Interviewing

Before you interview for a position, learn as much about it and the employer as possible. If you found the position through a recruiter, he or she should be able to provide that information for you. If not, conduct research on the Web, visit the library, and tap into industry contacts.

Questions To Ask

After you have studied the company, make a list of questions to ask the employer:

  • Why is this position available?
  • What training programs are available to the person in this position?
  • What are your goals for this position?
  • What obstacles must be overcome for the person in this position to succeed?
  • How will my performance be evaluated?
  • What opportunities are there for growth in the next 12 months? Two years? Five years?
  • What growth do you anticipate for your organization in the next 12 months?

Questions You May Be Asked

Your recruiter should be able to give you a good idea of the hiring manager's personality, his or her typical interview demeanor, and a few important questions that the employer is likely to ask, such as:

  • Tell me about yourself.
    Keep your answer in the professional realm only. Review your past positions, education and other strengths.
  • Why are you interested in this position?
    Relate how you feel your qualifications match the job requirements. Also, express your desire to work for the employer.
  • What are the most significant accomplishments in your career?
    Identify recent accomplishments that relate to the position and its requirements.
  • Describe a situation in which your work was criticized.
    Focus on how you resolved the situation and became a better person because of the experience.
  • What do you know about our organization?
  • How would you describe your personality?
  • How do you perform under pressure?
  • What have you done to improve yourself over the past year?
  • What did you like least about your last position?
  • Are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) company?
  • What is your ideal working environment?
  • How would your co-workers describe you?
  • What do you think of your boss?
  • Have you ever fired anyone?
  • Explain the situation regarding firing someone, and how you handled it.
  • Are you creative?
  • What are your goals in your career?
  • Where do you see yourself in two years?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • What kind of salary are you looking for?
  • What other types of jobs/companies are you considering?

Other Great Questions You May Be Asked

We are grateful to Charles Wadlow for his following top interview questions:

  • What type of role do you play in a team?
  • How do you go above and beyond the call of duty?
  • How do your managers, peers and subordinates perceive you collectively and separately?
  • How do you keep learning outside the office?
  • How do you feel you are growing within your field?
  • What have you learned on your own that has aided you in your work life?
  • Give me an example of how you had to take on a tough project and make it a success?
  • Walk me through a situation where you had to overcome an obstacle.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to be resourceful to finish a project on time.
  • Describe a time when you had to take a project from inception to fruition.
  • Walk me through an average day and a hectic day.
  • How have you improved communication with your peers, managers, and clients?
  • Describe how you have improved in your job. (short term vs. long term)
  • How have you driven a group or team to a specific goal?
  • Describe to me a situation where you have worked through other people to reach a goal.
  • Why are you interested in this company? How does it fit with your goals and aspirations?
  • How can this company best utilize your skills? How can you add value?
  • How do you measure the quality of your work?
  • What tradeoffs are you making to come to this company?
  • Describe a time when you stood up for something you believed in and were met with resistance.
  • What would you do if your team made a decision that negatively impacted your business or a client?
  • Why should we hire you? Persuade me.
  • How do you measure success?
  • What kinds of people motivate you?
  • What have been your most significant professional and personal accomplishments? How did they make you feel?
  • Take me through a time when you had to be creative to solve a problem.
  • Describe your ideal job.
  • Tell me about someone you admire professionally and why.
  • Share with me how you accomplished a challenging project. Why was it a challenge?
  • Describe your work philosophy.
  • How do you keep things from falling through the cracks?
  • How do you motivate people?
  • Describe how you work under tight deadlines.
  • How do you generally solve problems?
  • Give me some insight on how you like your work day to be.
  • How do you manage different personalities on a team?
  • At what point are you confident that a project has been thoroughly and successfully completed?
  • How do you second guess yourself?
  • If you had to replace yourself in your current position, what three essential characteristics would your replacement have?
  • What tools or resources enhance your effectiveness in your field?
  • How do you prioritize projects?
  • What do you like best and least about your current job?
  • Where do you see yourself in 3,5 and 10 years from now?
  • How have you created strategies to ensure success on a project?
  • Describe a great day in your business.
  • Why are you successful?
  • What drives and motivates you?
  • How important is money, title, reputation?
  • When you are hiring, what do you look for in a successful candidate?
  • What stimulates you about your field of business?
  • How do you organize yourself to make project or personal deadlines?
  • How important is it to stick to a system for project completion?
  • What does thinking outside the box mean to you?
  • Where have you had to be flexible to hit a goal or complete a project?
  • How do you overcome a manager's or supervisor's resistance to one of your ideas?
  • What are some of your current professional goals?
  • Do you enjoy changing people's minds?
  • What kind of decision maker are you?
  • What do winners have in common with each other?
  • When do you have to be empathetic?
  • Describe a time when you had to help a colleague out, when it did not directly benefit you?
  • How important for you is it to be the best in your field?
  • What do you want to be remembered for?
  • Describe a time when you have not been at your best.
  • What do you wish you were better at doing? Are you working to improve on it? How?
  • In the last 5 years how have you improved yourself professionally?
  • What is smart?
  • How would you define courage within a professional setting?
  • Do you have any professional fears? How will you conquer them?
  • Have you ever confronted someone who intimidates you? What happened and how did you feel about the it? Who learned more from that situation?
  • Do you think you intimidate people?
  • How do you want people to see you?
  • Are you #1 in your group? How is the #1 person different from you?
  • What will it take for you to be #1?
  • How do you feel about losing? When was the last time you lost?
  • What was your last major purchase? What were the tradeoffs in your decision?
  • Do you like multi-tasking or working on one project at a time?
  • Where is your passion in work?
  • How do you analyze people?
  • Would you consider yourself more analytical or conceptual?
  • Would you describe yourself as a technical person or a people person?
  • How do you motivate others to meet deadlines?
  • Do you need or want to be successful?
  • What type of things do you need to have in your next job in order to make a move?
  • How do you work smart?
  • How do you go about learning new things in your field?
  • Are you a type A, B or C type personality?
  • What does competitive mean to you? How have you been competitive in high school, college or work?
  • What does leadership mean to you? How does a leader become a leader?
  • Describe a strong work ethic. Does it always mean working long hours?
  • How do you take pride in your work?
  • How would you describe your ability to communicate? How would you rate your vocabulary knowledge and written skills?
  • What will it take to double your current production? What kind of tradeoffs or sacrifices will you have to make to get there?
  • Do you have any professional regrets? If so, then how have you handled them?
  • How do you know when you are content in your job? Is being content a good thing or a bad thing?
  • On a scale of 1 to 100, how would you rate yourself, 100 being the best candidate? Would you be considered to have a strong, healthy or poor ego?
  • Are you doing everything you can to be successful every day? Why not?
  • How would you react if you knew that everyone in your department was going to be let go except for one person? Would you give notice? Would you begin looking for other work? Would you work harder and smarter so that you could be that one person?

Also learn about Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts.