Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates in Canada

Behavioural questions (STAR format)

Behavioural questions ask candidates to describe specific past situations. The premise is simple: past behaviour predicts future behaviour better than hypothetical answers do. Use the STAR framework to evaluate responses, Situation, Task, Action, Result. A complete STAR answer tells you what context the candidate was in, what they were responsible for, what they specifically did (not what “we” did), and what the outcome was.

Strong behavioural questions for most roles:

• “Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult situation with a customer or colleague. What did you do, and how did it resolve?”
• “Describe a time you had to complete a task under a tight deadline without all the information you needed. How did you approach it?”
• “Tell me about a time something went wrong on a project you were responsible for. What happened and what did you do?”
• “Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to an unexpected change at work.”
• “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision made by your manager. How did you handle it?”

Listen for specificity. Candidates who generalize (“I always try to...”) without citing a concrete example are either lacking the experience or avoiding the question. It is acceptable to follow up: “Can you give me a specific example from a job?”

Reliability and attendance questions

Reliability is one of the hardest traits to verify before hire and one of the most costly to discover after. You can ask about reliability without touching protected grounds:

• “This role requires [specific hours / shift pattern]. Can you confirm that works with your schedule?”
• “How do you typically handle it when something unexpected comes up and you might be late or miss a shift?”
• “What's your track record with punctuality and attendance in your most recent role? If I spoke with your manager, what would they say?”

Do not ask why they were absent in a previous role, this can quickly veer into disability or family status territory, both protected under Ontario law. Focus on their process and how they communicate, not the reason.

Situational questions by role type

Situational questions (“What would you do if...”) test reasoning and judgment, not just experience. They're most useful for roles with no established track record to draw on (entry-level, career changers) or for evaluating judgment in high-stakes scenarios.

Customer-facing roles:

• “A customer is upset about a service issue that wasn't your fault. You don't have authority to issue a refund. What do you do?”
• “Two customers need your attention at the same time. How do you prioritize?”

Management and supervisory roles:

• “You notice a team member is consistently making the same mistake. How do you address it?”
• “You're short-staffed on a busy day and a team member calls in sick. How do you handle it?”

Technical or analytical roles:

• “You discover an error in a report that has already been sent to a client. What do you do?”
• “You're given an unfamiliar tool or system and asked to complete a task with it by end of day. Walk me through how you approach it.”

Questions you cannot ask in Ontario

Ontario's Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination based on 17 grounds. In interviews, questions that touch these grounds, directly or indirectly, create legal exposure. Common violations:

• Do not ask: “Do you have kids?” or “Are you planning to start a family?” (family status)
• Do not ask: “What year did you graduate?” or “How old are you?” (age)
• Do not ask: “Where are you originally from?” or “What's your first language?” (place of origin, ancestry)
• Do not ask: “Are you able to work on Saturdays?” without first stating it's a job requirement, phrased as-is, it may imply religious screening.
• Do not ask: “Do you have any health issues that might affect your work?” (disability)
• Do not ask: “Do you have a criminal record?” unless a clean record is a bona fide requirement for the specific role.

When in doubt, ask yourself: “Is this information necessary to assess whether the candidate can do this job?” If the answer is no, don't ask.

Scoring answers consistently

Consistent scoring is what separates a defensible hiring process from gut-feel decisions that can later be challenged. For each interview question, define a 1–4 or 1–5 scoring rubric before you conduct interviews. For example, a behavioural question on conflict resolution might score as: 1 = avoided addressing it entirely; 2 = addressed it indirectly; 3 = addressed it directly with some measurable outcome; 4 = addressed it directly, outcome clearly described, and demonstrated ownership.

Score each candidate immediately after their interview, before your next one. Memory degrades and interviewers unconsciously adjust earlier ratings to create separation from more recent candidates. If two interviewers are involved, score independently before comparing, a brief debrief can surface discrepancies worth discussing. Keep scoring sheets on file for at least a year after the hiring decision.

To set competitive compensation expectations before the offer stage, see our guide on setting competitive salaries for Canadian SMBs.

Reference check questions that yield real information

Most references are pre-selected by the candidate and will be positive, but the way a reference answers can still reveal meaningful signal. Useful reference questions:

• “In what capacity and for how long did you work with [candidate]?”
• “What type of work did they do best? Where did they have the most impact?”
• “What types of tasks or environments did they find challenging?”
• “How did they handle feedback or direction they disagreed with?”
• “Would you rehire them if the role came up again? Why or why not?”
• “Is there anything about the way they work that I should know to set them up for success?”

The “would you rehire” question is the most predictive single question in a reference check. A hesitation or qualified answer (“It depends on the role...”) is a signal worth probing. References are not obligated to provide information beyond employment dates and title, but many will share more in a conversational format.

Frequently asked questions