Questions to Ask Interns: Why Your Hiring Script is Probably Failing

Stop looking at the GPA. Seriously. If you’re sitting across from a college junior and your first instinct is to ask about their "Introduction to Marketing" grade, you’ve already lost the game. Most managers treat the internship interview like a mini-version of a senior executive hire, but that’s a massive mistake because interns don’t have a decade of receipts to show you. They have potential, raw curiosity, and—if you’re lucky—a work ethic that hasn't been crushed by corporate bureaucracy yet.

Finding the right questions to ask interns is about digging for signals in a very noisy, very inexperienced pond.

The Problem With "Tell Me About Yourself"

It's a lazy opener. When you ask a 20-year-old to tell you about themselves, they give you a rehearsed monologue that their career services center forced them to memorize. It’s plastic. It’s boring. You learn nothing about how they handle a spreadsheet error at 4:00 PM on a Friday.

Instead, try asking: "What’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to learn from scratch without a teacher?"

This matters. In a modern office, things move fast. I don’t want an intern who needs a manual for every software update. I want the kid who spent three days on YouTube learning how to use Pivot Tables because they wanted to organize their fantasy football league. That shows initiative. It shows they can tolerate the frustration of being bad at something before they get good at it.

Honestly, most internships fail not because the student is "dumb," but because they’re waiting for permission to be smart. You need to sniff out that self-starter energy immediately.

Questions to Ask Interns to Gauge Real-World Grit

Grit is a buzzword, sure, but in an internship context, it's the difference between someone who hides when they're confused and someone who speaks up. Angela Duckworth, the psychologist who literally wrote the book on Grit, argues that passion and perseverance are better predictors of success than IQ.

So, how do you see grit in someone who has only ever worked at a summer camp or a Starbucks?

• "Talk me through a time you had to deal with a teammate who wasn't pulling their weight on a group project. How did you handle it without making it weird?"
  • This hits on soft skills. Do they throw people under the bus? Do they just do all the work themselves and grow resentful? Or do they actually communicate?
• "Tell me about a time you failed at something—not a 'perfectionist' failure like working too hard, but a real, embarrassing mess-up."
  • If they can't answer this, they're lying or they lack self-awareness. You want the person who can say, "I messed up the inventory at my retail job and had to stay late to fix it."
• "What’s a hobby you have that has absolutely nothing to do with your major?"
  • This is my favorite. It reveals personality. If a Computer Science major tells me they’re obsessed with baking sourdough bread, I know they understand patience and chemistry and following a process.

Cultural Fit vs. Cultural Add

We talk a lot about "culture fit," but that often just leads to hiring people who look and think exactly like us. That’s how companies stagnate. When considering questions to ask interns, look for "culture adds." What does this person bring that we don't already have?

Maybe it's a specific perspective on a demographic you're trying to reach. Maybe it's a technical skill no one on your team has mastered yet.

Ask them: "If you could change one thing about how [Your Company Name] presents itself online, what would it be?"

It’s a gutsy question. A timid intern will say, "Oh, I think it’s all great!" A great intern will say, "Your TikTok presence feels like a dad trying to be cool, and here’s why." You want the person who is brave enough to give you a critique, even if they’re nervous. That shows they’ve actually researched you and have an opinion.

The "Will They Actually Do the Work?" Test

Let’s be real. Internships involve some grunt work. There will be data entry. There will be filing. There will be "boring" meetings. You need to know if they’re going to act like the work is beneath them.

Try this: "We have some tasks that are, frankly, pretty repetitive and unglamorous. How do you stay focused when the work gets tedious?"

Listen for their process. Do they listen to podcasts? Do they gamify it? If they act shocked that the job isn't 100% "strategic brainstorming," they aren't the right fit.

Why Your Current Questions Are Likely Biased

A study published in the American Sociological Review found that elite firms often hire based on "shared leisure activities"—think rowing, sailing, or high-end travel. This is a trap. If your questions to ask interns are all about where they traveled over the summer, you’re just hiring for wealth, not talent.

Shift the focus.

"What’s a project you worked on where you had to use limited resources to get a result?"

This levels the playing field. It allows a student who worked two jobs to put themselves through school to shine. They might talk about managing a tight budget for a student club or fixing a car with parts from a junkyard. That’s the kind of problem-solving that actually translates to a business environment.

The Reverse Interview: What They Ask You

The interview isn't a one-way street. At the end, you’ll ask, "Do you have any questions for me?"

If they say "No," or "When do I start?", that's a yellow flag. You want to hear things like:

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1. "What does a 'win' look like for an intern in the first 30 days?"
2. "How does the team handle it when a project goes south?"
3. "Who was your most successful intern ever, and what did they do differently?"

These questions show that the intern is thinking about output, not just their paycheck or their resume line item.

Technical Skills and the "Show Me" Method

If you're hiring for a technical role—coding, design, data analysis—don't just ask if they know Python. Everyone says they know Python.

"Explain a complex technical concept to me as if I’m five years old."

If they can explain an API or a blockchain or a marketing funnel simply, it means they actually understand it. It also proves they can communicate with clients or stakeholders who aren't experts.

Actionable Steps for Your Next Interview

Stop using the same list of ten questions you found on a HR blog in 2012. The world has changed. Gen Z values transparency and impact over corporate jargon. To get the most out of your candidates, follow this sequence:

1. Ditch the script. Start with a casual conversation about something they mentioned in their cover letter to lower their guard.
2. Focus on "The Pivot." Ask about a time they had to change direction mid-stream. Adaptability is the number one skill in 2026.
3. Check for "Low Ego." Ask about a time they received harsh feedback. If they get defensive in the interview, imagine how they'll be in a performance review.
4. Listen for the "We" vs "I". If they take 100% of the credit for a group win, they might be a nightmare to manage. If they give all the credit away, they might lack the confidence to own their work. Look for the balance.

Building an internship program is an investment. You are essentially "test-driving" future full-time employees. If you ask shallow questions, you’ll get shallow hires. But if you push for stories, for failures, and for genuine curiosity, you’ll find the people who will eventually run your company.

Focus on the person, not the paper. The best interns aren't the ones with the perfect resumes; they're the ones with the most interesting answers.