WinWay Resume includes hints and complete answers for over 200 of the most commonly
asked interview questions.
| Interest in the Organization |
| Where or how did you hear about this opening? |
| Do you have any friends or relatives working here? |
| How could you contribute to our company's goals? |
| What made you apply for this position? |
| Why are you considering our company? |
| Knowledge of the Organization |
| All positions have pluses and minuses. What do you imagine would be the pluses in this position? The minuses? |
| What can you bring to this company? |
| What are your expectations of this job? |
| What do you know about our products and services? |
| What do you think are this company's biggest problems, and how would you go about solving them? |
| What material have you read about our company? |
| What do you know about the history of our organization? |
| Career Field Knowledge |
| How do you feel about government controls in your field? |
| What do you think is the greatest challenge facing your field today? |
| What do you think will be the next major breakthrough in your field? |
| Resume |
| Tell me about your work history. |
| Tell me about this gap in your employment. |
| Tell me more about the career objective I see here on your resume. |
| Career Search |
| Are you looking at other employers? Do you have any other offers? |
| How did you get your most recent job? |
| In your current job, is there room for advancement? If not, is that why you are looking elsewhere? |
| What is the reason you are out of work now? |
| If you do not get this job, what are your plans? |
| Does your current employer know you are looking for a job? |
| Why are you looking for work? |
| Why did you leave your last job? |
| Experience -- General |
| Evaluate for me your most recent company. |
| Which position has given you the most satisfaction? |
| Tell me about the first job you ever had. |
| Tell me about a problem you once had on the job. How did you go about resolving the problem? |
| Describe for me one or two of the most important accomplishments in your career to date. |
| Give me an example of a time you were innovative on the job. |
| What have you done in your previous positions to help reduce costs? |
| What opinions did you give to your most recent employer to help make the company successful? |
| Describe a project you initiated and how it turned out. |
| Experience -- This Position |
| What experience would you like to gain here? |
| How well are you prepared for this position? |
| What previous work experiences do you think prepare you for this position? |
| Management Style Preference |
| How does an ideal manager make you successful? |
| Are you able to do the work your boss does? Why? How do you do it better? |
| Describe for me the management style of your current employer. |
| How do you handle disagreements with your superiors? |
| Do you delegate authority well? |
| Describe for me your favorite supervisor. |
| How much direction or feedback do you require? |
| What do you look for when you hire people? |
| Have you ever had to fire an employee? |
| How do you get people to do what you ask? |
| How would you describe an ideal supervisor? |
| Do you have a proactive or reactive approach to problem management? |
| Are you comfortable with making decisions? |
| Give me an example of how you solve conflicts within the workplace. |
| As a supervisor, how would you handle an employee who is chronically late or absent? |
| Teamwork |
| What would your subordinates have to say about your management style? |
| Are you a good team member? |
| What types of people do you work best with? |
| Are you a leader or a follower? |
| Are you more comfortable working in a team environment or on your own? |
| What kinds of co-workers do you like best? |
| Are there any types of people who seem to "rub you the wrong way"? |
| Education -- College/School |
| At our company, we highly value college internships. Tell me what you learned by completing your internship. |
| Describe for me the most enjoyable experience you had in college. |
| Why did you choose your alma mater? |
| What courses did you like the most, and the least, in college? |
| How much of your education did you finance yourself? And how? |
| How did you choose your major? |
| Education -- General |
| How well did you do in school? |
| Tell me about the extracurricular activities you were involved in. |
| What have you done to further your education since your graduation? |
| Can you explain your high grades and low grades? |
| Did you work while going to school? |
| Did you ever drop a course in school? |
| If you could do it all over again, what courses would you take? |
| What was your class ranking in high school and college? |
| What didn't you like about school and why? |
| How did your teachers and professors influence you to pursue this profession? |
| How could you have done better in school? |
| Was the school you chose right for you? |
| Skills and Training |
| Can you give me an example of your problem-solving skills? |
| What special skills do you have? |
| How has your education or training helped you to perform jobs better? |
| Are you familiar with any foreign languages? |
| What are you doing to prepare yourself for advancement? |
| How do you feel about working with computers? |
| Goals and Career Objectives |
| If you could have any job here, which one would it be and why? |
| What is your dream job? |
| Why did you select this area of work? |
| Imagine that you're selecting your career path all over again. What would you do differently? |
| If you had a choice, where would you work? |
| Who was the greatest influence on your career development? |
| What do you expect of your future employer? |
| Would you like to be president of a company someday? |
| Job Performance |
| Give me an example of how you manage multiple projects. |
| Have you ever been fired? If so, what led up to the firing? |
| Can you give me an example of a project you failed at and how you handled it? |
| What areas of improvement were pointed out to you during your most recent performance appraisal? |
| All of us have some pluses and minuses in our performance; what are some of yours? |
| Describe for me the appraisal system used by your last company. |
| Tell me how you were evaluated during your last two evaluations. |
| In your last position, what were your three biggest disappointments? |
| In your last position, what were your three biggest disappointments? |
| In your last position, what were your three biggest accomplishments? |
| General |
| In the best of all worlds, describe for me your ideal work environment. |
| What percentage of your time would you be able to travel? |
| If asked for proof of citizenship, can you furnish it on your first day of employment? |
| How do you feel about working overtime? |
| What has been the longest period of time you have been absent from any job and why? |
| Do you have a valid driver's license? |
| We require a medical exam before starting. Are you willing to take one? |
| Self-Evaluation |
| What makes you angry? |
| What was the least exciting time in your career? What did you dislike about it? |
| Do you enjoy detailed work? |
| What would you say are your weaknesses? |
| What motivates you? |
| How well organized are you? |
| Describe the kinds of tasks you like the least. |
| When you are faced with an ethical or moral dilemma, what do you do? |
| If I were to call your references, what would they say about you? Are they expecting a call? |
| What would make you happy in a job? |
| What's the greatest honor you've ever had? |
| Have you been happy in your past positions? What would have made you happier? |
| How well do you handle criticism? |
| How well do you work under pressure? |
| What do you admire most about your best friend? |
| Can you describe your working style? |
| What would you say are your strengths? |
| Do you have a personal budget? Do you enjoy budgeting? |
| In your opinion, is conflict inevitable? |
| How do you perform under tight deadlines? Can you give me an example? |
| Outside Interests |
| What do you do to maintain good health? |
| What are your favorite sports? |
| What was the last movie you saw and why did you choose it? |
| How do you spend your leisure time? |
| Do you drink? |
| Do you belong to any professional associations? Which ones? |
| Do you smoke? |
| What book are you currently reading and why did you choose it? |
| Unlawful |
| Do you own your own car? |
| What is your native language? |
| Where were you born? |
| What does your spouse do for a living? |
| Your last name sounds familiar. Does your family attend the local church or synagogue? |
| What type of military discharge did you receive? |
| Do you own your own home or rent? |
| You look too old to be starting a career now. |
| Do you attend church regularly? |
| Have you ever been arrested? |
| How many children do you have? |
| Possibly Unlawful |
| Do you belong to any clubs or organizations? |
| How would you feel about working for a female boss? |
| How supportive is your family of your career? |
| "Off the Wall" |
| What do you think about the country's economy? |
| What article in today's paper did you find most intriguing? |
| Who are the U.S. Senators from your state? |
| What do you think the economic situation will be a year from now? |
| Of all the people you've been associated with, whom did you dislike most and why? |
| What do you generally have for lunch? |
| Can you type? |
| In your opinion, what is the best museum in town? |
| What did you do last Saturday and Sunday? |
| What television programs interest you most? |
| When you were growing up, what was your home life like? |
| Stressful Questions |
| You seem overqualified for this position. Don't you think you'd become bored quickly and want to quit? |
| Sell me the pen you're holding right now. |
| What would make you leave us? |
| Do you think you are uniquely qualified for this position? If so, why? If not, why did you apply for the position? |
| Imagine I told you you've done a lousy job so far in this interview. What would you say back to me? |
| All of us have some skeletons in our closets. We at this company do a thorough background check on all of our potential new hires. What would you rather tell us now than have us find out on our own? |
| Tell me the worst thing you've heard about this company. |
| If someone were to question your credibility, how would you react? |
| When will you consider yourself a success? |
| Evaluate my performance as an interviewer. |
| How long would you stay with our company? |
| Do you have any outstanding debts? |
| Your resume makes you look like a job-hopper. What could you say to convince me you'd stay with us for any length of time? |
| How would you feel working for someone younger than you who makes more money? |
| Are you sure you can handle going to school and working at the same time? Won't one or the other have to suffer? |
| If, after two weeks on the job, I were to tell you "you've been making a lot of mistakes lately and need to improve," how would you handle this criticism? |
| Why should we hire you? |
| Describe for me the worst boss you've ever had. |
| Interview Conclusion |
| If I were to extend you an offer now, would you accept it? |
| How soon can you start? |
| Could you leave me with a list of your references? |
| Are there any questions you would like to ask me? |