Interview Questions and Answers

Interview Questions and Answers

General Interview Q & A

1. Tell me about yourself. (The employer wants to know if you have the ability to carry a conversation. They also want to know if you can do the work and if you are a good fit for the company. Do not give them your life story. Prepare a 30 second to 1 minute comprehensive picture of what you will bring to the organization. )

2. What interests you most about this job? (The employer wants to know if you have taken the time to research the position and all that it entails. They also want to know what you are looking forward to doing.)

3. What interests you least about this job? (The employer wants to know if you have taken the time to research the position and all that it entails. They want to know what you are not looking forward to doing and how you are going to adjust to complete the task.)

4. What interests you about this industry? (The employer wants to know what your motivation is for seeking employment in the field and if your expectations are realistic.)

5. Why do you want to work for this particular company? (The employer wants to know if you have taken the time to research the company and figured out what you like and/or dislike about it, looked at their background, looked at their mission statement, etc. They also want to know if you have researched other companies in the field; they are basically asking if you have done your homework prior to the interview.)

6. What new skills or ideas will you bring to this job? (The employer wants to know what makes you better than or unique from the next person applying for the job, your individual characteristics, what your education has prepared you for, etc.)

7. What do you think are the most important abilities that lead to success on the job? (Three things are important here: desire to learn the job, desire to do good work, and desire to be friendly and cooperative.)

8. What are your strengths? (The employer wants to know if you are self-aware and if you have a good idea of the things at which you excel.)

9. What are your weaknesses? (The employer wants to know if you are aware of your weaknesses and if you are working on your weaknesses. Everyone has them. Focus on your work-related weaknesses, not your character weaknesses. Turn it into a positive, not a negative statement.)

10. Describe your ideal position. (Your ideal position, for the interview, is the position you are applying for and with the company which you are interviewing. It is best to stick with the traits of the job description. The employer wants to know if you will be a good fit and how long you plan on staying with the company.)

11. Where do you see yourself in five years? (Do NOT say that you wish to move up in 6 months. The employer wants to know if you strive for personal growth and if you see your career through a dynamic or a static lens. Now would be a good time to mention that you want to be there for a long time.)

12. What kind of salary are you looking for? (The employer wants to know if they can afford you and if you are willing to work for their pay grade without being frustrated. Sidestep question as much as possible and try to make them answer first. Ask “What salary do you usually offer someone with my skills and abilities? Do NOT give them a number.)

13. Would you be able to work extended hours or travel as necessary to perform the duties of the job? (The employer wants to know if you are willing to go above and beyond, even at an inconvenience to yourself, to complete the task at hand. Even if you have personal constraints that might prevent this, be careful with your answer. If they start hinting at questions about personal life, it becomes an illegal interview question and you don’t have to answer that.)

14. What leader(s) do you admire, and why? (The employer wants to know who you strive to be and what qualities you seek in yourself and others. They also want to know if you are a static or dynamic individual and how you are improving yourself by using other people as examples.)

15. Describe your comfort level working with people of higher and lower rank. (The employer wants to know how you view yourself in relation to superiors and subordinates; they want to know how seeing a person as superior or inferior impacts your working relationship with the person.)

16. What do you do in your spare time? What do you do to relax? (The employer wants to know who you are when you are not at work and what purpose these particular activities serve for you. They want to know if you are well-balanced. However, make sure that your activities do not limit you geographically. For example, if you are an avid skier on the weekends and do so in order to relax, do not talk about it when applying for a job in Kansas. )

17. What motivates you? (The employer wants to know what drives you to succeed and if you are motivated by intrinsic and/or extrinsic rewards. They are trying to see if they have the time and resources to satisfy you in your job. Money is not a good answer.)

18. Can we call all of your references? (The employer wants to know who the people are that you have listed and why you have listed them. Do NOT say “No” to this question. If you have listed someone who you would rather they do not call, do not put them as a reference. If you are internally interviewing, you can tell them not to contact your current supervisor until they know for sure that you are in the last round of interviews and a possible candidate for the job.)

19. Last year, how many days of work (or school) did you miss? How many days were you late? (The employer wants to know if you are reliable and if you show up consistently and on time. Give them your track record and be honest.)

20. Have you ever been fired? (The employer wants to know what the reasons were for the firing and if they were legitimate. They also want to know if you are willing to take responsibility for your performance (if that was the reason) and if the job from which you were fired is similar to the job for which you are being hired. Keep your answer as minimal as possible and do NOT slander the boss who fired you; this is not a time for airing past grievances.)

21. Give me two reasons why I should not hire you. (They want to know what will set you apart from the rest of the candidates and what might be the biggest hindrances to your work. Honesty is important, but with restraint. Something along the lines of “I don’t know” or “I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t think I would be a good candidate” is an acceptable answer. End on a positive note.

Behavioral Interview Q & A

1. How is your experience relevant to this job? (The employer wants to know how your education/training prepared you for the position. Explain both your experience and its application to the position. Experience may include work, work study, internships, resident life positions, etc.)

2. What’s your most productive work environment? (The employer wants to know in what conditions do you find yourself performing most effectively. If these “prime” conditions are not available at the company, they want to see if you can work around the problem and adjust.)

3. Describe your working relationship with previous superiors. (The employer wants to know if you were able to get along with your bosses and how you handled both criticism and praise from authority. This is not a time to criticize previous employers. If you have had a bad experience, tell them how you managed the relationship.)

4. Describe your working relationship with your previous colleagues. (The employer wants to know if you were able to get along with your coworkers and how you handled giving and taking both criticism and praise from peers. They also want to know if you helped develop teamwork or took on a leadership role in the process.)

5. Are you most productive working alone or in a group? (Answer that you are both. Explain to them what your strengths are when you are in charge or part of a team, but also let them know you are able to work alone and are self-directed. One setting may be your strong suit over the other, but you should indicate productivity in both settings.)

6. What type of people do you work with most effectively? (The employer wants to know who you are drawn to in a group and what your personality is in relation to the team. They also want to know how you will adjust to difficult employees already in the company. It is acceptable to talk about people with whom you do not work well, but remember to identify your coping strategies in these situations.)

7. How have you handled tension with previous supervisors? (The employer wants to know if you can work through tension in the workplace to find middle ground with others. Give examples of how it has worked out in the past. This is not a time to criticize your boss.)

8. In your life thus far, what was your greatest accomplishment? (The employer wants to know your priorities, how you might have contributed something to society, your values in life, etc. If your career or education are great accomplishments, those are also acceptable answers.)

9. Tell me about a time when you had to utilize organizational skills. (The employer wants to know if you are organized and if not, if you can organize and prioritize multiple situations as they arise.)

10. Talk about a contribution you’ve made to a group. (The employer wants to know if you were successful as a group and if you can appreciate teams and what they can accomplish. They also want to know if you recognize your own work and that of your peers in a joint effort.)

11. Give me an example of a time you went above and beyond. (The employer wants to know if you are a self-starter or if you have to be micro-managed to complete a task. They also want to know if you are willing to settle for the status quo or are you seeking change and innovation. They want to know if you strive to do the job with excellence.)

12. Tell me how you’ve attained a corporate goal. (The employer wants to know if you brought others alongside to help you or if you did the work alone; if you worked with others, they want to know how you involved them in the process. They also want to know if intrinsic and extrinsic rewards were involved and how they did or did not motivate you.)

13. Describe a time when you found it necessary to make an unpopular decision in order to attain a team or corporate goal. (The employer wants to know if you can handle criticism from and unpopularity among your peers. They want to know if you can remain professional in adversity and if you can make the best decision even when it’s difficult.)

14. Describe a time when you’ve worked under intense pressure. (The employer wants to know if you can handle stressful situations and if you can handle working under deadlines or projects that come up suddenly which will need your immediate attention. They also want to know how you prioritize in these situations.)

15. How do you manage stress in your daily work? (The employer wants to know if you can work through stress on the job or if it debilitates you and causes you to perform poorly.)

16. Describe a time when you had to alter your leadership style to better suit a team or situation. (The employer wants to know how well you read and adapt to others. They also want to know if you are willing to be flexible in order to be successful.)

17. Describe a time when you tackled a tough assignment and how you handled it. (The employer wants to know if you are an independent problem solver, resilient, able to respond efficiently to unexpected issues, etc.)

18. Describe a time in your work experience when the existing process wasn’t working, and what you did to rectify the situation. (The employer wants to know if you are a self-starter. Give lots of detail. They want to see how you define problems, possible options, and subsequent solutions.)

19. Tell me about a project in which you were disappointed with your personal performance. (The employer wants to know if you can pinpoint cause and effect in an issue. They also want to know how you handled your disappointment and what you did to correct it. The purpose of this is to see if you can accurately self-evaluate.)

20. Tell me about a time when you failed. (The employer wants to know if you can overcome and learn from your failures. Admitting to mistakes is a sign of maturity, but remember to avoid examples that will reflect poorly on your ability to do the job. Also, be sure to give examples of how you corrected the mistake to avoid failure next time.)

21. How have you handled criticism of your work? (The employer wants to know if you can remain professional when others criticize what you have done. They want to see if you are crushed when you are criticized and simply recoil and shut down or if you take criticism and see it as part of the improvement process.)