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Career Center

 Self-Knowledge; Skills and Abilities

  • Tell me about yourself. (Or describe yourself.)                                                                                                                        
 
Strategy: Prepare a 30-60 second commercial about yourself.  Use a past-present-future format.  Go beyond what your résumé has already told them.  Although the focus should be on your qualifications, personal is o.k., as long as it's neutral or positive information.  Good example:  "I'm from the smallest town in Missouri."  Bad example:  "I'm an active member of Gamblers Anonymous."
  • What do people criticize about you?  Are their concerns valid?
  • If you could change one thing about yourself, what would that be?
  • What will your references say about you?
 
Strategy: First of all, be sure you ask your references if they would be willing to provide a strongly positive recommendation for you.  Secondly, ask those references what they will say about you.
  • Describe the project that best exemplifies your analytical skills.
  • We are looking at several candidates.  What makes you unique?
 
Strategy: This is your chance to emphasize your "selling features," your strengths. When discussing your strengths, be certain to use specific examples to bolster your statement.  Example:  "I'm skilled at electronic information handling.  For instance, I tracked my sorority's finances in Excel using spreadsheets and graphs.
  • How have your extracurricular activities prepared you for this type of position?
  • What causes pressure or stress for you?
  • Describe your three greatest strengths.
 
Strategy: Several of these questions involve talking about your "selling features." Have at least three strengths prepared so you will seem well-rounded and self-reflective.  Ideally, you will be reinforcing these strengths throughout the interview.
  • What is your greatest weakness?
 
Strategy: State your weakness and what you are doing to improve it.  Make sure that the weakness you describe is not one that would be considered a "fatal flaw," such as an applicant for an accounting position who states that his greatest weakness is that he frequently transposes numbers.
  • Describe your three most significant accomplishments.
  • Tell me about a time you failed and the impact it had on you.
 
Strategy: This is a behavioral question.  You must give a specific example, using the STAR method.
  • Give an example that illustrates your presentation skills.
  • Cite examples of situations where you have been an excellent communicator.
  • Give me an example of putting your foot in your mouth professionally.
  • Tell me how you handled an ethical dilemma.
  • How do you go about making very tough decisions?
 
Strategy: Even though this question is not worded as a behavioral question, you should respond as if it were by giving an example of a time when you had to make a tough decision and how you went about it.
  • How do you handle conflict?
  • How would your friends describe you?
  • What causes you to be short fused or impatient with others?
  • Tell me about your character.
  • How would your last boss describe you?
  • Describe your personality.
  • Describe your overall relationship with most bosses you have worked with.
  • What makes you effective in small groups?
  • What have you done that shows your initiative?
  • What values drive you in your professional career?
  • What personal factors do you consider most important in evaluating yourself or your success?
  • What values drive you in your personal life?
  • How do you measure success?
  • How do you personally define success?
  • Under what circumstances do you deem it appropriate to lie?
  • What has been the most significant disappointment in your life?
  • What has been your toughest professional challenge?
  • What professional experience has been most valuable to you?
  • What event has had the greatest influence on your career?
  • What have you learned from the jobs you have held?
  • Do you feel the progress you've made in your career is indicative of your ability?
  • What special recognition have you received over your career?
  • Describe your biggest leadership challenge.
  • What extracurricular activities were you involved in during college, and how have they prepared you for this position?
 
Strategy: When asked about a challenge, be sure to specifically explain how you successfully navigated the situation and what exactly you learned from the experience.
  • What kinds of leadership roles have you held, and how have they prepared you for your career?
  • Do you take calculated risks?
  • Give an example of how you have coped with change.
  • Are you a leader or a follower?
 
Strategy: Most people will naturally respond that they are a leader.  It's better, however, to indicate that you can be both, depending on what the situation warrants.  Give a specific example of when you took a leadership role, and when you were more of a follower.
  • What decisions have you made that you would make differently today?
  • What kinds of decisions or recommendations have you been called on to make?
  • Tell me about your most difficult decision.
  • How have you improved your decision-making ability over the years?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a problem with no rules or guidelines in place.
  • What else should I know about you?
 
Strategy: This is your opportunity to re-state your qualifications for the position, as well as your interest in the position. Think of this as a summary of the strengths you presented throughout the interview.  Don't feel as though you can only give new information here.

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Fit with Company/Position and Company Knowledge

 
Strategy: You have to do your homework to be able to answer the questions in this category.  Employers want to know that you want to work for them, not that you're just looking for any job.  Study their website, talk to people who work there, read industry journals.  Be as prepared for an interview as you would for a final exam.
  • How do you fell you can help our organization?
  • What can you do for us?
  • What other positions are you looking at and what about each is appealing?
  • Describe your perception of the responsibilities of a ______________.
  • If you were in our shoes, what kind of person would you select for the job?
  • What is your greatest weakness with respect to this position?
  • What will this position offer you that others have not?
  • How does your experience qualify you for this position?
 
Strategy: Now is the time to engage the employers with your résumé. Reference a specific job, and expand upon your descriptive bullet points.
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What is your understanding of our company's products/services/revenues/problems/people/image/history?
  • What is the worst thing you have heard about our company?
  • What is most appealing about this position?
  • What is least appealing about this position?
  • What are your expectations of a new company?
  • How do you feel you could contribute to the company?
  • How will you know when you have found the right job, the right company and the right boss for you?
  • How would this job meet your long and short-range goals?
  • How did you prepare for this interview?
 
Strategy: They are asking this question because they want to know if you did your homework! Lay out the steps for them.
  • Why do you want to get into the ______________ field?
  • How long a period of time would you commit to the company?
  • What are the three important things to you in a new position?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • Are you willing to go wherever a company might send you?
  • Are your presently geographically mobile?  In the future?
  • Do you have a geographical preference?

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Work Environment Preferences/Work Style

  • What are some things your boss or supervisor did that you disliked or did not agree with?
 
Strategy: Be careful here! One cardinal rule of interviewing is to never say anything negative about anyone, especially a former employer or supervisor.  Even if your supervisor was terrible, find a way to frame your answer so that no one is criticized.
  • How did your boss rate your performance?
  • How could your boss have done a better job?
  • How would you handle two direct reports that were arguing?
 
Strategy: If you haven't held a full-time job before, don't despair if these types of questions are asked. Pull from your experiences with part-time jobs, internships, or student organization involvement.
  • How would you handle an employee cheating on an expense account?
  • How would you handle laying off a top performer in the company?
  • Describe the role of a manager.
  • How do you elevate the performance of a subordinate?
  • When your boss puts extreme pressure on you how do you generally respond?
  • How do you distinguish management skills from leadership skills?
  • How have you handled subordinates' poor decisions?
  • How do you get the best performance from an employee?
  • What interferes with your management effectiveness?
  • Describe your standards of performance.
  • How would your subordinates describe your experience in delegation?
  • Explain your role as a team leader, team member, and team player.
  • What aspects of your last job did you consider most crucial?
  • What are some examples of surroundings that motivate you?
  • Describe a time when you had to work with difficult people.
  • What did you like least in your last position?
  • Do you communicate most by phone, voicemail, memo, or face-to-face?
  • How do you resolve conflict?
  • What are some of the things you and your boss disagreed on?
  • What difficulties do you experience in getting along with others?
  • What kinds of people do you like to work with?
  • Describe the kind of individuals who are difficult for you to work with.
  • Describe your work style.
  • Who was the best colleague you have worked with and why? Who was the worst?
  • Talk about a time when your supervisor had to give you tough feedback. How did you respond?
  • Describe situations where:
    a) your work was criticized;
    b) your ideas were criticized;
    c) your style or personality was criticized.
 
Strategy: They are asking this question to see how you respond to criticism. If you are applying in a field where thick skin is a requirement, then you'll need to demonstrate your ability to not take things personally. In other fields, it may be o.k. to indicate that these situations are difficult for you, as long as you can show that you have improved in this area.
  • How do you respond to pressure in the workplace?
  • Do you prefer working alone or with others?
  • In your last job, what percentage of time did you work alone? Work with others? Work as a team? Where did you find your greatest satisfaction?
  • How do you schedule your time? Set priorities?
  • How do you feel about evening or weekend work?
 
Strategy: It's best to be honest with these types of questions; otherwise, you may find yourself in a job that is not a good fit  for you.
  • What hours are you accustomed to working?
  • How do you feel about a job that requires a great deal of paperwork and report writing?
  • Do you prefer working under pressure or with adequate time to plan, organize, and execute?
  • How do you weigh career priorities such as job security, satisfaction, work hours, salary and working conditions in evaluating your needs in a job?
  • Have you ever left a position because standards of quality were below yours?
  • Describe the ideal boss.
  • Tell me about your experience working on a team with your last employer.

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General

  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
 
Strategy: Your answer should be congruous with the position you are interviewing for O.K. to talk about additional education, learning another language.  Not O.K. to talk about having children or moving.
  • Who had the most influence on your career? On your life? Why?
  • Why did you select the school/college/university you attended?
  • Looking back at college, what were your greatest challenges?
  • What have been some of the more important aspects of your education?
  • How did you choose this particular field of study?
  • What courses did you like best? Least? Why?
 
Strategy: Here's your chance to talk about classes you really liked, and how that course has prepared you for the position you're interviewing for. With the least favorite course, be sure not to say anything negative about the professor.
  • Tell me about a time when your course load was heavy. How did you complete all your work?
  • What is the most important lesson you have learned in your life?
  • Can you give me an example of a time when you sought the advice of others?
  • What has been your greatest life achievement?
  • How have you changed since high school?

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