Sample Interview Questions for Any Position
Career Goals
- If you were hired, where do you see yourself five years from today?
- Tell us a little more about your professional experiences, particularly those not mentioned on your resume.
- How does this position fit into your overall career goals?
- How do you feel about the progress you’ve made in your career to date?
- What career objectives have you met?
- What aspects of your career have not lived up to your expectations?
Stress
- Can you please provide an example of what an organization/management should do to cushion or prevent the effects of stress from a job.
- How do you handle the need to juggle priorities or projects?
- What is the biggest conflict you have ever been involved in at work? How did you handle that situation?
- Think about an instance when you were given an assignment that you thought you would not be able to complete. How did you accomplish the assignment?
- Provide a time when you dealt calmly and effectively with a high-stress situation.
- Name a time when your patience was tested. How did you keep your emotions in check?
Motivation
- What should a manager do to motivate others? Why does it sometimes fail?
- What is your definition of success? How do you know if a project is successful?
- What have you done since you were hired on your last job to be a more effective performer?
- What have you done that has demonstrated a high level of initiative?
- Describe two or three major trends in your profession today.
Goal Orientation
- Do you think Management by Objective works? How do you adjust to working under a goal setting program?
- How do you/or how should your supervisor monitor the progress of assignments and projects?
Attendance/Punctuality
- When do you feel it is necessary to work overtime?
- What would your last supervisor or manager say about your attendance and punctuality? How many times would he/she say you were absent or late this year?
- Are there any reasons why you cannot work regular hours?
Creativity and Innovation
- Which have you preferred to work with – a set, planned day, or a day you can create for yourself? Why?
- What new programs or services would you start if offered the position?
- Share an experience when you applied new technology or information in your job. How did it help your company?
- Give me an example of when you thought outside of the box. How did it help your employer?
Problem Solving/Analytical Skills
- How do you go about setting priorities for your time?
- What information or technical support has helped you succeed on the job?
- What process do you follow in solving problems?
- What methods do you use to make decisions? Please give me an example of your approach?
- In your last job what kinds of decisions did you have authority over? Describe the degree of authority you had over these decisions.
- Can you describe how you go about solving problem? Please give us some examples.
- Name a time when you identified strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems. What was the impact?
Ability to Learn
- How do you keep up with changes in technology (terminology, information) in your field?
- What would you expect from us to get you oriented or trained in this position?
- Tell us how you would learn your new job in the absence of formal training program.
Dependability
- What do you consider the three most impressive tangible contributions an employee can make to his/her employer?
- What do you think an employee owes his/her employer?
- What are the three or four bottom line (most critical) ways an employer can measure success of an employee?
- Share an example of when you went above and beyond the "call of duty". (Look for answers that show the candidate is dependable.)
Organization and Time Usage
- How do you feel a meeting should be organized to be most effective?
- Do you like to juggle a lot of activities at the same time or do one at a time?
- How do you keep track of your own paperwork, schedule, etc.? Explain.
- How do you decide what you should work on next?
- How do you monitor tasks that require your attention?
- Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.
Communication Skills
- What sorts of things do you feel are important for an employee to share with a manager? And vice versa?
- What kind of performance feedback do you feel is important for an employee to receive?
- How do you persuade others to get what you want?
- What role do you usually take in a group meeting or discussion? What are the advantages of that?
- What does the “open door” policy mean to you? Do you think it works?
- Describe how you like to be managed?
- What kind of people do you find most difficult to work with? Please provide an example and describe what you did?
Conflict
- What should a manager do to minimize conflict at work? How much should he/she get involved in solving it?
- How would you confront someone at work? Should it become necessary?
- When (customers, vendors, co-workers, etc.) get angry with you, how do you usually react? How do you solve the problem?
- What is the best way to handle problems and complaints that arise on the job?
- Share an experience you had in dealing with a difficult person and how you handled the situation.
Cooperation
- How do you get cooperation from co-workers, vendors, suppliers, customers, etc.?
- What problems do you feel are appropriate to bring to your manager?
- Would you rather work on a team or on your own?
- What do you require from a boss?
- Provide a time when you worked in a rapidly evolving workplace. How did you deal with the change? (Make sure the candidate is flexible.)
Previous Employment
- Tell me about your last position(s).
- What were your major responsibilities in your previous position?
- What type of software/equipment did you use in your last position?
- Are you doing a good job in your present position? How do you know?
- What do you expect your previous employers to say about you when we call them for references? Why?