These eight questions are examples of standard behavioral interview questions suitable for any corporate hiring, promotion, or team-assessment context. None reference any external framework. All ask about observable workplace behaviors and preferences.
The diagnosis is not in the questions. It is in the answers. Each question is designed so that a Technical Specialist and a Critical Challenger will answer in characteristically different and recognizable ways. The interviewer’s job is to listen for the response patterns described below each question and assess which pattern the candidate’s answer most closely matches.
No single question is dispositive. Look for consistency across multiple answers. A candidate who gives TS-pattern answers to most of the TS questions is very likely a Technical Specialist. A candidate who gives CC-pattern answers to most of the CC questions is very likely a Critical Challenger. Mixed results suggest either a borderline case requiring further assessment or a candidate who has learned to manage his natural tendencies, which is itself useful information.
These questions work best in a conversational format rather than a rigid interview structure. Let the candidate talk. The longer the answer, the more diagnostic information it contains. Follow-up questions like “can you give me a specific example?” and “what happened next?” are always appropriate and often revealing.....
