. 

“This gets the person talking and loosens them up and engages them on a different level, rather than just talking about the sometimes dull job description,” Wiacek said. “It humanizes the interview experience.”

14. What Surprised You About Working at This Company?

This can elicit a positive or negative answer, but either way, it will give you important insight about the  workplace culture and company dynamics.

“It’s a surprising question and can help you be more memorable as a candidate and can help you stand out against those who ask boring questions or don’t engage the interviewer,” Wiacek said.

15. What Is the Biggest Challenge Facing This Team Right Now?

Every company has areas for improvement, and this helps you start to understand what challenges you might encounter should you be offered the role.

Stacy Ulery, assistant director for career education and engagement at UCLA Career Center, said that asking this question allows you an opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills or talk about another similar project you worked on.

“It’s another opportunity for you first to demonstrate that you’ve done your research, that you understand the industry, you understand the company’s place in the marketplace but also what can you bring to the table to help them,” she said. 

If you’ve done advanced research or learned about a challenge in a previous interview, Lily Valentin, head of operations for North America at job search engine  Adzuna , suggests presenting a potential solution to the company’s problem.

“It’s most important to hear questions from a job seeker that really embeds themselves in the business and the business framework,” she said.

16. How Does This Company Handle Failure?

The answer to this question will tell you a lot about a company’s resiliency and how it supports people when mistakes and shortcomings inevitably happen. It’ll be helpful to learn what systems and tools of support the company offers employees to ensure success. Do you get mentorship and coaching in these instances? 

“Use this question wisely. It may not be appropriate for Type-A companies or interviewers. But if you have succeeded in previous roles and have every reason to believe you’ll give 100 percent effort in the new role, then it’s a fair question to ask of the employer,” Wiacek said. “For some of my clients, they only want to work for companies that invest in their people, and actually put their money where their mouth is.”

17. How Do You Think This Company Stacks Up Against Your Direct Competition?

This question will give you a sense of how the company perceives itself and how it is thinking about maintaining a competitive advantage against other players in the industry. 

“A weak answer might give you pause. A good answer will give you confidence that the company is proactive, transparent, honest, prepared,” Wiacek said. “You need to grill the company as much as they want to grill you.”

18. Can You Tell Me About How Communication Happens Here? 

Does the company host all-hands meetings? How often should you expect one-on-one meetings with your supervisor? Are there team meetings? You should get answers to these questions by asking about  communication . 

Another communication question you could ask is, “How does the company interact with the executive team?”

“That could be very telling in terms of how the executive team shows up. Are they like Oz behind the curtains, or are they really a part of the teams?” Connery said.

It is also helpful to learn how different teams communicate with each other, especially if you’re in a highly collaborative role. Wiacek said many of his clients in the tech industry cite challenges in communication between tech teams and nontechnical departments, so it’s a good idea to learn how the company works through communication challenges like that. 

19. How Is Performance Rewarded?

Some companies might reward excellent performance with bonuses, while others focus more on  awards or recognition . If a company doesn’t place a high value on feedback or acknowledge exceptional work at all, you could end up frustrated in your role.

“People might ask questions more about compensation or promotions but not necessarily, ‘How is performance rewarded?’ I think if people stumble in answering that question, it might not be an environment where people feel recognized,” Connery said. 

Should you be offered the role and be looking at a promotion with the company down the road, it would be helpful to have information at the start of your tenure about how leveling is determined for roles and how promotion decisions are made , so feel free to ask about that during the interview process as well.

20. How Does Your Company Plan to Keep Innovating?

Your interviewer might be excited to answer a question about how the company is innovating . This question will help you understand how the company feels about new ideas, new technologies and adapting in the ever-changing tech world.

It’s also important to understand what the vision for the company is and how the company plans to innovate for the future. Kimberly Terrill, associate director for career education and development at UCLA, suggests asking questions about how the company’s mission and focus might change in the future. What are the hopes and aspirations for the company? 

“Tech changes so quickly. Even five years is a long time in tech,” she said. 

Ask All the Logistical Questions Early

While it might seem poor form to ask about salary range in an early interview, experts are now saying it’s best to gather all of the important basic information right away. This saves everyone time if plans suddenly change or the expectations for compensation and benefits don’t align. These can be a part of the questions you ask during the interview, too. 

Make sure you have answers to the following questions from interviewers before proceeding with future interviews:

• How many interviews are there going to be? 
• When are you expecting to have this role filled by? 
• What is the salary range?
• What are the benefits offered?
• How is the title for this role determined? 
• What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this role?
• How many hours a week would be spent working on certain tasks?

How Do I Come Up With Good Questions?  

Do your homework and learn about the company ahead of time, so you can get answers that are truly useful to you should you be  faced with deciding whether or not to accept the job offer . Don’t ask questions you already know the answers to or could easily find from a Google search — your questions need to be well-thought-out and specific to the company and role you’re pursuing.

“I always do a ton of research into companies that I’m interviewing with, gathering as much as I can from their website and blog posts,” said Park. “I want to get a sense of the kind of people they hire. That usually gives me an idea of questions I want to ask.”

How Many Questions Should I Ask?

Typically, you should ask between two and five questions at every interview. You may not get a chance to ask them all, but it’s better to come prepared.

“It is a huge red flag whenever a job seeker comes into an interview and has no questions,” Valentin said. “It really doesn’t matter at what stage in the interview process you are.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common questions to ask in an interview.

Common questions to ask in an interview include “Why is this position open now?” “What is unique about your company’s culture?” and “What’s the biggest pain point your team is facing right now?”

How many questions to ask at the end of an interview?

It’s best to prepare two to five questions to ask at the end of an interview, with the expectation that the recruiter may not have time to answer all of them.

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What are the biggest challenges and innovations for new climate models, with growing computing power, scientists hope that new models will narrow the range of possible climate futures and give a clearer picture of local and regional impacts..

April 10, 2024

Climate models can give us a preview of how humanity’s actions—or inaction—will change our planet over the coming decades and centuries. They reveal what happens to temperatures, sea levels , and other factors under different scenarios, such as if people cease creating climate pollution or if they go on with business-as-usual-emissions. But because the planet is such a complex system, they aren’t perfect: climate models have uncertainties that grow larger as they go farther into the future. Research that improves our understanding of climate physics, as well as new innovations in computing that help modelers work with enormous data sets, can shrink those uncertainties. 

That will make climate scientists more confident in the precision of their long-term predictions, explains MIT professor of oceanography Raffaele Ferrari—especially when it comes to the fine details of how climate change will affect different regions differently.

Ferrari says there are two major challenges when building a reliable model of the Earth’s climate system. The first is how well scientists understand and can mathematically simulate the basic physics of the climate system, such as cloud formation, wind patterns, and ocean currents. The second is computation, because even a simplified version of an entire planet’s climate requires an enormous amount of computing power. New innovations in either field could make tomorrow’s climate models more sophisticated and realistic, Ferrari says.

It might seem like the basic mechanics that govern our climate are long-settled science. However, although the physics of air and water flow can be described down to the molecular level, that’s not true for every piece of climate physics, says Ferrari.

“Clouds clearly matter for climate, but how ice crystals and cloud droplets form, how they coalesce to form a cloud, that is what we call cloud microphysics. It gets all the way to quantum mechanics. We don't really have a perfect understanding of the process.”

Climate modelers must approximate these systems as best they can, using observations of how climate features like clouds behave in practice in place of true physical laws. These best guesses are called parameterizations, Ferrari says, “because they depend on some parameters that you don’t know.” Different climate models may set differing parameters for something like the exact relationship between clouds and moisture, which leads to variations between models. These small differences become big ones as models reach decades into the future.

Advances in computer processing have the biggest potential to reduce those uncertainties and make climate models ever more precise, Ferrari says. In fact, that’s long been the case. “If you look historically at climate models starting from the 1960s when the first climate models were developed, I would say that the largest contributor to their improved accuracy has been computer power.”

Even in the case of simple Newtonian physics, which scientists understand down to the molecule, there simply isn’t enough computing power in the world to simulate every millimeter of the atmosphere and the ocean. As a result, the resolution of even today’s state-of-the-art models is quite large—about 25 kilometers square (around 10 square miles). That’s good for broadly simulating planet-wide trends, but it means “a lot of physics falls through the cracks,” Ferrari says.

That’s where computing power can help. Climate scientists have yet to take full advantage of new computing technologies such as circuits called GPUs that can perform very-high-speed calculations. With that more powerful technology, Ferrari says, “all of a sudden you can resolve more of the physics that you understand.” There is still no way to simulate the whole planet down to the centimeter level, but advances in computing make it possible to create climate models with finer resolution, which makes their parameterizations that much less uncertain.

It’s not just about raw computing power, either. Recent leaps in artificial intelligence and machine learning also have major implications for climate models. Machine learning, at its core, is the use of large data sets to train computer models. If you apply that logic to the climate, Ferrari says, then machine learning could be set loose on climate data and figure out how to use all that historical information to calibrate the small-scale physics in climate models.

“I don't think there is anything else with the same level of complexity as climate models,” Ferrari says. “You want to represent the physics, the chemistry, and the biology of the system to a pretty high level of accuracy. Because if I wanted to know the mean temperature of the Earth within 10 degrees, you can use pretty simple basic laws. But we're asking for much more precision than that.”

Thank you to Manish Mishra of Munich, Germany, for the question.

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Mastering culture-fit interviews: top 30 questions to ask

Last updated

12 April 2024

Reviewed by

Warren Jonas ACC

Aligning a candidate with your established company values is commonly known as a culture fit. Someone who fits well with your company’s culture is more likely to stay with you in the long term, reducing high turnover rates and improving the employee experience .

Preparation is key to finding the best fit for your company culture. Establishing specific questions that uncover details about a candidate’s personality, values, and goals can help you with this. With the right questions in hand, you can go into a culture-fit interview with confidence and an open mind to find your business’s next great employee.

• What is company culture?

Company culture refers to the values, attitudes, and behaviors that define the organization’s character. It’s what forms your company’s collective identity and sets the stage for the goals and tasks your employees carry out daily.

You can establish company culture in several ways, from the defined values and mission statement to the way the company approaches employee performance.

Every business wants a good company culture , but it’s not always easily achieved. Your company’s values need to be enacted daily. Leaders and managers need to show employees that they are as invested in the company’s values as everyone else, praising accomplishments quickly and nurturing a positive environment that makes employees happy to show up for work every day.

A big part of creating a positive company culture is hiring the right people. With motivated, happy employees, every other person in your organization will feel inspired to succeed.

• What is culture fit?

Cultural fit involves assessing a potential employee’s values and ideals and comparing them to your company’s existing culture. Candidates who share similar values and goals are likely a good fit, while those who have wildly different values might not align well with the company vision.

Evaluating cultural fit through a resume or in a traditional interview is hard. Managers and HR professionals should outline a series of special questions. These questions can give you deep insight into a candidate’s personal life and work history, but they can also provide an idea of how well that candidate will do in the role they are applying for.

Why does cultural fit matter in the hiring process?

Even if a candidate is qualified for their role, that doesn’t automatically mean they are the right fit for your company. It’s important that your employees share your company’s vision, values, and culture and that they are willing to play their part to live up to them.

• Culture fit vs. culture add

Hiring someone who fits into the mold of your company values is known as a culture fit . However, another hiring practice is gaining traction, especially in companies looking to expand to new markets or territories. It’s culture add .

A culture add is when you hire a candidate to add diversity to your company culture. It means you look for candidates who bring something new to the table, whether it’s experiences, skills, personalities, or backgrounds.

Both concepts have their place in the corporate world. Some people favor culture fit due to its tried-and-true pattern of helping companies find what (and who) tends to work best for them. Those who hire for culture add note that it’s a great way to expand the company’s horizons and discover new talent.

In either case, hiring the right candidate is about more than checking off boxes. Thoughtful interview questions will allow you to better understand candidates, their strengths, and how they can help your organization reach new heights.

• 15 cultural fit interview questions for employees

Company culture is an abstract, subjective concept. To that end, it can be hard to determine whether a candidate would be a good fit through traditional questions like, “What are your best qualities?” Cultural fit interview questions should dig a little deeper, making candidates pause and evaluate their patterns, reactions, and behaviors.

The cultural fit interview questions below for employees provide a starting point. You should adjust them to fit your company’s culture and change them accordingly.

How do you ensure you frequently improve your skills?

Do you often become friends with your coworkers?

What management style do you work best with?

Do you prefer tasks that require collaboration or projects you can complete alone?

How do you prefer to receive feedback?

How do you react to negative feedback?

In what work environment do you produce your best work?

Name your favorite activities that you do outside of work.

How would your coworkers describe you?

What do you need in a work environment to feel fulfilled?

What do you need to be inspired and motivated at work?

Why did you apply for a job at this company?

Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower? Why?

How do you manage communication with your colleagues?

Which of our company’s core values do you most identify with?

• 15 culture-fit interview questions to ask leaders and managers

Cultural fit interview questions for leadership and management roles should be similar to those for other employees. However, you should include additional questions that focus on leadership styles, organization preferences, and conflict resolution skills. Allow the conversation to flow naturally and encourage your candidate to expand on their answers.

Name three leadership styles. Which leadership style do you prefer to use?

Name two values that help you resolve team conflict.

Name two values that help you provide constructive criticism to team members.

Which management values help you inspire coworkers?

Which values help you manage remote teams?

How do you stay organized?

Which of our company values resonates the most with you?

What would you change or improve about our business?

Are there any other roles in our company that you’d like to interview for?

What would you bring to our company that’s unique?

Are there any specific tools you find helpful for improving your work efficiency?

What do you believe are essential values in the workplace?

Can you think of a previous professional relationship that didn’t work out? If so, what was the cause?

Can you give an example of your ideal work schedule?

Do you typically make friends and spend time with coworkers outside of work?

• The dangers of hiring for cultural fit alone

Hiring for cultural fit can be a positive thing in most cases. Finding the right cultural fit means hiring employees who understand and embrace your company’s vision.

However, there’s a danger of hiring exclusively for cultural fit. Culture fit is highly subjective. It can be easy to let unconscious bias affect your hiring decisions. While it’s a good idea to trust your gut to a certain extent, exercise caution when forming opinions about candidates without knowledge to back it up.

Hiring only for cultural fit might also limit future growth opportunities by sticking with the status quo rather than embracing new ventures. The best candidates might not fit the established mold. In general, focus on the values, habits, and skills that will help someone be successful with your company rather than any superficial qualities. This will enable you to find the right candidates.

What is an example of a culture fit?

Imagine a company hiring for a remote position and finding a candidate looking for a remote job with experience of working from home. That’s an example of culture fit.

Those hiring for a customer-facing role might look for candidates who display excellent customer service skills who are friendly and personable.

Companies that prioritize innovation might look for culture fit with candidates who are creative and open to trying new things.

How do I prepare for a value fit interview?

If you’re giving the interview, prepare by reviewing your questions in advance. Ensure there are no gaps in the questioning and that you have room for flexibility if new questions present themselves during the interview.

As the candidate, prepare for the interview by researching the company. Learn what you can about the company culture, the company’s vision and values, and any recent accomplishments outlined on the company website. This knowledge will help you better understand whether you align with the business’s values, goals, and vision.

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Are You Asking the Right Questions?

A conversation with IMD Business School’s Arnaud Chevallier on simple changes to improve your decision-making.

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Few leaders have been trained to ask great questions. That might explain why they tend to be good at certain kinds of questions, and less effective at other kinds. Unfortunately, that hurts their ability to pursue strategic priorities. Arnaud Chevallier, strategy professor at IMD Business School, explains how leaders can break out of that rut and systematically ask five kinds of questions: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. He shares real-life examples of how asking the right sort of question at a key time can unlock value and propel your organization. With his IMD colleagues Frédéric Dalsace and Jean-Louis Barsoux, Chevallier wrote the HBR article “ The Art of Asking Smarter Questions .”

CURT NICKISCH: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review, I’m Curt Nickisch.

The complexity and uncertainty around business today demands a different skill in leaders, namely the ability to ask illuminating questions.

Jensen Huang, the CEO of chip maker NVIDIA has said that over time, his job has become less about giving answers to problems, and more about asking questions; that he wants his team to join that exploration with him. And it’s probably not a coincidence that his company operates at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution. After all, now that you have the ability to basically talk to a database, it really does come down to the questions you ask of it. By the way, we talked to him on IdeaCast on episode 940, check that out.

But today’s guest says few business professionals are trained in the skill of asking questions. They don’t know the different types of strategic questions, and even when they do hang question marks, they often have blind spots.

Here to explain is Arnaud Chevallier, a professor at IMD Business School, with his colleagues Frederic Dalsace and Jean-Louis Barsoux he wrote the HBR article, The Art of Asking Smarter Questions. Welcome, Arnaud.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Thanks for having me, Curt.

CURT NICKISCH: Why is asking questions, this basic conversational skill, so hard for people?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Well, I think we’ve all heard it, asking more questions helps people make better decisions. But there’s a dark side. Because whenever you’re asking one question, you’re not asking another type of question. And so if you’re under time pressure, you might be probing one side of a problem or decision but not other sides. And if you look at managers compared to other professions, lawyers, physicians, psychologists, they’re trained to ask better questions. Managers, seems like we are supposed to learn on the job.

CURT NICKISCH: And many do learn it and perhaps learn a certain kind of question that seems to work for them for some time. You point out a lot of people don’t understand that there are different types of questions that you can be asking, and they just by their nature tend to ask a certain type of question but avoid other ones just because it doesn’t come naturally to them.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Yeah. That’s what we find speaking with managers and leaders across organizations. I think when you start professionally, you develop your own mix of questions. Maybe you pick up a couple questions that you think are insightful from your boss perhaps. You get to learn and hone that mix and it gets you here but it’s unclear when you get promoted to your next job that what got you here will get you there.

We are trained, we are told, “Ask open-ended questions, ask follow up questions.”

CURT NICKISCH: Yeah, ask why. Ask the five why’s.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: The five why’s, absolutely. But what else? You get to the, “Sure, good idea. I should ask why. What else should I ask?” And usually the guidance falls flat. We’ve been speaking with hundreds of executives, trying to understand which questions they ask. We’ve been speaking with very senior people trying to understand what works for them. And out of that we came together with a taxonomy of questions that we believe are useful in making better decisions, in solving complex problems.

CURT NICKISCH: This taxonomy basically divides strategic questions into five types, investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive and subjective. It’s probably smart for us to go through them one by one.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Let’s, because that’s a mouthful, right? Let’s project ourselves into big decisions that you have to make maybe as a manager or maybe as just a person. Perhaps you’re thinking about buying a new house, maybe moving the family. Maybe you’re thinking about acquiring a new firm. Whenever we’re faced with those complex decisions, pretty quickly we want to identify, “Okay, what is it that we want to achieve?”

But we realize we don’t have enough information to achieve it. We need to get into investigative mode by asking ourselves, what’s known? What’s known about the problem? For instance, the five why’s. Or what’s known about the solutions, the potential solutions by asking how may we do this? How may we do that? The first type of question is investigative, helps you probe in depth into the problem or into the solution.

CURT NICKISCH: Some of the questions that can be asked here are what happened? What is and isn’t working? What are the causes of the problem? Those are all examples of investigative questions. Are these questions that are typically asked at the beginning of a process, or can they be used anywhere in problem solving?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Yes. What we’re finding out is it works better actually if we go back and forth. There’s no real segmentation because investigative gets you to a point: you drill deeper into the problem or into the solutions, but going deep is not the only way. You may want to speculate as well. The second type of question is speculative questions, epitomized by what if? Speculative questions are here to help you foster innovation by challenging the implicit and the explicit assumptions for the problem.

CURT NICKISCH: What if is really good. Examples of this are also what other scenarios might exist? Could we do this differently? That’s a way of just asking a simple question, but trying to open up a brand new avenue of thinking or problem solving.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Exactly. And by doing this, you’re really expanding the space in which you operate. Investigative, you go deep. And speculative, you go wide, and you’re stretching a little bit the universe of possibilities.

CURT NICKISCH: Now, productive is the next type. Tell us about that.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Yeah. Investigative, you go deep. Speculative, you go wide. If you’re a professor, that’s all you have to do. You can spend years and years on your problem but if you actually have a real job, chances are you’re asked to have some results, right? So productive is the now what questions. You’re adjusting the pace of the effort, deciding whether you know enough to move forward right away or perhaps deciding that you need to slow down a little bit before you make those decisions, to give you a chance to get even more insight into your problem.

CURT NICKISCH: Examples here that you list in your article are things like, do we have the resources to move ahead? Do we know enough to proceed? Are we ready to decide? Very tactical and the sorts of questions that bring everybody back to the realization of what needs to happen.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: That’s right. How are we doing across compared to project plan and should we accelerate or should we slow down?

CURT NICKISCH: I can definitely see certain types of managers would be really good at this. There are roles sometimes that are very operational or process oriented, and you almost have a traffic police officer managing a process, yeah. Interpretive was the next type.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Investigative, what’s known. Speculative, what if? Productive, now what? All these gets me some information about my decision, about my problem. But information is one thing, but it’s not quite wisdom. The fourth type, the interpretative questions, the “so what” helps us convert that information into insight.

CURT NICKISCH: Examples here are questions like how does this fit with that goal? What are we trying to achieve – that really gets at so what? What did we learn from this new information? This seems very helpful at a transition point where you’ve … I don’t know, you’ve gotten customer data back or you have new information to process.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: I love how you phrased it because this is also what we’re discovering, the “so what” helps you transition from one type of question to another. So the five why’s, why aren’t we having better revenues? Because our clients are not buying enough of our products. Okay, so what? Maybe then that will help me transition from being investigative, asking why, to perhaps being speculative, thinking about how else we could get our clients to buy our products. It enables you to transition from one type to another.

CURT NICKISCH: Now, the last type of strategic question that you identify in your taxonomy is subjective, which was really interesting to me because it wasn’t one of the sorts of questions I expected to jump out in a strategy framework. Tell us a little bit more about subjective questions.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Maybe it’s helpful to explain how we got to the first four types. We were very happy when we got there, we figured it was really clicking and then we had the catchy way of thinking about it. It’s four types but there are really three main ones, like the three Musketeers, that sort of thing. We thought we were done and then we started interviewing top leaders, people in charge of billion-dollar operations. And there was something else, and maybe this is best exemplified by this wonderful little cartoon by Jack Ziegler in the New Yorker a few years ago, where you see a little fish happily swimming around minding its own business, not realizing that right behind it there’s a huge fish about to eat it alive. And the small one is called agenda, and the big one is called hidden agenda. The last type of questions, subjective questions, are just realizing that we’re dealing with people. People have emotions, they have political agendas, and if we don’t embrace this we might just miss entirely what the problem is actually all about.

CURT NICKISCH: Examples of these questions are how do you really feel about this decision? Have we consulted the right people? Those are all things that do get at those emotions and just the real impact of business decisions.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Right on. I remember specifically we were interviewing the CEO of a major airplane manufacturer. And brilliant fellow, mid 40s, everything … Former engineer, I think. We were expecting him to be very investigative. Nothing against engineers, I’m one myself. But turns out that he was saying after every big meeting he would sit down and reflect on was there a difference between what was said, what was heard, and what was meant? To him, what really mattered was that human component in the meeting.

CURT NICKISCH: Now that we have these five types, let’s go through some of the advice that you have in your article. Number one, is you really want people to understand what questions they tend to ask or what their own interrogatory typology is. Talk more about that.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: I think it’s fair to say that we all develop our question mix, the questions that have served us well, that we believe will serve us well in the future. I remember for example, interviewing the COO of a major car company. And he’s telling us how on Monday morning he meets his team and he’s asking them, “How was your weekend?”

But he also made it very clear that when he’s asking how was your weekend, he doesn’t want to hear about little Timmy’s baseball game, he wants to know whether we shipped on time, if there’s any issues with the manufacturers. In other words, he is in full productive mode. And that makes a lot of sense. Again, he’s a COO. His job is to get things moving. But we can also imagine that he’s doing such a good job at the COO level that he might be offered the CEO position. And here, if he’s using the same mix that is predominantly into productive, he might not see other areas, he might develop some blind spots.

CURT NICKISCH: And so number one, you can learn to mix it up yourself by understanding your type, basically keeping track of the questions that you ask and making a concerted effort to ask different kinds of questions so that you expand your repertoire. That’s one way to get started.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Maybe another way is also to take the LQM test, the leaders question mix test that we are putting together on the IMD website. It takes five minutes and you’re given two batches of questions, and you tell us which one you prefer. And as a result, we help you identify what your preferred mix is. And back to your point, Curt, my preferred mix is one thing but I shouldn’t be … I need to realize as well that there are other questions, including some that I’m not familiar or comfortable with, and that what matters is not so much my preference, as much as what is needed for the specific decision or specific problem I’m facing.

CURT NICKISCH: So if you’ve assessed your current question style, you start to adjust your repertoire, it’s still a lot to keep track of. When you’re in conversations, it’s easy to remember afterwards, why didn’t I ask that question? While you’re in it, especially if it’s a heated exchange or a very pithy conversation, it’s hard to just do this in real time on the fly, really well.

So what advice do you have for somebody to practically keep track, and expand their repertoire, but also make sure that they’re not missing anything and that they still don’t have blind spots even after they try to expand the zone in that way?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: I think you’re describing situations that we see often with executives. And one way of doing this is by taking the LQM, the leader question mix assessment, you also get a list of questions. And you can take that list with you, especially if there are some types of questions you realize you don’t ask very naturally. You can also pick a couple of those ahead of the meeting, making a mental or written note to ask those questions over there and see what happens with those.

CURT NICKISCH: Does this work at all levels of the organization or are we really talking about leaders asking strategic questions?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: We’ve applied it at all levels, absolutely, and in fact what we’ve found is in teams it works even better, realizing first that we have different mixes and then identifying, so what? Being interpretive: what are we going to do with the fact that you and I, Curt, have different mixes? If I’m terrible at one type, for instance speculative, maybe I need to rely on my teammates who are better there. Or at the very least, learn to recognize the value of speculative questions, at least in some settings, not shutting down the door the moment I hear a speculative question.

CURT NICKISCH: And one point you make in the article too is that you can find people on your team to help compensate for you if you know that you have certain weaknesses. Let’s talk a little bit about the difficulty of asking questions though in business settings, because when you ask a question, in some ways you’re putting people on the spot. What advice do you have for managers and leaders asking questions in these settings where you can ask penetrating and provocative questions but not make them feel so hard edged?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Yeah. I think, again, you’re putting your finger on it because if you’re the authority figure and you ask, “Why did you do this?” Chances are the person on the receiving end of that is going to feel threatened. There is what we ask and there is how we ask it and how we phrase it. And what we found with those leaders who are particularly good with these subjective kinds of questions is they’re very conscious of the way they ask things. For instance, you might not ask why did you do this, but perhaps what happened?

CURT NICKISCH: Can you give us some examples of where these questions or changing your mix, asking different types of questions, yeah, being more deliberate in your question asking, how that can lead to better business results?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Well, my favorite of course is a Swiss cliche. IMD professors will tell you, of course we’ll bring it back to the Swiss army knife. And your mix really is a Swiss army knife. You should be able not to have just one blade but you have different mixes of questions and you use the mix that best fits whichever situations you’re in.

Take the example of an airline captain who’s about to land at Geneva airport. If I’m in the back of the plane, I do not want the captain to start thinking speculative questions. “Hey, what if I turn this knob here? What if I try to land the plane in a different way?” No, no, no, no. Her job at that time is to land the plane, be productive. You take the time you to decide, no more, no less, and you just get it done. But that same captain maybe a few minutes before might have to deal with an issue, maybe a passenger who had drunk too much alcohol and started to act up, and maybe she needed to on the spot think creatively and perhaps using seat belts to restrain the passenger.

And perhaps even earlier in the day when she first met the first officer who was going to assist her on the flight, she needed to create quickly an environment where they could work well together. She maybe needed to be very subjective in her question mix. We can see how the same person on the same job might have to fundamentally alter her mix just to be effective at all three decision points.

CURT NICKISCH: You also have a lot of good examples in the article of companies that … Or leaders that didn’t ask a certain type of question, and that led to a huge problem.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Mmhmm. Being French, we can make fun of the SNCF who built …

CURT NICKISCH: This is the French rail company.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: That’s right. They ordered 15 billions worth of trains and design spec’d them on the assumption that all platforms were some standard size, only to realize that all the platforms, all 1300 of them were actually larger, needed to be respec’d. And I think in hindsight, it’s always easy to make fun and to look at deficiencies in the decision process.

However, we probably can safely assume that engineers on the problem did their utmost to get it done. Really, five question types as a way perhaps of having a checklist, of reducing the chances of having blind spots in our decision process, but realizing that those blind spots can happen even to the best organizations out there, and realizing then that if we’re not mindful about the questions we ask, we might just every now and then fail to check an important question category.

CURT NICKISCH: One question that you suggest asking is, “are we all okay with this?” Which is a powerful question. It also presupposes that you’ve got the psychological safety on the team for everybody to be able to speak up. So, questioning and asking the right questions at the right time still demands an awareness of the culture that you’re asking it in, and how these questions are going to come across, and whether you’ve created the climate for people to be able to give you the powerful answers that you’re asking for.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: This is a very good point. And we’ve worked with organizations where there was very little psychological safety, where admitting that anything might be less and perfect might be a big, big issue. And in those settings it’s much more challenging but there are ways of still eliciting the wisdom of the group.

One such way for instance, is to use pre-mortems and to project the organization, say, “Okay, let’s go with this decision. Let’s assume that we are picking option one and we are now three years from today and we realize it’s a total fiasco. It crashed down. What happened?” And that can help people who would probably not ask questions frontally, to put on the table some less than perfect aspects of the decision they’re seeing.

CURT NICKISCH: Yeah, that’s very clever. What could go wrong? What did go wrong with this fiasco? It’s almost like this article is giving advice for how to speak, how to talk. Asking a question, it’s a conversational device. And it might seem too basic to people, why is this important and why is this especially important now?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Well, questions are ways to make better decisions. We’ve all heard it, asking better questions is a way forward. We probably all develop our own mix of questions, those questions that we like, but there might be three issues associated with that. First, how do you know that your mix is a good mix? Second, when you’re asking a question, especially under time pressure, you’re not asking another type of question. There’s a cost of opportunity of asking a specific question. And are you sure that you’re using the best question for the job? And third, maybe you mix got you here but if that means that you’re doing such a good job here, you’re getting promoted, then tomorrow’s universe for you is not the same as yesterday. How do you adapt your question mix to help you be successful in the future?

CURT NICKISCH: And is there anything different about today’s business climate or the oncoming opportunity with artificial intelligence, that amplifies the ability to ask questions?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: I think you’re spot-on. GenAI, especially since late 2022, enables you to be a sparring partner or to have a sparring partner in having back and forth. You can indeed have a conversation with the database now, and you can’t have that conversation by proposing answers. You need to be asking questions. Clearly asking more insightful questions might unlock some value you couldn’t otherwise.

CURT NICKISCH: So for a speculative question, what does that look like in a real business setting?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: You hear mid managers who are often risk-averse, and then you speak with their boss and the boss is always asking for taking more risk. And you can rationalize it from both sides. Because the boss has a portfolio of a project and if some of those fail, no big deal. But if I’m the manager in charge of a project and I have it fail, then pretty quickly I start thinking that people associate me with failure. And so asking what if, having that conversation between the top team and the manager saying, “What if we didn’t care about failure? What if we were looking for – each of us managers, some of us having some failure? What if we relaxed this constraint or that constraint?” – can help us realize and realign what would be individual objectives with organizational ones.

CURT NICKISCH: Do you remember any good stories from the executives that you talked to where asking some of these subjective, what’s unsaid questions really opened up new opportunities or changed things?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Yeah. And this one really gets to the human dimension. If you ask me next Monday morning how I’m doing, and I reply, fine, fine can be a number of things. Fine can be my dog died yesterday. Or fine, can be life is beautiful. What we found with some of the execs who were really good at going to the essence of it is probing in a caring way to understand the meaning behind the words, what’s kept unsaid, and remembering that you have short post people and you have long post people, some people will say fine as just an introductory but if you give them a little bit more time, they might actually expand and through that unlock a set of information you wouldn’t have had access to.

CURT NICKISCH: Arnaud, I have to ask, you’ve done all this research, I’m curious if you have a favorite question that you never asked before that you’ve come out of this process with that you use in your work and your job.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: Putting me on the spot, huh.

CURT NICKISCH: A little bit.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: I really fell in love with that difference between what was said, what was heard, and what was meant. I really think this is something I need to be better at and reading the weak signals and understanding what’s behind the words. But whenever I take the test, and I’ve taken it several times, what comes out is I am terrible at productive questions. So maybe, just maybe I need to pay more attention to the pace of my decision making.

CURT NICKISCH: For a manager who’s not a leader yet, hasn’t developed their repertoire per se, what advice would you give to them? What can they do tomorrow to start asking more strategic and stronger questions?

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: My advice to someone who feels they don’t have yet a mix is, first of all, you probably already have a mix. There’s probably a couple of questions that you’ve seen or heard and they feel very insightful. But maybe you want to do as I do, is I keep track. All the questions I hear on your podcast and elsewhere that I haven’t heard before, I keep a long list and then I categorize them under the five buckets and I have my favorite ones.

CURT NICKISCH: Arnaud, thanks so much for coming on the show and sharing this research with us.

ARNAUD CHEVALLIER: My pleasure, thanks for having me.

CURT NICKISCH: That’s Arnaud Chevallier, a professor at IMD Business School and a co-author of the HBR article, the Art of Asking Smarter Questions.

And we have nearly 1000 episodes plus more podcasts to help you manage your team, your organization and your career. Find them at HBR.org/podcasts or search HBR and Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Thanks to our team, senior producer Mary Dooe, associate producer Hannah Bates, audio product manager Ian Fox, and senior production specialist Rob Eckhardt. Thank you for listening to the HBR IdeaCast . We’ll be back with a new episode on Tuesday, I’m Curt Nickisch.

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Have you ever felt reluctant to share ideas during a meeting because you feared judgment from senior colleagues? You’re not alone. Research has shown this pervasive issue can lead to a lack of diversity in public discourse, especially when junior members of a community don’t speak up because they feel intimidated.

Anonymous communication can alleviate that fear and empower individuals to speak their minds, but anonymity also eliminates important social context and can quickly skew too far in the other direction, leading to toxic or hateful speech.

MIT researchers addressed these issues by designing a framework for identity disclosure in public conversations that falls somewhere in the middle, using a concept called “meronymity.”

Meronymity (from the Greek words for “partial” and “name”) allows people in a public discussion space to selectively reveal only relevant, verified aspects of their identity.

The researchers implemented meronymity in a communication system they built called LiTweeture, which is aimed at helping junior scholars use social media to ask research questions.

In LiTweeture, users can reveal a few professional facts, such as their academic affiliation or expertise in a certain field, which lends credibility to their questions or answers while shielding their exact identity.

Users have the flexibility to choose what they reveal about themselves each time they compose a social media post. They can also leverage existing relationships for endorsements that help queries reach experts they otherwise might be reluctant to contact.

During a monthlong study, junior academics who tested LiTweeture said meronymous communication made them feel more comfortable asking questions and encouraged them to engage with senior scholars on social media.

And while this study focused on academia, meronymous communication could be applied to any community or discussion space, says electrical engineering and computer science graduate student Nouran Soliman.

“With meronymity, we wanted to strike a balance between credibility and social inhibition. How can we make people feel more comfortable contributing and leveraging this rich community while still having some accountability?” says Soliman, lead author of a paper on meronymity .

Soliman wrote the paper with her advisor and senior author David Karger, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), as well as others at the Semantic Scholar Team at Allen Institute for AI, the University of Washington, and Carnegie Mellon University. The research will be presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Breaking down social barriers

The researchers began by conducting an initial study with 20 scholars to better understand the motivations and social barriers they face when engaging online with other academics.

They found that, while academics find X (formerly called Twitter) and Mastodon to be key resources when seeking help with research, they were often reluctant to ask for, discuss, or share recommendations.

Many respondents worried asking for help would make them appear to be unknowledgeable about a certain subject or feared public embarrassment if their posts were ignored.

The researchers developed LiTweeture to enable scholars to selectively present relevant facets of their identity when using social media to ask for research help.

But such identity markers, or “meronyms,” only give someone credibility if they are verified. So the researchers connected LiTweeture to Semantic Scholar, a web service which creates verified academic profiles for scholars detailing their education, affiliations, and publication history.

LiTweeture uses someone’s Semantic Scholar profile to automatically generate a set of meronyms they can choose to include with each social media post they compose. A meronym might be something like, “third-year graduate student at a research institution who has five publications at computer science conferences.”

A user writes a query and chooses the meronyms to appear with this specific post. LiTweeture then posts the query and meryonyms to X and Mastodon.

The user can also identify desired responders — perhaps certain researchers with relevant expertise — who will receive the query through a direct social media message or email. Users can personalize their meronyms for these experts, perhaps mentioning common colleagues or similar research projects.

Sharing social capital

They can also leverage connections by sharing their full identity with individuals who serve as public endorsers, such as an academic advisor or lab mate. Endorsements can encourage experts to respond to the asker’s query.

“The endorsement lets a senior figure donate some of their social capital to people who don’t have as much of it,” Karger says.

In addition, users can recruit close colleagues and peers to be helpers who are willing to repost their query so it reaches a wider audience.

Responders can answer queries using meronyms, which encourages potentially shy academics to offer their expertise, Soliman says.

The researchers tested LiTweeture during a field study with 13 junior academics who were tasked with writing and responding to queries. Participants said meronymous interactions gave them confidence when asking for help and provided high-quality recommendations.

Participants also used meronyms to seek a certain kind of answer. For instance, a user might disclose their publication history to signal that they are not seeking the most basic recommendations. When responding, individuals used identity signals to reflect their level of confidence in a recommendation, for example by disclosing their expertise.

“That implicit signaling was really interesting to see. I was also very excited to see that people wanted to connect with others based on their identity signals. This sense of relation also motivated some responders to make more effort when answering questions,” Soliman says.

Now that they have built a framework around academia, the researchers want to apply meronymity to other online communities and general social media conversations, especially those around issues where there is a lot of conflict, like politics. But to do that, they will need to find an effective, scalable way for people to present verified aspects of their identities.

“I think this is a tool that could be very helpful in many communities. But we have to figure out how to thread the needle on social inhibition. How can we create an environment where everyone feels safe speaking up, but also preserve enough accountability to discourage bad behavior? says Karger.

“Meronymity is not just a concept; it's a novel technique that subtly blends aspects of identity and anonymity, creating a platform where credibility and privacy coexist. It changes digital communications by allowing safe engagement without full exposure, addressing the traditional anonymity-accountability trade-off. Its impact reaches beyond academia, fostering inclusivity and trust in digital interactions,” says Saiph Savage, assistant professor and director of the Civic A.I. Lab in the Khoury College of Computer Science at Northeastern University, and who was not involved with this work.

This research was funded, in part, by Semantic Scholar.

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