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Sample Interview Questions

One good way to prepare for an interview is to become familiar with types of interview questions that you may encounter. This part of the handout covers three types of interview questions: General, Behavior-Based and Illegal. You will also find a list of questions you may want to ask an interviewer.

General Interview Questions

These questions typically revolve around three areas: personal qualities, education, experience, and career expectations. Answer honestly and limit the length of your answer to no more than 1-2 minutes.

Personal Qualities

Please tell me a little bit about yourself.
What was the last book you read?
What is your energy level like? Describe a typical day.
Are you an organized person?
Do you manage your time well?
How do you organize and plan for major projects?
Have you ever had a weakness that you've been able to overcome? How did you accomplish this?
When you're faced with a particularly tough decision, how do you go about making it? Can you give me an example from your college days?
Do you think that you'll prefer to work with others or by yourself? Are there experiences you have had it school or in part-time jobs to support that?
How do you handle yourself when you've had a conflict with someone? Are you confrontational? Do you avoid that person? Why? How do you think you'll behave when you have a problem with a co-worker?
What causes you to lose your temper?

Education

Why did you choose to go to Chapman University?
What courses did you like best at college? Which of them did you like least? Why? What were the factors influencing your choice of major and minor?
In what courses did you get your best grades? Why?
In what courses did you get your worst grades? Why? How do you think that will affect your performance on the job?
If you were to start college over again tomorrow, what courses would you take? Why?
Were there any unusual difficulties you had to overcome to do so well in college?
Did you do the best job you could while in school? If not, why not?
How was your education financed? What percent did you pay for yourself?
Do you have any plans to further your education?

Experience

Your lack of experience bothers me. Why do you think I should hire someone just out of school, like you?
What did you learn from (or why don't I see any) internships on your resume? How did you get those internships? What was the most valuable thing you learned from each?
What extra curricular activities were you active in? What made you choose those? Which of them did you most enjoy? Why?
Have your hobbies or sports activities taught you any lessons that you'd bring on the job?
Did you hold any positions of leadership in any organization?
If I met some of your peers from college, what do you think they would say about you?
In your last summer job, what were some of the things you spent most of your time on, and why?
Tell me about a typical day at ________ organization. (full-time, part-time and summer jobs).
What functions did you enjoy most? Least?
What have you learned from some of the jobs you've had?
What accomplishments have you achieved in each of your jobs?
What supervisor did you like best? Why did you like him or her?
What supervisor did you like least? What did you not like about him or her?

Career/Job Expectations

What most influenced you to choose the career you're ready to begin?
What are you looking for in a job?
Why are you interested in this position?
What do you know about our organization? How did you find this out?
Is there anything about this company or job that makes you apprehensive? Why?
What aspects of this job do you think you'll find the most interesting?
What aspects do you think you'll find most interesting?
How will you react to doing the least interesting or least pleasant parts of this job?
How do you think this job will help you achieve your long-term career objectives?
Let's say your supervisor gave you an assignment that you didn't understand and then left town for a week. Assume he or she is unreachable. What would you do?
This is a large (or small) company. Do you think you'd like that sort of environment? Why? What do you think you might not like about it?
What do you know about the financial aspects of this business? Have any of your studies or readings helped you know about how we budget, what affects our bottom line?
What is your attitude toward relocations and working on weekends?
What kind of starting salary are you looking for?

Behavior Based Interview Questions

Behavior description interviews are based on the premise that past actions are the best indicators of future behavior. Therefore, questions are asked that demand specific answers in order to discover if the candidate possesses certain job skills. This method of interviewing has been around for many years, although it has become more popular recently.

Formulating Appropriate Answers:

Interviewers who ask behavioral interview questions expect answers with specific examples. Therefore, when preparing for this type of interview, anticipate the job skills required in the position and think of the past experiences where you have demonstrated these skills. For example, a job in sales requires customer service orientation. Think of situations where you have dealt with customers and practice structuring your answer using the STAR method described below.

Using the STAR Method:

STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Remembering this acronym can be helpful in organizing your thoughts when describing a specific experience.

Q: Can you think of a time when you dealt with the concerns of a particularly challenging customer?
A: "As a residence hall desk attendant, one of my main responsibilities was to handle telephone calls and requests for information (SITUATION). One time, a parent called the desk frantic because she had tried to call her son for a couple of days and had gotten no response. She demanded that I locate her son (TASK). I knew I had to stay calm because she was upset. I let her talk for several minutes, reassured her that I understood how frightening it must be, and carefully explained that I could not leave the desk to locate her son. I didn't want to just transfer her to the R.A., in case she ended up talking to an answering machine, so I asked if I could put her on hold, and called the R.A. on that floor. He wasn't in, but luckily I found the Hall Director, so I transferred the call to the Hall Director (ACTION). By then, my patience and efforts to help had calmed down the parent. (RESULT).

Q: Tell me about some things in your job that you have done beyond what has been required.
A: "Last summer, I was head lifeguard at a large public pool that employed 20 lifeguards (SITUATION). As head lifeguard I was in charge of training all the lifeguards (TASK). Although it wasn't required, I decided to put together a written training handbook to make it easier to have consistent training from summer to summer (ACTION). As a result, training new employees is more efficient and thorough (RESULT).

Sample Questions

Analytic Thinking

What has been one of the most challenging situations which required your analysis?
Have you ever been in a situation where there has been a recurring problem at work? Tell me about it. What did you do in the situation?

Customer Service Orientation

I am interested in your day- to-day experience with customers in your present job. Can you pick a recent customer interaction you've had and tell me about it?
Can you think of a time when you have had to deal with the concerns of a particularly challenging customer?

Decision Making

Can you think of a particularly challenging decision you have had to make? We have all made some decisions or recommendations we wish we could do over again. Please give me an example where this had happened to you

Flexibility

Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to take on new tasks or roles? Describe this situation and what you did.
In going from ____ to ____, what did you find to be the most different? What did you do to make the transition? (This question will focus on a major transition indicated on the resume, such as from one organization to another or from undergraduate school to graduate school.)

Initiative

How has your job changed since you started? Who initiated each of these changes? How was each one initiated?
Have you done some things in you job beyond what has been required? Tell me about some things which you've done that exceeded requirements.

People Management

How do you manage the performance of those who report to you?
Can you tell me about a situation in which you attempted to raise an individual's (or group's) level of performance?

Sensitivity

We all have had to work with people who see things differently from us. Can you think of a person or group you have worked with who saw things quite differently from you? How about an example of when they didn't agree with what you were doing?

Verbal Communication

What aspects of your present job have involved the most verbal communication with other people?
In what areas of your present job has good verbal communication been most important?

Written Communication

What has been the nature of the writing you have done in your present position? Can you tell me about a recent example of _____?

Illegal Questions
There are certain questions that if asked will violate the law. These laws were created to protect candidates from discrimination. This chart gives an overview of permissable / not permissable interview questions.

Subject	Permissable	Not Permissable
Name	"Have you worked for this company under another name?" "Are there other names you use that would help us check your work history?"	Inquiries that would indicate applicant's lineage or national origin. Anything that requests the indication Miss, Ms, Mrs.
Marital / Family Status	Inquiries of both males and females about whether the applicant can meet specific work schedules.	Any inquiry about whether an applicant is married, single, divorced, engaged, etc. Also, number and age of children, child-care arrangements, questions concerning pregnancy.
Age	If a minor, proof of age. Inquiry about whether the application meets the minimum age requirements as set by law. "If hired, can you furnish proof of age?"	Requirement that applicant state age or date of birth. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 forbids discrimination against those over 40 years of age.
Sex	Restricting employment of one sex where a bona fide occupational qualification exists.	Sex of applicant
Address	Applicant's address and how long lived there.	Inquiry into foreign addresses that would indicate national origin. Whether the applicant owns or rents. Names and relationships of those with whom applicants resides.
Birthplace/National Origin	"After employment, can you submit proof of U.S. Citizenship?" " If you are not a citizen, have you the legal right to remain permanently in the U.S.?"	Any inquiry into national origin or birthplace of applicant.
Religion	Advise the applicant about normal hours and days of work required by the job.	Religious denomination or affiliation, church, parish, pastor, or religious holidays observed.
Photographs	Can be requested after hiring for identification.	Requirements that applicant affix a photograph to his or her application. Request that applicant, at his/her option, submit photograph.
Conviction/Arrest Record	Inquiry into convictions that relate to fitness to perform a particular job.	Any inquiry relating to arrests.
Disabilities *The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) bans discrimination against people with disabilities. Organizations with more than 15 employees must make reasonable workplace accommodations.	Can you lift a 50 pound box? Can you stand for an extended time? Can you be at work by 9:00 am every day? Can you work five days a week? Can you reach the top of a six-foot cabinet? Do you have a driver's license? Can you perform the job for which you are applying with or without an accommodation? What were your duties on your previous job and what accommodations were made to facilitate your work? Show me how you would perform a particular job task.	Have you or anyone in your family ever been treated for the following conditions? Have you ever been hospitalized? For what? List any conditions or illness for which you have been treated in the past three years. Have you been treated for a mental disorder? Are you taking any medication? Have you been treated for drug or alcohol addiction? Do you have any major physical disabilities? What is the prognosis for recovery? Have you ever filed for workers comp? How many times were you absent from your previous job because of illness?

What to Ask Interviewers

You should always have a list of questions prepared to ask about the organization. Asking questions shows your interest in the organization, gives you an opportunity to show what you know, and demonstrates your maturity. This list will give you a start on identifying areas where you may want to ask questions.

Find out why the job is open, who had it last, and what happened to him or her. Did he or she get promoted or fired? How many people have held this position in the last couple of years? What happened to them subsequently?
Why did the interviewer join the company? How long has he or she been there? What is it about the company that keeps him or her there?
To whom would you report? Will you get the opportunity to meet that person?
Where is the job located? What are the travel requirements, if any?
What type of training is required and how long is it? What type of training is available?
What would your first assignment be?
What are the realistic chances for growth in the job? Where are the opportunities for greatest growth within the company?
What are the skills and attributes most needed to get ahead in the company?
Who will be the company's major competitor over the next few years? How does the interviewer feel the company stacks up against them?
What has been the growth pattern of the company over the last five years? It is profitable? How profitable? Is the company privately or publicly held?
If there is a written job description, may you see it?
How regularly do performance evaluations occur? What model do they follow?