Commonly Asked Interview Questions

Reviewing and answering the following list of commonly asked interview questions is a great way to prepare for an interview. Typically, employers have a limited amount of time to gain an understanding of prospective employees. Your answers to these questions help employers make informed decisions and enable them to learn more about you as an individual. They are therefore an integral part of the hiring process.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

• What do you do for fun?
• What do you like to do when you are not at work?
• Why did you leave your last job?

ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE

• Describe the job you have held in the past that was most gratifying.
• How can you help our company be more profitable?
• Tell me how you would handle multiple projects in the job.
• What aspects of your job do you consider most crucial?

ABOUT YOUR SKILLS

• Describe a professional skill you have developed in your most recent job.
• Describe a situation in which you have applied your skills to solve a problem.
• Describe your ability to solve problems in the workplace.
• How well can you multi-task?
• How would you rate your communication skills?
• What new skills or ideas do you bring to the job that other candidates aren't likely to offer?
• What would your colleagues tell me about your attention to detail?

ABOUT YOUR WORK STYLE

• Are you able to meet aggressive deadlines? Do you have experience doing so in the past?
• Do you like working alone or in a team environment?
• Do you prefer continuity in structure or frequent change in your daily work?
• Do you work well under pressure?
• How do you go about making important decisions?
• How do you measure the success of your work?
• Tell me about the way you work.

ABOUT YOUR RESUME

• Are you involved with any professional affiliations?
• Tell me something about yourself that I didn't know from reading your resume.
• Why are you currently unemployed?
• Why have you held so many jobs in recent times?




EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Have you taken any classes since college to bring your skills up to date?
• Is there anything you would change about your college education?

SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Have you ever managed a project for your previous employer? What was the result?
• Tell me about a contribution you have made to a team.
• Tell me about a project you completed ahead of schedule.
• Tell me about any honors or awards that you have received in the past.
• Tell me about the most significant accomplishment in your career?

ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER

• How do you maintain your composure when you are in the hot seat?
• How do you usually handle criticism?
• Is there anything else about you that I should know?
• What are your top strengths? Weaknesses?
• What is your definition of success? How have you been successful in the past?
• What one word best describes you?

CAREER GOAL QUESTIONS

• Describe your ideal job.
• What are your work-related goals for the next few years?
• What motivated you to change careers at this time?
• What prompted you to choose your current career?
• Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten years?

MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS

• Describe a situation in which you demonstrated independent initiative.
• Describe a time when you had to alter your leadership style to be more effective.
• Describe the situation in which you are most comfortable as a leader.
• Describe your management style.
• Have you ever hired anyone? What qualities do you seek?
• Have you managed people in any of the positions you have held?
• How do you deal with difficult people?
• How would you define "leadership?" How would you rate yourself as a leader?
• How would you describe your philosophy about management?
• Tell me about a time that you made a critical decision without supervision?
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a challenging project in your job.