Interviewing Techniques Guide - Frequently Asked Interview Questions
Interviewing Techniques
Questions about yourself:
- Tell me about yourself.
- How would you describe yourself?
- How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?
- What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
- What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal withit?
- What have you learned from your mistakes?
- How do you react under pressure?
- In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
- What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
- Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your academicachievements?
- How do you determine or evaluate success?
- What are the most important rewards you expect from your career?
- Which is more important to you, the money or the type of job?
- Why have you selected this career?
- What are your interests outside of school and work?
- What qualities do you admire most in others?
- What new skills have you developed over the last year?
- Describe the last time you failed. How did you deal with it?
- What is the last book you read for pleasure?
- What special qualifications do you have for this position?
- What volunteer work do you do or have you done in the past?
- What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
- Are you willing to spend time as a trainee?
- Will you be willing to relocate?
- Are you willing to travel?
- Do you prefer to work with others or by yourself?
- Describe the relationship you would want with your supervisor.
- What qualities should a successful manager possess?
- Why should I hire you?
- What qualifications do you have that will make you successful?
- Whatdo I need to know about you that has not been discussed in this interview?
Questions about your background and future plans:
- Why did you decide to attend Lawrence University?
- What led you to choose your major?
- What college subjects do you like best? least?
- If you could change one thing about your academic background, what would it be? Why?
- Describe your most rewarding college experience.
- What have you learned from participation in extra-curricular activities?
- Tell me about your part-time or summer jobs.
- What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
- What percent of your college expenses did you earn?
- What would you like to change about your Lawrence experience?
- What would you like to be doing five (ten) years from now?
- What are your long and short-term goals?
- How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
- How will this position fit in with your long-range career goals?
- What are your geographic location preferences?
- Do you have plans for continued study?
- How would you describe the ideal job for you?
- With what other organizations are you seeking employment?
- When have you worked as part of a team?
- What is your GPA? How do you feel about it?
Questions about the organization with which you are interviewing:
- What do you know about our organization?
- Why did you decide to seek a position with this organization?
- What do you think it takes to be successful in an organization such as ours?
- Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which this organization is located?
- What salary do you expect?
- How long do you intend to work for this organization?
- What interests you about our product or service?
Questions you may want to ask:
- What are the most important duties of the position?
- How would you describe a typical day in this position?
- How much travel is normally expected?
- Are there opportunities for additional training?
- What is the career path for this position?
- How (and how often) are performance reviews given?
- Outside my department, who else will I work with?
- How much evening or weekend work is expected?
- Are new services or programs planned?
- With promotion, are transfer (overseas) opportunities available?
- What are the prospects for advancement beyond this level?
- What sort of management style is used within this organization?
- What do you like most/least about working here?
- Do employees tend to socialize with each other outside of work?
- What kinds of assignments might I expect the first six months on he job?
- What are your growth projections for next year?
- Is this a new position or would I be replacing someone?
- What is the largest single problem facing your department at this time?
- Has there been much turnover in this department?
- What skills are especially important for someone in this position?
- Will I be working on projects individually or as part of a team?
- When might I expect to hear from you?
