"Why are you hiring for this role?" - Good: We are growing and need more capabilities. - Very good: We are developing a new X and are hiring to support that.

"Why are you hiring for this role?" - Good: We are growing and need more capabilities. - Very good: We are developing a new X and are hiring to support that. - Okay: We are replacing headcount. - Bad: The department is chronically understaffed and overworked; you're going to help out. - Very bad: Everybody starts in this department and the turnover is high. You generally won't get a straight answer in the bad/very bad line, but you should talk to prospective coworkers to see if they agree. When I'm hiring, I assume that most non-core questions represent exactly what you suggest: trying to avoid prior bad experiences. When I'm being interviewed, I suspect that non-core questions are trying to avoid prior bad hires.