Interview questions

About work history

  • Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment;
  • Questions about your resume;
  • 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?
  • What have you learned from your mistakes?
  • What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
  • Which was most / least rewarding?
  • What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
  • Questions about job demotions.
  • Questions about your supervisors and co-workers.
  • What was it like working for your supervisor?
  • What do you expect from a supervisor?
  • What problems have you encountered at work?
  • Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager?
  • Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
  • Describe your ideal boss.
  • Why are you leaving your job?
  • Why do you want to change jobs?
  • Why were you fired?
  • Why were you laid-off?
  • Why did you quit your job?
  • Why did you resign?
  • What have you been doing since your last job?
  • Why have you been out of work so long?

About you

  • How do you handle stress and pressure?
  • What motivates you?
  • Are you a self-motivator?
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
  • Tell me about yourself.
  • What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
  • What are you passionate about?
  • What are your pet peeves? What do people most often criticize about you?
  • What is the worst thing that you have ever gotten away with?
  • When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
  • Why did you choose your major?
  • Why did you go back to school?
  • If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently?
  • If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
  • Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
  • Give some examples of teamwork.
  • More teamwork interview questions.
  • What type of work environment do you prefer?
  • How do you evaluate success?
  • If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?
  • Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
  • Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
  • More job interview questions about your abilities.
  • More job interview questions about you.

About the new job and the Company

Here are common questions asked during a telephone interview, plus tips on how best to answer so you can move to the next stage of the interview process. Phone interviews are conducted just like in-person interviews. They are used by hiring managers and recruiters as a tool for screening candidates for employment.It’s important to take time to review the typical phone interview questions you’ll be asked and to prepare answers. In addition, plan on being prepared for a phone conversation about your background and skills.Phone Interview Questions About Your Background.

About the future

  • What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
  • Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
  • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (for older applicants)
  • What are your goals for the next five years / ten years?
  • How do you plan to achieve those goals?
  • How would you feel about working for a younger manager?
  • What are your salary requirements – both short-term and long-term?
  • Questions about your career goals.
  • What will you do if you don’t get this position?
  • Where else are you interviewing?

Behavioral interview questions

In addition to being ready to answer these standard questions, prepare for behavior based interview questions. This is based on the premise that a candidate’s past performance is the best predictor of future performance. You will need to be prepared to provide detailed responses including specific examples of your work experiences. Review examples of behavioral interview questions.
In a behavioral job interview, the company has decided what skills are needed in the person they hire and will ask questions to find out if the candidate has those skills.

Behavioral interview questions will be more focused than traditional interview questions and you’ll need to respond with special examples of how you handled situations in the workplace. Review examples of the questions you may be asked during a behavioral job interview and think about how you would answer them. That way you’ll be prepared ahead of time, rather than having to think of a response on the spot during the interview.

  • Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and how you handled it.
  • Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
  • Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
  • How do you handle a challenge?
  • Have you been in a situation where you didn’t have enough work to do?
  • Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
  • Did you ever make a risky decision? Why? How did you handle it?
  • Did you ever postpone making a decision? Why?
  • Have you ever dealt with company policy you weren’t in agreement with? How?
  • Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
  • When you worked on multiple projects how did you prioritize?
  • How did you handle meeting a tight deadline?
  • Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
  • Did you ever not meet your goals? Why?
  • What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
  • Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you do it?
  • Give an example of how you worked on team.
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
  • What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
  • Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
  • Do you listen? Give an example of when you did or when you didn’t listen.
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a supervisor? How?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with another department? How?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a client or vendor? How?
  • What do you do if you disagree with your boss?

Interview questions employers should not ask?

There are some interview questions, typically known as illigal interview questions, that employers should not ask during a job interview. Here are questions that shouldn’t be asked during a job interview and how to best respond.Illegal Interview QuestionsEmployers should not ask about any of the following, because to not hire a candidate because of any one of them is discriminatory:

  • Race;
  • Color;
  • Sex;
  • Religion;
  • National origin;
  • Birthplace;
  • Age;
  • Disability;
  • Marital/family status.

Have a phone interview on the agenda?

  • What interests you about this job?
  • Why do you want this job?
  • What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
  • Are you overqualified for this job?
  • What can you do for this company?
  • Would we hire you?
  • Would we hire you instead of the other applicants for the job?
  • Why are you the best person for the job?
  • What do you know about this company?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What challenges are you looking for in a position?
  • What can you contribute to this company?
  • What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days on the job?
  • What would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal?
  • Are you willing to travel?
  • What is good customer service?
  • How long do you expect to remain employed with this company?
  • Why would you take a job for less money?
  • Please rate me as an interviewer.
  • Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company that you would like to know?

Phone interview etiquette

Phone interview etiquette is just as important as in-person job interview etiquette when it comes to getting hired. That’s because, regardless of how you interview, a successful interview will get you to the next stage of the hiring process.

Tough Interview questions

These are some of the tough interview questions that you may be asked on a job interview. Review the questions and consider an appropriate response, based on your background and skills.There aren’t necessarily any right or wrong answers, but carefully consider the job you are applying for, your abilities, and the company culture before you respond.

Tool for Interview Questions