Traditional Questions
These are usually straightforward questions about your experience, background, and personal qualities.
Examples:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why are you interested in this position/industry/ organization? (What do you know about us?)
- Why should we hire you? (What can you offer us?)
- Describe your ideal job.
- What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell me about an accomplishment that you are proud of.
- What have you learned from your failures?
- What motivates you to do good work?
- What do you see yourself doing in five years?
- How would a former supervisor describe you? How about your friends?
Behavioral Questions
These frequently used questions are based on the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. For example, if you have shown initiative in a club or class project, you are likely to show initiative in a job or internship. Examples:
Interpersonal Skills
- When working on a team project, have you ever dealt with a strong disagreement among team members or a team member who didn’t do their part? What did you do?
- Tell me about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you’ve ever had to work with and how you approached the situation.
- Tell me about a time when you had to be assertive.
Communication Skills
- Tell me about a time when you had to present complex information. How did you get your point across?
- Describe a time when you used persuasion to convince someone to see things your way.
- Tell me about a time when you used written communication skills to convey an important point.
Initiative
- Provide an example of when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
- Tell me about a project you initiated.
Creativity/Innovation
- Describe a time when you provided a creative solution to a problem.
- What is the most creative thing you have done?
Leadership
- Tell me about a time when you influenced the outcome of a project by taking a leadership role.
- Describe your leadership style and provide an example of a situation where you successfully led a group.
- Provide an example that demonstrates your ability to motivate others.
Planning and Organization
- Tell me about an important goal of yours. How did you reach it?
- Describe a situation when you had many assignments or projects due at the same time. What steps did you take to finish them?
- Provide an example of what you've done when your time schedule or plan was upset by unforeseen circumstances.
Flexibility
- Describe a situation in which you overcame a "personality conflict" in order to get results.
- Describe a time where you were faced with issues that tested your coping skills.
- Describe a time when you received constructive criticism.
Decision-making
- Provide an example of when you had to make a difficult decision. How did you approach it? What kinds of criteria did you use?
- Describe a time when you had to defend your decision.
- Summarize a situation where you had to locate relevant information, define key issues, and determine the steps to get a desired result.
Case and Technical Questions
These are especially common in business fields such as finance, consulting, and accounting, as well as in engineering, physical science, and computer science fields. Technical questions ask about discipline-specific knowledge; they may be related to concepts that you learned from your coursework, industry knowledge (e.g., familiarity with financial markets), or specific skills (e.g., programming languages).
A general principle that applies to case questions, however, is this: often, you won’t know the answer, but you need to make an attempt. The interviewer is evaluating how you approach a problem just as much as your answer. Logical and reasonable thinking is preferred over a one-line response. Keep in mind that there is often no RIGHT or WRONG answer; each candidate has their opinion and perspective on a question.
Also be sure to check out the
STAR Interviewing Response Technique for Success in Behavioral Job Interviews.
Phone Interview?
Phone interviews are becoming increasingly more common especially with tech jobs.
Check out these tips for phone interview success.
Questions to Ask the Employer
Bring at least five questions to all interviews to ask employers and depending on how the interview goes and the information given to you, select two or three to ask after the interview. Asking thoughtful questions shows your interest in the position and demonstrates that you have researched the company. Avoid questions that you can find the answers to on the company's website and focus instead on questions that show you have gone above and beyond to learn about the employer through news articles, company reports, talking to company representatives, etc. It is usually appropriate to ask questions at an interview, and typically the interviewer will invite questions at the end of the interview. Here are some questions to consider as you develop your list:
- Always ask: May I have your business card(s)? This will give you proper contact information for thank-you letters and follow-up communications.
- Always ask: What are the next steps in the hiring process? This will give you a timeline, peace of mind, and clues for any possible follow-up actions.
- Don't ask: As a general rule, questions about salary and benefits are best left until an offer has been extended.
Other safe questions include:
- What kind of training do you offer new employees?
- When and how are employees evaluated?
- How would you describe the culture of this organization?
