Background Questions

? Tell me about yourself.

? Describe yourself in three words.

? How did you decide on your career path?

? Tell me about your background, your interests and work experiences.

? Describe the key events that led to your decision to get a business degree.

? Describe your education to me.

? Why did you choose the Carlson School of Management?

? Why did you pick your area of concentration?

? What courses did you like best/least and why?

? Who were your favorite professors and why?

? What have you learned from your involvement with extracurricular activities?

? What were your best and worst experiences in college?

? How did you change during college?

? Do you think your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement?

? How has your education in ______________ prepared you specifically for this position?

? If you could do so, how would you plan your academic studies, extracurricular activities and other activities differently?

Industry, company, job related questions

? Why did you decide to seek a job with us?

? What are you looking for in a job?

? How would you compare us with our competitors?

? What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

? Would you relocate?

? How familiar are you with the community our company is located in?

? Do you have any location preferences?

? Is travel a problem for you?

? Are you willing to spend _____ months as a trainee?

? Why do you want to work in the ______ industry?

? What do you see as the image of this company and why would you fit into it?

? What qualifies you for this position?

? If I'd never heard of this company, what could you tell me about it?

? How much do you know about our company?

? Why are you interested in joining us?

? What do you find most attractive about this position? Least attractive?

? What other companies are you interviewing with?

? Have you had any job offers yet?

? What criteria are you using to evaluate different jobs? Different organizations?

? Why should I hire you?

? How many hours per week do you think a person should spend on his/her job?

? How much training do you think you’ll need to be a productive employee?

? What salary range are you expecting?

? What can you do for us that another business student can't do?

Previous Experience or Employment

? Why did you accept each of the jobs or internships on your resume?

? Describe your best boss and your worst.

? Describe your best job and your worst.

? Detail any experiences you've had that have caused you to communicate with people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

? Why have you changed jobs so frequently?

? If I were to pick up the phone and call your last employer what would they tell me?

? How did you get along with your last supervisor?

? What did you think of your last employer? How would you evaluate the firm?

? Why did you leave your previous company?

? What did you like best/least about your last (or present) job?

? Could you have done more in your last job?

? How many people have you hired? What do you look for?

? How have you helped to increase earnings for former employers?

? How do your subordinates get along with you?

? What are your three most important accomplishments thus far in your career? In your last job?

? What is the most difficult assignment you have tackled?

? What is the most rewarding assignment you have completed?

? How have you motivated others to work with or for you?

? What management traits do you value in a superior? Have you ever been in a situation where some of these traits were lacking in a significant way? How did you deal with that?

Short and long range goals

? What are your short-term goals?

? Where do you plan to be in 3-5 years?

? What are your long-term goals?

? What other types of positions are of interest to you?

? How far do you think you can go in this company? How long would it take before you would make a significant contribution? How long will you stay?

? What career goals do you have? How do you plan to achieve them?

? Do you have goals to further your education?

Communication skills

? Do you like to write reports? Give me an example.

? Do you consider yourself fairly adept at sensing and adjusting your communication methods to suit individuals with whom you're working? Give me an example.

? What kind of communication do you think you are best/weakest at? (Formal presentation, informal presentation, written, interpersonal) Give me an example.

? What have you done to enhance your communication skills?

? Describe your level of training or experience in presenting material orally.

? Describe the business correspondence you are experienced in producing (memos, business reports, executive summaries, etc.)

Working in groups

? When working in a group, what factors do you think must be present for a group to accomplish its goal?

? Can you describe for me a group situation that you thought worked very well? Why? What role did you play?

? Can you describe for me a group situation that you thought did not work well? Why?

Personal traits, character, values & preferences

? At this time in your life, what do you value most?

? What three things do you want me to know about you?

? In your scheme of life, what importance does work play?

? Would you best categorize yourself as more tense and high strung, or easy going?

? What characteristics or qualities do you value most in people?

? In general, how do you react to conflict?

? What is your philosophy of life?

? How would you describe yourself?

? What is the most important lesson you've learned in life?

? Describe your nature and personality to me.

? Describe your character.

? What one characteristic best describes you?

? What motivates you?

? Do you like to be an independent worker or do you perform best with structure and supervision?

? In what kind of a work environment are you most comfortable?

? Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?

? Would you rather work with information or with people?

? What kind of people do you like to work with?

? What is your competitive advantage?

? Whom do you admire most and why?

Challenges, strengths & weaknesses

? Describe the most difficult situation you have been in and how you handled it.

? Describe one goal for yourself and what you did to meet it.

? Can you give me an example of a time that you successfully dealt with conflict?

? Can you describe for me a situation in which you exemplified leadership?

? What were the frustrations and satisfactions of being a leader?

? What has been your greatest failure in life?

? What has been your greatest accomplishment?

? What have you learned form your mistakes?

? Give me an example of when you were assertive and took the initiative to achieve some goal--a business example.

? Give an example or situation where you had to convince someone to do something.

? Tell me what you consider to be your greatest assets. Weaknesses.

? Describe one goal for yourself and what you did to meet it.

? Can you describe for me a situation in which you failed to accomplish your objective?

? How will your major strengths help you in this position?

? Would you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized?

? What was the biggest mistake you made?

? What was your most satisfying success?

? What have been your most important rewards?

Outside interests

? How do you relax? What do you do in your leisure time?

? Are you active in any outside groups or organizations? What is your role in the group? What have you contributed to the organization?

? What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Cultural event you attended?

? What magazines and what kinds of books do you read and how much time per month do you spend reading them?

? How do you plan to stay current in your field?

General questions

? Name 5 unique contributions you can make to our company.

? How do you handle criticism?

? How do you evaluate success?

? How important is money to you?

? What rewards do you expect in your career?

? Do you consider yourself a competitive person? Explain.

? Are you considered by friends to be ambitious? Explain.

? Since it is likely that you can make more money in the private sector, why are you interested in the public sector? (if applicable)

? How would you use your skill in sports on this job? (if applicable)

? Problem--a key employee has been absent four days in the past month. What would you do?

? Have you considered self-employment? If so, what would you do?

? Tell me about a recent article you read in the Wall Street Journal.

? What question do you wish I would have asked you? (Then answer the question.)

Behavioral Based Questions (remember…this type of question will be focused on past behavior)

· Tell me about a time the last time you worked on a team and what happened.

· Describe a situation where you were in a leadership role.

· Give me an example that demonstrates your ability to organize.

· Tell me about a time when you dealt with a conflict situation.

· Tell me about a specific time where you had to work under pressure?

· Give me an example of a time when you had to motivate others.

· Tell me about a time when you had to convey technical information to a non-technical audience.

· Tell me about a time when you had to use your analytical skills to solve a problem.

· Give me an example of a time when you had to adapt to a new situation.

· Tell me about a specific time when you exhibited your creativity.

· Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone to do something they didn’t want to do.

· Give me the details of a time when you had to manage a group of people.

· Tell me about a time when you showed particularly good leadership.

· How have you successfully worked with a difficult person?

· Share with me a time when you worked in an unstructured situation.

· Give me the details of a time when you had to deal with a major change.

· Give me an example of a time you had direct supervisory responsibilities.

· Give me an example that demonstrates your assertiveness.

· Describe an experience where you had to resolve a difference in personalities.

· Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

· Share with me a time that you had to sell a new idea to a group of individuals who preferred to keep things as they are. How did you convince them to adopt your idea?

· Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.