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| COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS |
PERSONAL AND MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS
- Please tell me about yourself.
- Who or what had the greatest influence on your life?
- How would you describe yourself?
- What are some of the greatest personal challenges you have faced during your lifetime?
- What are some of your personal goals, and have you achieved them?
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- What skills and abilities do you possess that will help make you successful?
- Please discuss some of your past leadership roles and your accomplishments in them.
- Why should we hire you?
- What are some of the pros and cons of working on a team project?
- Have you ever supervised someone in a similar position with another company?
- How would you describe your supervisory style?
- Who was the most difficult person you have interacted with, and how did you respond?
- How did you organize your time in school/work/play?
- What are your major strengths and weaknesses?
- What personal factors do you consider most important when evaluating yourself?
- Please tell me about your communication skills, your professional skills, and your problem-solving abilities.
- Please describe your leadership style.
- What skills and/or special qualities do you possess for this job that would make you stand out from other candidates?
- What skills and abilities do you bring to this job?
- Please list 3 personal attributes you would like to improve, and tell me what you've done to make improvements in these areas.
- How would your friends describe you?
- What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
- Who are 2 people you admire and respect the most? Why?
- What aspects of your past or current job were most frustrating?
- If you could create the perfect job for yourself, what would you be doing?
CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
- What are your long range goals and objectives?
- How are you preparing to achieve them?
- What are your short and long-term goals?
- What are your standards of success/goals for a job? Are you goal oriented?
- Please describe your ideal job.
- Why are you interested in this industry/ profession/ occupation?
- What are your career interests?
- What work would you like to do that really interests you?
- In what environment do you want to work?
- Please tell me about your plans for the future.
- Do you prefer theoretical or practical problems?
- Why do you want to work for his company?
- In this organization, where do you see yourself in five years?
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND COLLEGE EXPERIENCES
- Please tell me about your accomplishments in extracurricular activities.
- Please describe your most rewarding college experiences.
- Please cite examples of the challenges you experienced during your leadership positions with campus activities.
- If you could relive your college experiences, what would you do differently?
- What changes would you make in your overall campus life?
- During your campus activities, what positions did you hold?
- What were your major responsibilities in these organizations?
- What did you like best/least about these positions?
- Did you have an opportunity to work as a member of a team? If so, please explain.
- What were some of the problems you encountered working as a team member?
BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
Tell me about a time when you:
- Worked effectively under pressure.
- Used your creativity to solve a problem.
- Missed an obvious solution to a problem.
- Were unable to complete a project on time.
- Persuaded team members to do things your way.
- Anticipated and averted potential problems.
- Had to make an important decision with limited information.
- Were forced to make an unpopular decision.
- Had to adapt to a difficult situation.
- Tolerated opinions that were difficult from your own.
- Felt disappointed in your own behaviour.
- Used your people skills to get your own way.
- Had to deal with an irate customer.
- Delegated an assignment or project that succeeded.
- Surmounted a difficult obstacle.
- Set your sights too high or too low.
- Prioritized a complex project.
- Made a bad decision.
- Turned down a good job.
- Were terminated from a job.
- Had conflict with a co-worker.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- Why did you choose this major field of study?
- Please tell me about accomplishments in your academic program that are relevant to your future career goals.
- What is your grade point average (GPA)? How do you feel about this?
- How would you relate your academic accomplishments to future career aspirations?
- How satisfied are you with your accomplishments in this academic program?
- What was the most difficult aspect of obtaining a college degree?
- What are your academic strengths?
- What courses gave you the most difficulty?
WORK EXPERIENCE
- What were your accomplishments in prior work experiences? What were your most significant achievements?
- What problems did you experience while on the job?
- What would your last two employers say about you as an employee, either good or bad?
- What projects were accomplished during your time on the job? How were these accomplished?
- What experiences did you have when meeting deadlines for project completion? Explain.
- What can you tell me that you enjoyed most about your previous job experiences? Least?
- Can you tell me about your toughest job assignment?
- Please tell me about a conflict situation and how you resolved it.
- What life experiences have given you the greatest reward?
- What one experience proved to you that you would be a capable manager?
- Please elaborate on one of the work experiences listed on your resume.
- What did you see as your major strengths and/or weaknesses on this job?
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- In addition to your educational and professional experiences, what else would you like us to know about you?
- Please tell me about some of the accomplishments you achieved during college of which you're proud?
- How did you finance your education?
- What are your greatest achievements at this point in your life?
RELOCATION/TRAVEL
- Are you willing to relocate?
- Do you mind traveling?
- How do you feel about relocating during a career with XYZ company?
KNOWLEDGE OF THE ORGANIZATION
- Why did you select XYZ company?
- Why do you want our training program over others?
- What are your expectations of the XYZ company?
- Why do you want to work in the position you are seeking?
- What attracts you to this industry? Other industries?
- What do you know about our company?
- Who else are you interviewing in your job search?
- Why did you choose to interview with our company?
SALARY AND BENEFITS
- What starting salary do you expect as an employee?
- What company benefits are most important to you?
- How do you feel about an income made up totally of commissions?
- When comparing one company offer to another, what factors will be important to you besides starting salary?
- How important is starting salary to you when considering our company's job offer?
QUESTIONS TO ASK EMPLOYERS
- If I work hard and prove my value to the firm, where might I be in five years?
- What are some of the current challenges facing this company/department?
- Can you describe for me what a typical work week would be like for someone in my position?
- What type of training programs does your company have?
- What career paths have others in the company generally followed?
- How does the position and the department contribute to the overall company mission and philosophy?
- What characteristics best describes individuals who are successful in this position?
- What other positions and/or departments will I interact with most?
- To whom does this position report?
- How will my performance be evaluated?
- What are the opportunities for advancement?
- How would you describe the organization's culture/environment?
- What makes your organization different from its competitors?
- Why have you stayed with this company?
- How is the work environment affected by the organization's management style?
- Will I have the opportunity to meet the people with whom I'll be working?
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