How To Master Peer Interview Questions in 2023 (With 10 Examples)

Knowing how to ace peer interview questions can significantly increase your chances of receiving a job offer. The peer interview process, from my experience, heavily influences hiring decisions. 

Preparing for a peer interview requires a different strategy than interviewing with HR or a recruiting manager. In fact, peer interviews are a common practice among many organizations and the trend is growing. In this post, I’ll break down how you can learn to master the peer interviewing process.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

• What are peer interview questions
• How do you prepare for a peer interview?
• 10 peer interview questions you may be asked with example responses
• What questions I would ask in a peer interview
• How do you know if a peer interview went well?
• Tips for success
• Final Thoughts

What Are Peer Interview Questions?

Let’s first define what a peer interview is. This is a common part of a hiring process in which you meet with an employee (or employees) who hold a position similar to the one you are interviewing for.

While HR and hiring manager interview questions are typically focused on ensuring you meet the technical requirements of the job, peer interview questions focus on assessing how you would fit into the organization and team’s culture.

They are focused on learning about your work ethic, conflict resolution skills, how much of a team player you are, your collaboration style, and more. This helps your potential peers get a better picture and understanding of who you are personally and professionally.

How Do You Prepare For a Peer Interview?

There are 4 main steps you should take when preparing for a peer interview:

1. Do your research on the organization: Find the “about us” section on the organization’s website and become familiar with their mission, values, goals, community engagements, and more. There’s a good chance you may be asked about these. It’s also a great opportunity to weave their mission, values, goals, etc. into your responses. For example, if it states one of the values as being collaborative, you can talk about how you thrive in collaborative team environments and produce your best work. Be truthful of course! 
2. Be authentic and personable: It’s evident when candidates are just trying to say the right answers to get the job. From my experience, being authentic also conveys passion which is an important distinguishing factor when interviewing for jobs. Additionally, be personable and build rapport with your potential peers. It’s a great opportunity to create a real connection with them and demonstrates your ability to be team-oriented. 
3. Anticipate the peer interview questions you may get asked: This one’s easy – just review the 10 examples below!
4. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the peers: This one is also easy, just scroll to question #10!
5. Bonus: Brush up on your interpersonal skills. Remember that your prospective peers are trying to get a sense of your vibe and cultural fit. A great book I HIGHLY RECOMMEND filled with awesome tips around interpersonal communication is: How To Talk To Anyone: 92 Little Tricks For Big Success In Relationships

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Following these 5 steps will massively boost your chances of success of getting the job. Now, let’s take a look at 10 different peer interview questions I have been asked and asked potential job candidates.

10 Peer Interview Questions You May Be Asked with Example Responses

Below I outline 10 common peer interview questions I have asked or been asked in an interview. These obviously don’t cover all the questions you could be asked, but they will help give you an understanding of the style of questions. Let’s review them:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself

What they are trying to learn: Your peers are trying to get to know who you are and what your story is. For this question, I try to give them a good mix of personal and professional aspects about me.

Example response: “I grew up in the Seattle area for the last 20 years and have recently moved to Hawaii because my wife landed a great career opportunity. We were also looking for a once in lifetime experience that we could share. 

I went to Western Washington University and graduated with a degree in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management because I loved the mix of business and engineering classes in this major. It fit well with my personality and the work I am passionate about. I’ve held roles in the manufacturing and healthcare industries as well. 

After graduating from university, I started my career practicing lean leadership in the manufacturing industry. I had a revelation that I wanted to dedicate my skills to helping people, leading me to an amazing opportunity to practice lean in the healthcare industry. 

I love using lean to help people solve complex problems, which ultimately benefit patients and families who need high-quality healthcare.”

2. Why do you think you would be the best candidate for this role?

What they are trying to learn: Your peers will likely be interviewing many candidates so it will be important to stand out from the crowd. They want to hear about your past roles, achievements, results, values, and passions. Also, they want to hear what they can learn from you and how you can be an asset to their team.

Example response: “My previous roles, experience, and achievements make me a strong candidate for this role. I’d like to share my most recent experience in the role of an Innovation Product Manager. I successfully developed 3 products from start to finish which delighted our customers, improved the patient experience, and improved the quality of care. 

To be successful I had to apply strategic change management techniques, coordinate with a variety of stakeholders, plan communications with executive leadership, and facilitate a team of designers and engineers. Given the job description of the role, I think my skills and experience match up with the needs of the role. 

Lastly, I strive to embody the values of excellence, collaboration, and innovation in my work.”

3. What do you think are the qualities of a strong team?

What they are trying to learn: This is a very common peer interview question that’s aimed at learning about what kind of team you thrive in. They are also interested in whether you would be a good fit for the team. See the picture below for examples of qualities in a strong team.

Photo Cred: Test Gorilla

Example response: “I think there are many different qualities of a strong team. Some that bubble to the top for me are respect, good communication, being psychologically safe, and encouraging learning from one another. 

Respect among one another is a core component and foundation of any team. Good communication is important because it helps ensure the team stays aligned. A psychologically safe team environment encourages me to be my whole self which enables me to do my best work. Lastly, being a part of a diverse team where we can learn from one another to improve our skills.”

4. What is a strength and weakness of yours?

What they are trying to learn: This peer interview question attempts to assess areas in which you feel proficient while also determining whether you are self-aware of areas in which you need to improve. 

It’s difficult to talk about your weaknesses especially when you are trying to communicate all the positive reasons you are the best candidate for the job. The best strategy I use for this question is to admit you’re not perfect (like everyone else), be honest about an area that is a (professional) weakness of yours, and most importantly say what you are actively doing to work to improve that weakness. 

Also, don’t be cliché and mention a weakness that is not really a weakness. For example, “that my biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist”.

Example response: “One of the strengths I bring to the table is my ability to bring a process and framework to the projects I work on. I approach my work methodically based on the best practices I have learned throughout my career. This approach has resulted in increased revenues, higher quality, and decreased costs to projects. 

One of my weaknesses I am trying to get better at is, managing my capacity. I tend to say yes to projects and requests, especially when they are related to my interests. Unfortunately, this behavior leads me to become over capacity very quickly which hinders the progress of projects. 

I am actively learning about and trying different ways to manage my capacity so that I can bring the best quality to my work. A couple of things I am trying to work on include: making my project portfolio more visible and learning to say no gracefully when I am overcommitted.”

5. How do you like to receive feedback?

What they are trying to learn: This question is designed to understand how receptive you are to receiving feedback. High-performing teams consistently give both positive and constructive feedback to each other. Being open and willing to hear constructive feedback communicates that you are a learner, want to continue to improve, and value your team’s perspective.

Example response: “Receiving feedback helps me to identify where my blind spots are so I can continue to improve the quality of my work. I’m highly receptive to it and feel like it’s an important characteristic of a strong team. It’s important that my colleagues feel like they can approach me to give both positive and constructive feedback. 

I prefer feedback to be specific and either just in time or as soon as possible. I also prefer the feedback to happen in a 1 on 1 setting so that we can intentionally discuss it together. Getting feedback from team members shows me that they care about my performance and want to help me improve.”

6. How do you resolve conflict with team members?

What they are trying to learn: This peer interview question is designed to understand your approach to resolving conflict. It’s also designed to assess your reaction to conflict. Do you wait for things to smooth out or do you address it head-on in a timely matter so that there is a quick resolution?

Example response: “It’s completely expected and normal to encounter conflict with colleagues. It can be an uncomfortable feeling, but I believe discussing it in a timely matter is important so that things don’t unnecessarily escalate. 

Everyone brings a unique perspective that can influence their decisions and work, I think that should be respected. When I encounter conflict or disagreements, I prefer to address them head-on with the team member. 

I typically ask if the colleague would be ok discussing the conflict privately. I then try to acknowledge the situation that is causing the conflict and ask for their perspective. I share mine and ask for their support in coming to an agreement that feels equal and equitable. 

Usually, just talking out the situation and focusing on how it is impacting the work results in an agreement. If the issue does not resolve by discussing it 1 on 1, then I would escalate to my leader for support and guidance.”

Helpful Resource: A great book that has taught me the skills for resolving conflict in the workplace is: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. It teaches you different approaches, words, and techniques for having difficult conversations that result in successful outcomes. 

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7. Do you prefer working independently or collaboratively?

What they are trying to learn: This question assesses your preferred work style in teams. Don’t assume that the ideal response is to say collaboratively. As a result of the pandemic, many people have become accustomed to the hybrid work-style where it is a mix of independent and collaborative work environments. 

Your potential peers are trying to understand what kinds of work you prefer to do independently vs collaboratively. Be honest about your preferred work style with different tasks. It will communicate that you are genuine and know how you produce your best work.

Example response: “I prefer both working styles, but it is dependent on the task I am working on. For example, for tasks that require a lot of creativity, involve many complex parts, or need a lot of different perspectives, I prefer to be collaborative. For tasks that require critical thinking, heavy excel crunching, or administrative work, I prefer to do more independently first then reach out to my colleagues if needed.”

8. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your work, how do you handle it?

What they are trying to learn: Your peers are trying to assess your stress tolerance and how you work through it. Stress from any job is normal but what can set you apart from other candidates is communicating that you have a process to work through it and are emotionally intelligent when it inevitably arises.

Example response: “The first thing I do is admit to myself that I am feeling overwhelmed. I take a step back and understand what is causing me to feel overwhelmed. If for example, it is a nearing deadline that I am at risk of missing, I seek to understand the priority of the work by escalating to my leader and/or customers. 

If the priority is low, I ask to renegotiate the deadline. If the priority is high, I reach out to my team to see who can support me. If no one is available, I escalate to my leader about what else I can negotiate to take off my plate. I strive to escalate to my leader in a timely fashion, so they are aware of the situation sooner rather than later. 

If all else fails, I figure out how I can reprioritize my workload so that I am working on the most pressing issues first. This may require me to work after hours to get the work completed on time. I try not to make this habit, but it inevitably happens from time to time, and I learn from the experience for next time.”

9. How do you Incorporate Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into your work?

What they are trying to learn: Equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts have been around for some time but in my personal experience, it is becoming a priority area for a lot of organizations which is fantastic.

 Your future peers are trying to learn about your knowledge, receptiveness, interest, and self-awareness on this topic. If you are applying to an organization that serves a diverse demographic, you will likely be asked a question on this topic. I highly suggest learning more about this topic if you are relatively new to it.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• • What Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Really Mean – Ideal.com
  • 5 Powerful Ways to Take REAL Action on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) – ccl.org

Example response: “Equity, diversity, and inclusion are critical in the workplace. It means acknowledging different cultures and perspectives regardless of background. Focusing on EDI efforts is proven to enable greater creativity, better decision-making, and better customer service. 

These benefits make it a better work environment for all people and help the organization hit its goals. I regularly practice active listening and approach my peers with an open mind to ensure I reduce my bias in conversations. This approach has helped me practice the values of EDI and I still have more room to grow and learn about this topic.”

10. What questions do you have for me (or us)?

What they are trying to learn: It is so important to have questions prepared for your interviewers ahead of time. Your peers are trying to gauge your interest and curiosity about the role, the team, and the company. 

Not asking questions about these can inadvertently communicate disinterest in your peers and the work. If you’re wondering, what questions should I ask during a peer interview? See the list below for a collection of powerful questions (choose 2-4 depending on how much time is available). 

Example response: “I have enjoyed talking to you about my experience and work history, I do have a few questions I’d like to ask the group.”

1. 1. 1. What do you enjoy most about working for this organization?
      2. How is your performance measured?
      3. What opportunities are available for growth and development?
      4. Can you give me an idea of what a typical day looks like for you?
      5. What kinds of challenges do you encounter in this role?
      6. Can you give me a sense of the team culture and norms?
      7. What is the vision for this team and what are its goals?
      8. Are there any hesitations you have about my skills that we can further discuss?

How Do You Know If A Peer Interview Went Well?

There are multiple signs that a peer interview went well (or not so well). Here’s what you’re most likely to experience and feel if a peer interview went well:

• The interview was conversational rather than an interrogation 
• The panel actively tried to connect and learn more about you 
• There was a positive and friendly vibe 
• You felt like you would fit in with the culture and dynamic of your prospective peers
• The interview digressed a bit into personal stories 
• You felt like you connected with your prospective peers

As always, this is not a comprehensive list and you may not have experienced all the points listed above to indicate the interview went well. 

I also want you to feel empowered that if you didn’t experience any of the points listed above, to reflect if this is the right role, team, or employer for you. After all, interviewing is a two-way street and you should be feeling out if the prospective job is the right fit and ultimately what you are looking for.