Interview Questions

Interviewing

Discover who you are, what your skills and abilities are, and then find a career that fits you

Types of Questions to Expect

Although you should be prepared to answer a variety of questions, some questions are asked in almost every interview. They include:

1. Tell me about yourself. The interviewer is breaking the ice, and you are setting the tone for the interview. Mention a few personal, job-related, or education-related skills or accomplishments.

Samples:

I am a recent graduate of _________________ school, where I played tennis and was a member of the _____________ club.

In school I enjoyed my English and computer classes.

I worked in the summer as a lifeguard and assisted the coach of the swimming team.

It is not necessary to give too much detail or go back to childhood activities.

2. Why do you want to work here? The interviewer wants to know how much you know about the company, including its products and services. This is where prior research on the company is crucial.

3. What are your career goals? Most of the time, employers are looking for someone to stay in the job for awhile. Therefore, career goals of returning to school, starting your own business, or moving to a different location will not be appropriate. They are checking to see if you are really interested in the job or just waiting for the next opportunity. If your career goals fit with the direction the company is moving, then your chances of getting hired have increased. Appropriate career goals might include: "I hope to become the top sales person in xxx amount of time" or "My immediate goal is to gain more experience in this field and, long-term, be able to grow as the company grows."

4. Give me an example of . . . This can be one of the most difficult questions to prepare for, because you have no idea what the specific question will be. Go to the interview prepared with specific examples of when you used the following skills and you should have this question covered:

Leadership

Stress management

Team building

Persistence

Problem solving

To respond to behavioral questions like these, be able to tell a story about a work- or school-related situation that demonstrates a specific skill and how you used it effectively by using the PAR approach:

P = What problem or situation did you face?
A = What action did you take to resolve the concern?
R = What was the result of the action?

Typical Questions

How would you describe yourself?
Why did you leave your last job?

Why did you choose this career?
Can you explain this gap in your employment history?

How do you deal with conflict?

What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Greatest weaknesses?

How would a good friend describe you?

What would your last boss say about your work?
In your current job, what activities do you enjoy the most? The least?
Why should I hire you?

What makes you qualified for this position?
Describe your work/management style.
Have you ever been fired or forced to resign?
How many days of work did you miss last year?
Do you consider yourself a leader? Why?

What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?

In what work environment are you most comfortable?

How do you work under pressure? Can you give examples?

What’s one of the hardest decisions you’ve ever made?
Do you prefer working independently or as a team?
Describe a major problem you encountered and how you dealt with it.
How well do you adapt to new situations?

Why do you want to work for our company?

What can you tell us about our company? Our competitors?

What’s the most important thing about your job?

What have you learned from your mistakes?

What have you accomplished that shows your initiative and willingness to work?

Inappropriate Questions

Inappropriate interview questions are those that discriminate against you on the basis of:

Age

Color

Disability

Gender

National origin

Race

Religion or creed

Although they may be inappropriate, the act of asking them is not necessarily illegal. For example, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it is not illegal for an employer to ask an applicant’s age or date of birth. However, it is illegal to deny employment solely based on an applicant’s age. In other words, the question may not be illegal, but a discriminatory motive behind it is, if the resulting answer is ultimately used to deny employment.

In most cases, a careful interviewer will not ask how old you are, unless a minimum age is required for a particular job (e.g., some jobs legally require that applicants be at least 18 years of age). At any rate, your age and/or date of birth (as well as gender, marital status, or other personal information) will be disclosed on most application forms.

Inappropriate questions include:

Are you married?

Do you have/plan to have any children?

Are you pregnant?

Where were you born?
Where do you go to church?

You have several options for replying to inappropriate questions:

Simply answer the question, if it doesn’t bother you, but be careful. The question may not be illegal, but how the interviewer uses the information may be if it is used to deny you employment.

Tactfully refuse to answer by saying you’re not sure the question is appropriate (don’t use the term “illegal”) and/or that you’re not comfortable answering.

Tactfully sidestep the issue to try to determine the motive behind it; the interviewer may not realize that what’s been asked is out of bounds. For example, if asked about your personal life, respond that you prefer to keep personal matters separate from business.