The Ultimate Interview Question Generator: How to Hire the Top 1%

Bad hires are expensive. The average cost of a bad hire is up to 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings, not to mention the morale killer of bringing the wrong person into a tight-knit team. The problem usually isn’t the candidate pool; it’s the interview process. Most hiring managers rely on generic questions like “What is your biggest weakness?” which elicit rehearsed, generic answers.

To find the diamonds in the rough, you need to dig deeper. You need behavioral questions that expose character, technical probes that verify skills, and scenario simulations that test decision-making. The MiraclePrompts Interview Prep Wizard acts as your virtual Hiring Consultant, generating a bespoke interview script that ensures you never ask a wasted question again.

Here is your step-by-step guide to filling out the Wizard to uncover the truth about your candidates.

Phase 1: Defining the Archetype

Before the AI can generate questions, it needs to understand the “DNA” of the role. A question that works for a Sales Director will fail miserably for a Backend Engineer.

Step 1: What is the Job Function?

Why it matters: Different job families require different cognitive frameworks. By selecting the specific function, you prime the AI to access specific domain knowledge.

• Sales & Biz Dev: Triggers questions about resilience, quotas, and negotiation psychology.
• Software Engineering / IT: Shifts the focus to system architecture, coding standards, and debugging logic.
• Customer Support: Prioritizes empathy, de-escalation techniques, and patience.

Step 2: Seniority Level

Why it matters: This adjusts the “Altitude” of the questions. An entry-level interview checks for execution (can you do the task?), while an executive interview checks for strategy (can you define the vision?).

• Entry Level / Intern: Focuses on willingness to learn, basic skills, and coachability.
• Senior / Lead: Focuses on mentorship, autonomous decision-making, and technical depth.
• C-Suite / Executive: Focuses on P&L management, organizational culture, and long-term strategy.

Step 3: Core Competencies to Test

Why it matters: Skills can be taught; behavior is hard to change. This step defines the “Soft Skills” that act as multipliers for the role.

• Conflict Resolution: Essential for managers. The AI will generate “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a peer…” style prompts.
• Adaptability & Agility: Critical for startups. Questions will test how the candidate handles pivot points and ambiguity.
• Leadership & Influence: Tests the ability to persuade others without relying on title or authority.

Phase 2: The Stress Test

This phase is about verifying hard skills and ensuring the candidate can survive your specific environment.

Step 4: Technical Focus Areas

Why it matters: This prevents “fakers” from slipping through. The AI will generate specific technical inquiries that require detailed, knowledgeable answers rather than buzzwords.

• Process & Methodology: Tests if they understand how work gets done (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Six Sigma).
• Portfolio / Code Review: Generates questions specifically to ask while looking at their past work examples.
• Industry Trends: Tests if they are passionate enough to keep up with the latest changes in their field.

Step 5: Interview Tone & Style

Why it matters: The environment of the interview should mirror the environment of the job. If the job is high-pressure sales, a “Friendly” interview gives a false positive.

• Structured / Behavioral (STAR): The gold standard for HR. Asks for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
• High Pressure / Stress Test: Deliberately asks difficult, ambiguous questions to see if the candidate cracks under pressure.
• Conversational: Best for culture-fit rounds where you want the candidate to let their guard down.

Step 6: Cultural Fit Requirements

Why it matters: A brilliant jerk is still a bad hire. This helps align the candidate’s values with your company’s reality.

• Startup Hustle: Screens for people who need defined swim lanes and 9-to-5 stability (who might fail in a chaotic startup).
• Remote / Asynchronous Work: Tests for self-discipline and written communication skills essential for WFH roles.

Step 7: Probe for Red Flags

Why it matters: You see the red flags on the resume (gaps, short stints). You need a professional way to ask about them without being aggressive or legally compromising.

• Job Hopping: The AI will craft questions like “Walk me through your decision-making process for leaving your last three roles.”
• Handling Failure / Blame: Tests if the candidate takes ownership or points fingers at former bosses.

Phase 3: The Simulation & Context

Finalizing the output format and feeding the AI the raw data it needs to be specific.

Step 8: Scenario Types to Generate

Why it matters: Hypotheticals are powerful truth serums. They force the candidate to think on their feet and reveal their moral compass and prioritization logic.

• Ethical Dilemmas: “Your boss asks you to ship a product you know has a minor bug. What do you do?”
• Resource Constraint: “You have 50% of the budget you requested. How do you achieve the same goal?”

Step 9: Output Format

Why it matters: How do you plan to use this during the interview? Do you need a script to read, or a grading rubric?

• Mock Interview Script: Generates a dialogue script, perfect for role-playing with a co-worker before the real interview.
• Questions + ‘What Good Looks Like’: The most valuable option. It gives you the question AND a cheat sheet on what a “Star Answer” vs. a “Red Flag Answer” sounds like.
• Scorecard Matrix: Creates a grid for you to numerically rate the candidate.

Step 10: Context & Details

Why it matters: The more specific you are, the better the AI performs. This is where you paste the JD.

• Job Description (JD): Paste the full text. The AI will extract keywords and ensure the questions map back to the requirements.
• Resume Highlights: Paste the candidate’s summary. “Candidate has 10 years experience but no degree.” The AI will generate questions to verify their practical experience compensates for the education gap.

How to Use Your Prompt Across Platforms

Once you copy your custom prompt, here is how the major AI models handle the request:

• Claude (Highly Recommended): Claude excels at persona adoption. It generates the most empathetic and nuanced behavioral questions. It is fantastic at creating “What Good Looks Like” guides.
• ChatGPT (GPT-4o): Great for “Stress Testing.” It can generate very tricky logic puzzles or complex scenarios for engineering/finance roles.
• Gemini 1.5 Pro: Use this if you want to paste a massive amount of context (e.g., the company handbook, the JD, and three candidate resumes) to generate unique questions for each person.
• Microsoft CoPilot: Ideal for generating the “Scorecard” format, as it can easily format tables that paste directly into Excel or Teams.
• Perplexity: Use this to research “Market Rate” questions or to find industry-standard technical questions for specific certifications.

Power User Tool: NotebookLM

Take your hiring process to the next level by using Google’s NotebookLM.

The Strategy: “The Digital Hiring Committee.”

1. Generate your Interview Script using the Wizard.
2. Record your interviews (with permission) and get the transcripts.
3. Upload the Job Description, your Wizard Output (the evaluation criteria), and the Candidate Transcripts into NotebookLM.

The Payoff: Ask NotebookLM: “Based on the evaluation criteria I uploaded, rank these three candidates. Cite specific quotes from their transcripts where they demonstrated ‘Leadership’.” This gives you an objective, evidence-based second opinion.

🔮 MiraclePrompts Miracles: The Insider’s Playbook

Here are four clever hacks to get even more value out of this Wizard.

1. The “Lie Detector” (Follow-Up Probes)
In Step 7 (Red Flags), select “Other” and type: “Deep Dive Probes.” Then, in Step 9 (Format), choose “Questions + Guide.” The AI will generate a question, and then give you a specific “Follow Up” question designed to catch someone lying.
Example: Q: “What was your ROI?” Follow-up: “Walk me through the exact formula you used to calculate that.”

2. The “Bar Raiser” Matrix
In Step 2, select a level higher than the role you are hiring for. If you are hiring a Manager, select “Director.” Use these questions to see if the candidate has “high potential” ceiling, or if they are already capped at their current level.

3. The “Culture Add” vs. “Culture Fit”
In Step 6 (Culture), use the Custom Input to type: “Look for Culture ADD, not just Fit.” The AI will generate questions that look for diversity of thought and new perspectives, rather than just checking if the person is exactly like the current team.

4. The Reverse Interview
In Step 9 (Format), select “Other” and type: “List of 5 questions the CANDIDATE should ask ME.” Print this out. If the candidate struggles to ask questions at the end of the interview, look at your list. If they ask the things on your AI list, you know they are strategic thinkers.