Top Skills Sought Communications skills (verbal and written) Strong work ethic Teamwork skills Initiative Interpersonal skills (ability to relate well to others) Problem-solving skills Analytical skills Flexibility/adaptability Computer skills Detail-oriented Organizational skills

Communication Focus How do you effectively communicate with others? How important is listening to effective communications? What are some of the characteristics of a good listener? Tell us about a situation where you demonstrated good communications skills. Tell us about a situation where you demonstrated poor communications skills.  What would you have done differently? How would you rate your communications skills?  Why? What are some rules to follow to insure effective communications with your coworkers? How would your co-workers rate your communications skills? What guidelines should you follow to communicate effectively with your supervisor? What are the reasons for communicating upwards to your superiors? How would your supervisor rate your communications skills?

Strong Work Ethic Focus Describe your work ethic. Give us an example of what you would consider as a poor work ethic. How would you describe a good work ethic? Tell us about a situation in your current job that would demonstrate your work ethic.

Teamwork Questions What are the characteristics of a successful team? Tell us about an unsuccessful team of which you were a member. What, if anything, could you have done differently? Tell us about a successful team of which you were a member. What was the most outstanding characteristic of that team? What did you contribute? What are the important qualities a person should have to become an effective team member? What qualities do you have that make you an effective team player? Do you work better by yourself or as part of a team? What can you contribute to establish a positive working environment for our team? What type of people do you work best with?

Initiative Focus Provide us with an example of your initiative. What does taking the initiative mean to you? How comfortable are you with taking the initiative on assignments that you may not be fully familiar with?

Interpersonal Skills (working effectively with others) Tell us about your inter-personal skills. What experience have you had working with external agencies? How do you deal with conflict? Tell us about a situation in which you were required to work with people at various levels within your organization? What was the most important step that you took to work effectively with these people? To what extent have your assignments required interface with other departments? Tell us about an incident in which you dealt with an irate customer, which would demonstrate your ability to work effectively with others? In what kinds of situations do you find it most difficult to deal with people? Describe to us the extent to which you have worked with executive or top management. What has been your experience in working with community organizations? Tell us about your experience in working with volunteers. How do you maintain an effective working relationship with your coworkers?

Problem Solving Skills Provide us with an example of your problem-solving ability. What are the essential elements of effective problem solving? Tell us about a situation in which you were required to analyze and solve a complex problem. How have you incorporated collaborative problem solving in your organization? What are the benefits of collaborative problem solving?

Analytical Skills Are you analytical?  Give us one example of your analytical abilities. Tell us about your analytical skills. Tell us about a particularly difficult problem that you analyzed.  What was your recommendation. What steps do you take when analyzing complex problems? How would you rate your analytical ability?   Why? How would your manager rate your analytical ability? Tell us about a situation where the analysis that you performed was incorrect.   What would you have done differently?

Flexibility/Adaptability How adaptable are you? Give us an example of your ability to adapt to change. How comfortable are you with change?

Computer Skills How do you keep your computer/technology skills current? You’ve just been assigned to a project involving a new technology. How would you get started?  Have you ever used technology to make a project better, faster, smarter, or more efficient?

Detail Oriented How well do your work with detail information? Give us an example of how detail-oriented you are. Do you prefer to work with detail or with general information? What level of detail have your current and past jobs required? Are you a "big picture" or "detail oriented" person?  How so? Have the jobs you held in the past required little attention, moderate attention, or a great deal of attention to detail?  Give us an example.

Organizational Skills What does being well-organized mean to you? How organized are you when you are performing your work? Give us an example of your ability to organize your work. Would you describe yourself as being well-organized?  Why? How do you keep well-organized while performing your work?