Interview Questions

Many people are nervous about interviews, but it is important to remember that this fear is largely a matter of anticipation, since many people report feeling at ease only minutes into the interview, if not right when the interview starts.  One way of reducing this nervousness is to prepare yourself by answering practice questions prior to the interview.  Often, interviewers will ask a standard set of questions that will encourage you to speak about past experiences that relate to the position you are applying for.  Focus on past experiences and skills that are applicable to the position you are applying for, rather than trying to give a general overview.  Remember to use examples from your previous employment and educational background to illustrate that you have the right skills for the job.  If this is your first interview, focus on the skills you have developed in your day-to-day life, and feel free to mention that you are eager to develop a completely new set of skills.     

You will also feel better prepared for the interview if you read about the organization or company you are applying to.  Many organizations and companies have their own websites, which often contain a section titled “About Us”, detailing their guiding principles or philosophies, as well as having information about past and current initiatives or projects.  If you are already familiar with the organization or company before you enter the interview, you will most likely be less nervous and demonstrate that you are an enthusiastic and well-informed candidate for the position.

Finally, remember that the interview is also an opportunity for you to ask questions in order to better determine if the position is right for you.

Questions You May Be Asked During a Job Interview 

1. Tell me about yourself.
   
   
2. Describe the major functions of your current job; how did you go about learning those functions?
   
   
3. How have your past work/educational experiences prepared you for this position?
   
   
4. What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment(s) over the past year? Why?
   
   
5. How would your current supervisor/professors describe you?
   
   
6. Why do you want to work for this company?
   
   
7. What are your strengths? your weaknesses?
   
   
8. If you could have made one suggestion to your boss at your last job, what would it have been?
   
   
9. What work/educational experiences have been most valuable to you and why?
   
   
10. How do you plan and prepare for the day/week? What do you do when something unexpected comes up?
    
    
11. Why do you want to leave your current job?/Why did you leave your last job?
    
    
12. Tell me about a project you initiated. What was it? How did you go about it? What was the outcome?
    
    
13. Describe a situation where you had a conflict with another person. How did you go about resolving it? If a similar situation arose now, what would you do differently?
    
    
14. How did you go about choosing your major? What factors did you consider? Are you satisfied with your choice?
    
    
15. Give me an example of a difficult problem you have solved and how you went about solving it.
    
    
16. What types of situations put you under pressure, and what do you do to deal with that pressure?
    
    
17. Tell me about a situation where you had to persuade another person to accept your point of view. What did you do? Were you successful?
    
    
18. What can you contribute to this company?
    
    
19. Are you willing to relocate or travel as part of your job?
    
    
20. When do you feel really charged up at work? When do you feel burned out?
    
    
21. What particular part of your job/college courses did you enjoy most? Least?
    
    
22. Describe the type of work environment/supervision you need to be most successful on the job.
     
23. We are looking at several very good candidates; why are you the best person for the job?
    
    
24. What decisions are easiest for you to make? the most difficult?
    
    
25. Give me an example of how you have been particularly effective in relating with others.
    
    
26. How would you describe your supervisory/leadership style?
    
    
27. Where do you expect to be in five years? What are your long-range career goals?
    
    
28. Why did you go to (the college you attended)?
    
    
29.  What type of student were you?
    
    
30. Describe the best/worst boss you ever had.
     
31. What interests you about our products/services?
    
    
32. Did you ever change your major? Why?
    
    
33. What personal characteristics do you have that would be of particular value to us/in this position?
    
    
34. How do you handle stress?
    
    
35. Would you rather be in charge of a project or a member of a team?
    
    
36. How did you prepare for this interview?
    
    
37. How do you feel about your career progress to date?
    
    
38. Are you interviewing with any other companies?
    
    
39. What would you do if your boss told you to do something immediately, and your boss' boss asked you to work on a special project that also needed immediate attention?
    
    
40. Have you ever been passed over for a promotion? What did you do?
    
    
41. How do you think your work should be judged/evaluated?
    
    
42. How many hours a day/a week do you think a person should spend on the job?
    
    
43. What have you done about your own career/professional development over the past two or three years?
    
    
44. How do you go about judging or evaluating your own work? How do you know when you have done a good job?
     
45. What questions do you have for me?
    
    
46. Is there anything else I should know about you?
    
    
47. Why should I hire you?

 Questions You May Want To Ask

1. How would you describe the ideal candidate for this position?
   
   
2. What are the department's current major projects/priorities? What is planned for the future?
   
   
3. Is this a newly created position or would I be replacing someone? (If replacement: Why did that person leave this position?)
   
   
4. What are the most significant challenges for this position over the next year?
   
   
5. How has this position changed over the last few years? Do you anticipate changes in this position in the future?
   
   
6. How does the company evaluate work performance? What standards would be used to evaluate performance in this position?