1. Sample Interview Questions . . . How Will You Answer?
Job Interview
Sample Interview Questions . . .
How Will You Answer?

2. Tell me about yourself
Talk more about your job skills than your personal life.
Talk about the growth of your career, what you learned from previous employment or even things like how your volunteer work helped you develop your organizational, time management and leadership skills.

3. What are your strengths?
If you really enjoy new challenges and tackle them in an organized manner, this would be a useful strength in almost any situation.
Be prepared with some concrete examples, since that may be the follow-up question.

4. What are your weaknesses?
A "good" weakness might be that you have trouble leaving the office behind when you go home in the evenings.
If you talk about your temper, your tendency to gossip or the fact that you're lazy, you may as well pack up and go home right then. 
Try to turn your weakness into something positive for the company.

5. Why did you leave your last job?
Don't lie. 
If you can't say anything positive about your former employer, don't say anything.  It could come back to haunt you.

6. What are your qualifications for this job?
If it is related to your Career Course, talk about things you learned.
Review your course syllabus to remind yourself of skills that you learned.
Talk about some of your personal qualifications: organized, dependable, etc.

7. How was your attendance in high school? Were you punctual?
Answer with more than a “yes” or “no” response.
If you missed four days, explain the reasons.
If you are hardly ever absent, brag on yourself.
If you are tardy to school or absent a lot, this is a direct reflection on how you will be on the job.

8. Why do you want to work for me?
Be sure to know something about the company in order to bring that point out.
Do not tell them that their pay scale is higher than somewhere else's.

9. Why should I hire you?
Think about what you think the employer is looking for in an employee.
If you were an employer, what would you look for?

10. Describe how you work under pressure. Give an example.
Discuss deadlines you met and how you accomplished that task.
Your answer does not have to be work related; it could be a school project.
Be specific with your examples.

11. What kind of salary are you looking for?
Express that you are willing to begin at an introductory level and work your way up.
Do not give a dollar amount; you could price yourself out of job or they might be thinking of something higher than you stated.
Tell them you are willing to negotiate.

12. Do you work well with other people? Give an example.
Answer with more than a “yes” or “no” answer.
Think of group projects that you have worked on at school.
Use examples of volunteer work where you were part of a team.

13. What are your hobbies?
Don’t say things like: talking on the phone, playing video games, or hanging out with friends. This could be viewed as a possible problem at work.
Do mention sports, reading, etc.

14. Do you belong to any organizations?
Mention past and present memberships.
Specify any leadership roles you have held.
Being involved in extracurricular activities indicates you are a well rounded person.

15. How would you handle an angry individual confronting you?
They want to know that you would handle the situation in a calming manner.
You would keep your voice at a normal level and would not escalate the situation.
You should try to see what you could do to assist the individual.

16. Do you have any questions about our company?
This would be a good time to ask for more details about some aspect of the company's organizational structure or products. 
It would not be a good time to ask about your first raise.
You could also ask questions about the community, their training program or details about the work environment.
If you were hired, who would you be working with?
What are the possibilities for advancement?