Typical Interview Questions (and how to answer them when they are intended to screen you out) Review the questions below and make sure you have a strategy for answering in a manner that addresses in a positive way what the interviewer or supervisor really wants to know. To assist you, you will find [qualifying comments in brackets] after the question. Typical Interview Questions 1. Why do you want this job? 2. What do you consider to be your greatest strength? 3. What do you consider to be your greatest weakness? 4. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort? 5. What qualifies you for this job? 6. What are the most important rewards you expect in your career? 7. What do you see yourself doing five years from now and what are your long-range career objectives? 8. Why should I hire you? 9. What qualifications do you have that make you think you will be successful in this job? 10. How do you determine or evaluate success? 11. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction. Why? 12. Tell me about yourself.
2 Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 13. What was your most significant professional achievement? 14. What was your worst professional mistake? 15. What would be your first actions once you got the job? [please don t tell us you ll make immediate changes without talking with people and doing your research first!] 16. What kind of a supervisor do you prefer? What kind of work environment? 17. Do you consider yourself a team player? 18. What do you know about our organization or our programs? [show us you have done your homework and researched our company] 19. What contributions do you think you could make in this job? 20. Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those reporting to him or her. 21. How well do you handle pressure or a stressful work environment? 22. How would you describe yourself? 23. How do you think you are perceived by your peers? [keep this a workrelated response. We don t want to know they think of you first when it s time to party!] 24. What are the reasons for your success in this profession? 25. What is your energy level like? Describe a typical day. 26. Why do you want to work here? 27. What kind of experience do you have for this job? 28. Are you willing to go where the organization sends you?
Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 3 29. What did you like/ dislike about your last job? [make sure you know the requirements of the job you are seeking, otherwise you might talk yourself out of this job] 30. How do you feel about your progress to date? 31. How long would you stay with the organization? 32. Have you done the best work you are capable of doing? [be careful- if you say yes without explanation, you show that you are ready to rest on your laurels. Make sure to qualify your answer, so they know you are always pushing yourself to learn and be better] 33. How long would it take for you to make a contribution to our organization? 34. What interests you about this job? 35. How much money do you want? 36. What are you looking for in your next job? 37. What can you do for us that someone else cannot do? 38. Describe a difficult problem you've had to deal with. 39. What have you learned from the jobs you have held? 40. What would your references say? 41. What type of decisions did you make on your last job? 42. Why were you fired? 43. In your last job, what were some of the things you spent most of your time on, and why? 44. In what ways has your job prepared you to take on greater responsibility?
4 Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 45. Do you prefer working with others or alone? Why? 46. What kind of decisions are most difficult for you? [and how have you learned to make these decisions, anyway?] 47. Why were you out of work for so long? [keep your response honest, professional, and non-blaming. If there is a personal or health reason, just indicate there were other priorities that required your attention- do NOT explain them] 48. Define cooperation. 49. Why have you changed jobs so frequently? 50. Why do you want to leave your current job? 51. What interests you least about this job? [careful, give an honest answer but immediately explain why you know that aspect of the job is important] 52. What was there about your last employer that you didn't particularly like or agree with? [again, be very careful and diplomatic: rather than saying s/he was a criminal, just say you had different customer service philosophies] 53. What do you feel is a satisfactory attendance record? 54. What is your general impression of your last employer? 55. What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job and what do you do about them? 56. What are some of the things you find difficult to do? Why do you feel this way? [and how do you make sure you do them, anyway?] 57. Jobs have pluses and minuses. What were some of the minuses on your last job? [and how did you make the most of them?] 58. What kind of people do you like to work with?
Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 5 59. What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with? [and what do you do so you can work constructively with them?] 60. How have you successfully worked with this difficult type of person? 61. How did you get your last job? 62. How do you take direction? 63. Would you like to have your supervisor's job? 64. What do you think of your current supervisor? [keep it professional] 65. Describe a situation where your work or an idea was criticized. [and how you responded constructively, either by learning from the criticism and/or making changes so the work or idea was acceptable] 66. What have you done that shows initiative? 67. What are some of the things about which you and your supervisor disagreed? [and how did you resolve these things constructively?] 68. In what areas do you feel your supervisor could have done a better job? [be diplomatic- remember, this supervisor may worry about the things you will say about him or her in a future interview!] 69. What are some of the things your supervisor did that you disliked? [again, keep it professional- and provide a context for why the supervisor took that action- and how you constructively responded to it] 70. How well do you feel your boss rated your job performance? 71. What personal characteristics are necessary for success in your field?
6 Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 72. What difficulties do you have working with people who have different backgrounds and interests from yours? [and how do you get past those difficulties as quickly and professionally as possible?] 73. Have you ever hired or fired anyone? 74. Give an example of a time when you were able to effectively communicate with another person even though s/he disliked you. 75. Give an example of a time when you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or those you supervised. 76. Give an example of a problem you had at work and tell me how you solved it. 77. What did you do on your last job in order to help build teamwork? 78. What are two things you wish to avoid in the next job? 79. Describe an important goal that you've set in the past, and tell me about your success in reaching it. 80. What kinds of decisions are hard for you? [and what have you learned so you can make those decisions anyway?] 81. Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision. 82. Describe the most significant written document/report/presentation that you had to complete. 83. Tell me some specific techniques you used on your last job in order to improve your organization and time management. 84. What is the most creative work-related project you've been involved in? 85. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Interview Questions and How to Answer Them 7 86. What have you learned from your mistakes? 87. Describe a time on any job when you've confronted problems or stresses that tested your coping skills. What did you do? 88. Give me an example of a specific occasion when you conformed to a policy with which you didn't agree. 89. Tell me about a time when you had to delay finishing a task or speaking out because you didn't have enough information to come to a good decision. 90. What will your last supervisor tell me are your two strongest/ weakest areas? 91. Give an example of a situation when your sense of humor was useful in performing your job.