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? |