1. Sample Interview Questions
A Guide for Hiring Managers

2. Personal Interview Questions
Where are you from?
How old are you?
What is your birth date?
How long have you resided at your present address?
When did you graduate from high school?
What is your marital status?
What was your maiden name?
Do you prefer to be addressed by Miss, Ms., or Mrs.?
Do you work?
What is your occupation?
What is your spouse’s name? Occupation?
How many children do you have?
What are the ages of your children, if any?

3. Background Interview Questions
Activities
Would you tell me about your present (last) position?
How would you describe a typical work day?
What activities did you enjoy most at your last job?
What do you consider the most critical elements in the successful performance of your present (last) position?
What job functions are most difficult for you? Why?
What problems have you encountered on the job? Which problems frustrate you the most? Why? How do you deal with them?
What was your greatest contribution in your present (past) position?
What recommendations have you made that were implemented?
How have you improved your position from the one you originally accepted?
How have your previous jobs prepared you for more responsibility?
What are the reasons you left your last position?

4. Background Interview Questions
Skills
Tell me in detail about your _(skill)_ experience.
What exposure have you had with _(skill)_?
Please give me an example of a project where you used _(skill)_.
Tell me about how you have used your _(skill)_ to be successful?
Relationships
Tell me about your working relationship with your supervisor. How do you support him or her?
What do you feel are your supervisor’s greatest strengths? Why? Weaknesses?
In what ways has your supervisor supported your performance?
For what kinds of things have you been praised? Criticized?
Describe a successful relationship with someone from another department. Why is it successful? How could it be improved?
Describe the traits that team members have that you work well with? What traits do you find difficult?
What do you consider essential in the management of people?
What type of task forces or projects have you worked on? What did you contribute? What did you contribute?

5. Background Interview Questions
Aspirations
What is important to you in a position? What would you like to avoid?
What do you want to do five years from now?
What are you doing to achieve your career goals?
How will this position help you reach your long-term career goals?
How do you define a successful career?
Self-Assessment
As an employee, what are your greatest strength? How have you used them?
In what areas would you most like to improve? Why?
What motivates you?
Skills Match
What do you believe qualifies you for this position?
Tell me what you know about this position and what interests you about it.
Given the skill set needed for this position, where do you think your skills are transferable?
What elements of this position would be new to you?
What additional training do you feel is required to achieve full proficiency?
Based on the information I have provided, what do you think are the critical duties or skills required?

6. Frequently-Sought Skills Interview Questions
Analytical and Problem-Solving
Describe a situation on any job which you’ve held where you were faced with a problem. What did you do to solve it?
Give an example of a situation in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision. What was the outcome?
Give an example of a situation in which you had to use your fact-finding skills to gain information for solving a problem, then tell me how you analyzed the information to come to a decision.
Give me an example of a problem which you faced on any job you have had and tell me how you went about solving it.
Teamwork
Give me an example of a time in which you feel you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or subordinates at work.
What did you do in your last job to contribute toward a teamwork environment? Be specific.

7. Frequently-Sought Skills Interview Questions
Flexibility
Describe a time in which you felt it was necessary to modify or change your actions in order to respond to the needs of another person.
Tell me about a situation where someone was angry at you. How did you handle it?
Describe an environment where you have worked where you had to deal with one crisis after another. How did you handle it?
What is the most frustrating work-related experience you have faced? How did you resolve it?
What do you do when you are being pressed for a decision?
Describe a time when unexpected events demanded that you reschedule your time or rethink your approach.
Give an example of when it was not possible for you to be flexible.
How do you overcome objections to your ideas? Goals?

8. Frequently-Sought Skills Interview Questions
Verbal Communication
Describe how have you gathered information and input from others.
What is the toughest communication problem you have faced?
Tell me how you have verbally convinced someone of an approach or an idea.
Tell me about a time you have compromised successfully.
Tell me about any formal presentations or proposals you have made to management or customers?
Give an example of a situation when you could have improved your communication with another person.
Describe a situation in which you were able to effectively “read” another person and guide your actions by your understanding of their individual needs or values.
Describe a situation in which you were able to positively influence the actions of others in a desired direction.
Written Communication
In your current position, what situations are better for written communication?
Describe the most significant written document/report/presentation which you have had to complete.

9. Frequently-Sought Skills Interview Questions
Organization and Planning
What did you do in your last job in order to be effective with your organization and planning? Be specific.
Describe a situation when you had to plan a task with critical deadlines. How did you plan to meet the deadlines? What did you do when short-term clashed with long-term goals?
Tell me about a time when your attention to detail paid off by avoiding a costly mistake or capitalizing on an overlooked opportunity.
Manageability
Describe the most effective way your supervisor has given you direction.
Describe a time when you responded well to criticism. Describe a time when you responded poorly to criticism.
What disagreements have you had with your supervisor?
Describe a time when you felt that management had made an emotional rather than logical decision about your work.
What qualities should a successful manager possess?
Give me an example of a specific occasion in which you conformed to or confronted a policy with which you did not agree.
What type of management styles do you work best with?

10. Frequently-Sought Skills Interview Questions
Goals, Risks, Creativity
Give me an example of an important goal which you have set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
Give an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to complete the job.
Describe the most creative work-related project or solution you’ve developed.
Tell me about a time when you had to do something or make a decision and there was no procedure to do so.
Describe a situation where you took a risk.
Tell me about a time when you took on a project or made changes to an existing procedure before you were asked to.
How does your job relate to the overall goals of the company?
Give an example of where you resisted pressure to do something because you knew it was not right.
Describe a time when you rearranged things to be more effective.

11. Entry -Level Interview Questions
Educational background
Why did you enroll at this university?
How would you describe your academic achievement?
How did you choose your major?
What college subjects have you enjoyed most?
What school year was most difficult, and why?
What changes would you make in your school?
Describe your most rewarding college experience.
What are your plans for future education?
What extracurricular activities did you enjoy?
How do you think college contributed to your overall developments?
Do you think college grades should be considered by first employers?
How do I know your capabilities?
What have you learned from your mistakes in school?
Work history
How would you describe the ideal job for you?
What kind of work interests you most?
Explain your understanding of this job’s responsibilities.
Do you feel you still have anything to learn after all your years of academic study?
Which summer job did you enjoy most?
With how many levels of management did you interact?
What was the job’s biggest challenge?
Tell me about a responsibility you have enjoyed.
What has been your least valuable work experience?
How would your references describe you?

12. Clerical Interview Questions
Describe a typical work day.
What skills can you bring to this position, other than the ones required in the job description?
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
What aspects of your position give you most enjoyment?
What aspects of your position cause you the most problems?
What software packages are you familiar with?
What activities do you use the packages for?
How many people do you support?
How many supervisors have you had at one time?
Describe a situation where the needs of your supervisors conflicted. What did you do?
How do you prioritize your work (or day)?
Describe your experience with general office skills (e.g., copying, faxing, multi-phone lines, supplies, etc.).