As an interviewer, one of the very first questions you should ask should be:

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being you’ve heard of it, 10 being you could write a book, how do you rate yourself in [Topic]?

This is probably one of the most important questions to start the interview with for a couple of reasons we will explore.

Set the tone for interview / conversation

The answer to this question should help set the tone and filter the questions that you pose to the candidate. If a candidate rates themselves a 2 or 3, there is no sense asking them advanced questions on the subject. So many interviewers make the mistake of having a standard listen of questions that they “have to get through” without actually tailoring the content to the candidate. It’s demoralizing to both the interviewer and the candidate. The answer to this question should directly impact which questions you ask and possibly how to phrase them. It should also give you an idea of their potential as a mentor.

Gauge the candidates potential for self assessment

As an interviewer, how many times has a candidate told you that they are “a fast learner”, “quick to ramp up”, “love tackling difficult challenges”? The boilerplate statements are based on the candidates opinion of themselves. When they make these statements without proof they are essentially asking to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If a candidate rates themselves an 8 and yet fails to answer questions around that level, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they lying. It does however point to an issue with honest self assessment. If they overestimate their ability it is a safe assumption other proclamations may as well. Possibly due to the Dunning-Kruger effect On the flip side some candidates will underrate themselves which can indicate a humbleness and muted ego.