Here are some sample questions and situations you may hear during a job interview. If you prepare answers for these and other anticipated questions, before the interview, your interview will go more smoothly. You also should have increased confidence going into the interview knowing the answer to some possible inteview quesitons.

EDUCATION:

What educational experience had the most impact on your life and how did it help form who you are right now?

What was your most enjoyable experience at school? Why did you enjoy it?

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Tell me about a job you had where you had to do something you did not like, then explain how that experienced helped to make you a better person.

What was your favorite job? Explain why it was your favorite?

Tell me about your three greatest accomplishments in your career.

What have you learned in past jobs to prepare you for this position?

COMMUNICATIONS:

What is your preferred communications style? Why has it been effective for you?

Tell me about when you turned a difference of opinion at work into a win-win situation for everyone involved.

ADAPTABILITY:

Tell me about something “really stupid” you had to do in a previous job and how you dealt with the situation.

What are your not-so-obvious weaknesses?

Give me an example of a stressful situation you have encountered on the job. How did you handle it?

PROBLEM SOLVING:

Tell me a story about the most difficult decision you had to make this past year.

Describe a situation where you had to work with others to solve a problem.

SELF-DIRECTION, INITIATIVE, AND GOAL FOCUS:

What makes you feel proud about what you have accomplished? Give me an example of when you did something that made you feel really good about your work.

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your career goals? Where do you see yourself in the next 1/5/10 years?

QUALITY, INNOVATION, ATTENTION TO DETAIL:

How do you know that you’ve done a good job?

What kinds of things show that you’ve done your best work?

What was your most innovative solution to a problem at work?

TEAMWORK:

What is your understanding of the term “Team Player”?

How do you deal with another team member who is not carrying their weight?

What is your leadership style? Please give an example of a real situation.

CUSTOMER ORIENTATION:

How do you respond to the statement: “The Customer is always right.”? What does that mean to you?

How do you determine what your customer wants from you?

FINAL QUESTIONS:

When you look back on your total lifetime experiences so far, what most qualifies you for this position?

Do you have any questions for me?