After probing a candidate's past, 'flip the table' and present them with a current, real-world problem your company faces. This reveals their curiosity, analytical skills, and ability to engage with a new challenge on the spot, shifting from their prepared stories to raw problem-solving.

In an interview, the quality and depth of a candidate's questions reveal their intellectual curiosity far more than their prepared answers. A lack of probing questions is a major red flag, as this is the same curiosity they'll need to use with customers.

To move beyond superficial questions, ask a candidate for their real-time assessment of their own performance. Their answer to what you like and what might be causing you pause reveals their ability to read a room, their self-awareness, and how they react under pressure.

Senior commercial leaders are professional interviewers who excel at telling you what you want to hear. A hiring process based solely on conversation is flawed. To truly vet a candidate, you must incorporate exercises that force them to demonstrate their abilities and "show you the receipts" of their claims.

When asked about their sales process, weak candidates brainstorm a long list of activities. Strong candidates have a concise checklist for the key "moments of truth" in a deal, like discovery or proposal calls. The brevity and clarity of their answer signal true process discipline.

To assess a sales candidate's self-awareness and adaptability, ask them to describe their process for a C-level meeting. After they detail their strategy, challenge them with: "So why haven't you done that in this meeting?" Their real-time reaction is a powerful indicator of their ability to course-correct under pressure.

To get past a curated interview persona, ask a candidate to describe a time they had to work with someone they viscerally disliked. Their answer reveals their true approach to conflict, blame, and collaboration under pressure.

A key interview question to reveal a candidate's character is "Tell me about a deal you lost and what you learned." Top candidates demonstrate ownership by analyzing what they could have done differently, while weaker candidates often blame external factors like product or their team.

Ineffective interviews try to catch candidates failing. A better approach models a collaborative rally: see how they handle challenging questions and if they can return the ball effectively. The goal is to simulate real-world problem-solving, not just grill them under pressure.