TRADITIONAL INTERVIEWS

Traditional interviews are the most common and their questions are often hypothetical or theoretical.

Educational Background

• Why did you decide to go to this college and choose this particular major?

• Do you have plans to continue your education?

• Where did you rank in your graduating class in high school?  In college?

• What courses did you like best?  Least?  Why?

• Did you change your major while in college?  Why?

• Do you feel you have done the best scholastic work of which you are capable?

• In what school activities/offices did you participate?  Which did you enjoy the most?

Work History

• You've changed jobs frequently.  Can you explain this?

• Why are you thinking about leaving your current job?  (Why did you leave your last job?)

• What did you like best/least about your last job?

• What jobs have you enjoyed the most?  The least?  Why?

• Why are you switching careers?

• How many hours a week do you find it necessary to work to get your job done?

Future Career

• Do you like routine work?

• Do you work well under pressure?

• Do you prefer working with others or by yourself?

• Are you willing to relocate?  Travel?

• What do you know about opportunities in the field in which you are trained?

• What are the disadvantages of your chosen field?

• Why do you think you would like this particular type of job?

This Particular Job

• What do you know about our company?

• Why do you think you might like to work for our company?

• Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the position?

• Tell me your qualifications to perform the job that you are applying for at this company.

• Why should our organization hire you?

• Where do you think you could make the biggest contribution to this organization?

Goals

• What are your ideas on salary?

• What are your career goals?

• What is the ideal job for you?

• What does success mean to you?

• Are you primarily interested in making money or do you feel that service to others is a satisfactory accomplishment?

General Background/Misc

• Tell me about yourself.

• What type of books have you read?

• What are your greatest strengths?  Greatest weakness?

• How would your co-workers describe you?

• What causes you to lose your temper?

• In your opinion, what does customer service mean?

• Tell me one word you would use to describe yourself.

• May I contact your references?  May I contact your current employer?

• Do you have any questions?

BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS

Questions in a behavioral interview require specific examples of past performance.  The reason for these interviews is that an applicant’s past performance is the best predictor of future performance.

Time Management

• Give me an example of how your work was affected when you were under extreme pressure to produce results.

• Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline on a project.  What were the causes?  What did you do?

• What techniques do you use to stay organized when confronted with several ongoing commitments, each at a different stage of completion?

Getting Along With Others

• Tell me about a difficult time you had with a co-worker and how you handled it.

• In your career, when you discovered a co-worker handling something in an unethical manner, what did you do about it?

• Describe a time in which you had to deal with a very upset customer and how you handled it.

• Tell me about a time when someone lost his or her temper at you in a business environment.

Composure Under Stress

• Describe a situation where the planning you did salvaged a situation.

• Can you recall a time when you went back to a failed project to give it another shot?  What was the outcome?

• Tell me about a time you failed.  How did the outcome affect your company?

• Tell me about a time when you were faced with problems at work that tested your coping skills.  What did you do?

• What is the most frustrating work-related experience you have faced?

Manageability

• Tell me about a time when your boss was in a rush and didn’t have time to give you clear instructions.  What did you do?

• Tell me about the best/worst supervisor that you've had.

• Tell me about an occasion when your performance didn’t live up to your expectations.  What could you have done differently?

• Tell me about an occasion when your work or an idea was criticized.  How did it make you feel?

• How did you feel about the workload in your last job?

Teamwork

• Give me an example of when you had problems getting two individuals or two work groups to work together.  What was the problem?  How did you handle it?

• Tell me about an occasion when, in difficult circumstances, you pulled the team together.

Written Skills/Creativity

• What are some of the most difficult writing assignments you have had to complete? 

• Of which writing assignment or achievement are you proudest?

• Describe the most creative work-related project you have completed.

Decision Making

• How do you approach making good decisions when you are under extremely tight decision deadlines?

• Give me an example of a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.  What was the decision and how did you go about arriving at that decision?

• Give me an example of a decision that you made that you were proud of.  What made you proud of that decision?

• Tell me how you think the safety procedure in your last job could have been improved.

SCREENING INTERVIEWS

The screening interview is often conducted over the telephone as a way to screen applicants out.  The interviewer wants to see if the applicant lacks certain skills or minimum qualifications for the job; to see if answers are consistent with the resume; or to see if the applicant can communicate effectively.

The screening interview may also be just a gathering stage, where data and information is collected on applicants to determine which people are qualified and can be recommended for an interview as well as to eliminate those who are not qualified. 

TEAM INTERVIEWS

 The notion of team interviewing is that the more people involved in the hiring decision, the better the chances are of hiring the best candidate. Applicants will either meet the entire group at once, or will meet each member individually.