Almost every employment opportunity starts with an interview! Prepare to ace the interview by looking over the most commonly asked interview questions below and planning your responses. Even better, practice with somebody else so you can practice saying your response out loud!
- What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for your life?
- How has your high school experience prepared you for a career?
- What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining them?
- How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful accomplishments.
- What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
- Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?
- Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a reason to hire you?
- What do you expect to be doing in five years?
- What do you expect to be doing in ten years?
- How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
- Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or instructor? How did you resolve the conflict?
- Tell me about a major problem you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?
- What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?
- How will the academic program and coursework you’ve taken benefit your career?
- Which classes or subjects do you like best? Why?
- To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?
- Which is more important to you, the job itself or your salary?
- Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
- Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
- Describe a time when you had to use your written communication skills to get an important point across.
- Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
- Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
- Sometimes it’s easy to get in “over your head.” Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
- Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing his or her share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager’s actions?
- We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
- Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?
- Describe some times when you were not satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
- What are your standards for success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?
- Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.
- Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
- Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
- Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding or to make yourself more effective?
- How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
- Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude. What did you do?
- What is the biggest mistake you’ve made?
- Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused?
- Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What things did you fail to do? What were the repercussions? What did you learn?
- Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate understand a task. How did you assist him or her? What was the result?