Interview Questions

The following questions will help you prepare for your upcoming job interview. Speaking Center tutors are equipped to provide conferences where you can hone your interviewing skills. Consult our handout "Interviewing Tips" for communication techniques and tools to help you prepare.

Most Frequently Asked Questions during an Interview

Questions about Your Work History

What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met?
What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
What were your responsibilities?
What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
Which was most / least rewarding?
What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
What was it like working for your supervisor? What were his/her strengths and shortcomings? If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?
Why were you fired?

Questions about You

Tell me about yourself? How would you describe yourself? What are your strong points? What are your weak points? What do people most often criticize about you?
How would your colleagues describe you? How would your boss describe you?
Why should we hire you? What can you do for us that someone else can't?
Have you kept up in your field with additional training?
Can you work well under deadlines or pressure?
How long would it take for you to make a meaningful contribution?
What other positions are you considering?
How did you do in school?
How would you describe the pace at which you work? What type of work environment do you prefer? Do you take work home with you?
What motivates you? What are your pet peeves?
What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team? Give some examples of teamwork.
How do you evaluate success?
Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.

Questions about the New Job and Company

What kind of hours are you used to working or would like to work?
What do you look for in a job? Why do you want to work for us?
What do you know about our company?
What skills and qualifications are essential for success in the position of ______?
How much do you expect if we offer you this position? What are your salary expectations?
What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
Are you overqualified for this job?
What can you do for this company?
Why should we hire you? Why are you the best person for the job?
What challenges are you looking for in a position?
Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?

Questions about the Future

What position do you expect to have in 2 to 5 years? Where do you see yourself in five years?
What are your career goals?
What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
How do you plan to achieve those goals?
What will you do if you don't get this position?
Do you have any question for me? (See Questions for the Interviewer that you might want to ask below). What questions didn't I ask that you expected?

Most Frequently Asked Questions for the Interviewer

Why is this position open? How often has it been filled in the past five years? What were the main reasons?
What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?
What are some of the objectives you would like to see accomplished in this job?
What is most pressing? What would you like to have done in the next 3 months?
What are some of the long term objectives you would like to see completed?
What are some of the more difficult problems one would have to face in this position? How do you think these could best be handled?
What type of support does this position receive in terms of people, finances, etc?
What freedom would I have in determining my own work objectives, deadlines, and methods of measurement?
What advancement opportunities are available for the person who is successful in this position, and within what time frame?
How is one evaluated in this position? What accounts for success within the company?
In what ways has this organization been most successful in terms of products and services over the years?
What significant changes do you foresee in the near future?

Number 036 in the Speaking Center Handout Series