Sample Interview Questions
Sample Interview Questions
OPENERS:
· Tell me about your favorite position, and what role your boss played in making it so unique.
· Tell me about your least favorite position.
· Why should I consider you for this position?
· What can you do for us that someone else can’t?
· How would you describe your ideal job?
· What five adjectives best describe you?
ACHIEVEMENTFOCUSED QUESTIONS
· What makes you stand out amongst your peers?
· What has been your proudest accomplishment? Tell me about it.
· What would your current boss say makes you most valuable to him/her?
· Tell me what “success” means to you.
· What do you consider your greatest strength?
· How do you set goals for yourself?
· Where do you see yourself five years from now?
· What motivates you?
"PRESSURECOOKER" QUESTIONS
· Tell me about your last performance appraisal. In which area(s) were you most disappointed?
· Where do you disagree with your boss most often? How did you handle the last time he/she was wrong and
you were right?
· Were you ever in a situation where you had too many things to do in the time available? What happened
and how did you handle it?
· What was your worst mistake last year, and how did you deal with it?
· How do you work with new and weak members of your group?
· What kind of people do you feel represent a challenge to work with and how do you best deal with them?
· You’ve changed jobs frequently. How do we know you’ll stick around?
· You’ve stayed with the same company for years. Why did you decide to leave?
· I see you were unemployed for a period of time. Tell me about it.
· What do supervisors tend to criticize most about your performance?
· How does your boss get the best out of you?
BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
· Tell me about the most difficult assignment you ever had. How did you go about completing it?
· Tell me about a situation in which your boss was upset with the way you did something. How did you
handle your boss?
· For managementlevel applicants: Tell me about a particularly difficult employee you were able to turn
around and help to become a good, solid worker.
· Tell me about a decision you made on the job that did not work out well. How did you make that decision?
What would you have done differently in retrospect?
· Tell me about an occasion when, in difficult circumstances, you pulled a team together.
· This position will be working with individuals who have been with us for a long time. How will you mesh
with them?
SUPERVISORY QUESTIONS
· What type of supervisory training have you had in the past?
· Tell me about the type of people you have supervised.
· How have you handled a difficult employee?
· If you’ve had to fire someone, how was it handled?
· What characteristics do you look for in a possible new hire?
· How do you motivate employees if pay raises aren’t an option?
· How would you supervise someone like yourself?
WORKING WITH OTHERS
· Do you prefer working alone or with others?
· How would your coworkers describe you?
· What kind of people do you have trouble getting along with?
· What kind of people do you get along with the best?
· How do you handle a personality conflict with someone you must work closely with?
· How do you feel about socializing with coworkers outside of the office?
· What level of management are you most comfortable working with?
WORKING FOR OTHERS
· Tell me about your favorite boss.
· What attributes were lacking in your worse boss?
· How well do you feel your boss rated your work performance?
· Tell me about a time when you and your boss had a disagreement.
· What would your boss tell me about you?
· How do you handle having trouble with a boss?
· Is the customer always right?
ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS
· Tell me about a typical workday.
· How do you handle several important projects simultaneously?
· What do you do when things are slow on the job?
· Tell me about a task that you just couldn’t seem to complete and why.
· Describe the top of your desk.
· What aspects of your job do you consider most critical?
· How important was communication and interaction with others on your job?
· Tell me about a big change at one of your last jobs and how you handled it.
· What is your opinion about the “chain of command”?
· How do you handle the stress in a fastpaced environment?
PAST JOB PERFORMANCE
· Tell me about your last job.
· What unique aspects did you bring to your last positions?
· How much flexibility did you have in performing and making decisions in your last jobs?
· If you stay in your current position, what will happen there? How far can you advance?
· Give me an example of when you’ve demonstrated customer service skills.
· What were the three most important responsibilities in your last job?
CHALLENGING APPLICANTS IN THE FINAL ROUNDS OF INTERVIEWS
· Why do you want to work here?
· What do you know about our organization/department?
· Tell me about your understanding of the job you're applying for.
· What would you say are the major qualities this job demands?
· If you retired from this organization, what would be your legacy?
Revised 7/2007