Sample Interview Questions
From www.about.com
Motivation Job Interview Questions
? Describe the work environment or culture in which you are most productive and
happy.
? Imagine you have received a coveted national award five years from now. Why
did you receive the award, what is the award, and what are the circumstances
under which you are receiving the award?
? What goals, including career goals, have you set for your life? ? How would you define “success” for your career? At the end of your work life,
what must have been present for you to feel as if you had a successful career? ? Describe a work situation in which you can demonstrate that you motivated
another person.
Teams and Teamwork Job Interview Questions
? Give an example of a successful project you were part of. What was your role?
Why was the project successful?
? Describe two situations from your past work experience in which you have
determined a team was the best potential solution to a problem, a needed
process improvement, or a planned change. How did each work out? ? What actions and support, in your experience, make a team function
successfully?
? Give me an example of a time when your work group or department worked
especially well with another work group or department to accomplish a goal. ? Have you been a member of a team that struggled or failed to accomplish its
goal? If so, what assessment did you make of the reasons for the failure? Interpersonal Skills Job Interview Questions
? Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with a coworker whom you
disliked or with whom you had trouble working. What did you do to make the
relationship work so you could succeed for your company? ? Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the actions or decisions of your
manager or supervisor. How did you approach the situation? Was the situation
resolved to your satisfaction or did nothing change?
? Tell me about a time when you worked with a friend or a coworker who became
a friend. What did you do to ensure that the friendship bore positive results for
your company?
? Describe a conflict you were involved in at work. How did you resolve the
conflict? What happened next with that coworker or team?
? What are three examples of the kinds of behaviors, actions, or attitudes you are
most likely to conflict with at work? Can you give me an example of a situation
you addressed in the past? How was it resolved?
? What are the three most important factors that make you an effective, valued
coworker in your current job? What would your supervisor say are the three
most important factors?
? If you have reporting staff, how would these staff members describe your
relationship with them?
? During your work experiences while attending college, tell me about a time
when you demonstrated that you have the ability and desire to work effectively
with your coworkers.
? When you have entered a new workplace in the past, describe how you have
gone about meeting and developing relationships with your new coworkers,
supervisors, and reporting staff.
Communication Skills Job Interview Questions
? You attend a weekly staff meeting with your supervisor. How have you ensured,
in the past, that the information you have received is communicated to your
reporting staff and coworkers?
? Information you believe to be untrue or confidential has reached you via the
grapevine. What actions have you taken in the past to take care of situations
such as this when communication is out of control?
? Give me an example, from your past work experiences, about a time when you
were part of a project or team and you never knew what was happening with
the other action items or participants. How did you handle this situation? ? Rate your communication skills on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 representing
excellent communication skills. Give me three examples from your past work
experiences that demonstrate the selected number is accurate. ? Describe the work environment or culture and its communication style in which
you experience the most success.
? Describe five things about the communication within an organization that must
be present for you to work most effectively?
? How often do you believe it is necessary to withhold information from staff
members who report to you? Would you say you do this regularly, not often, or
never? Under what circumstances do you limit communication in your
experience?
? When you have had a boss, in the past, who fails to adequately communicate
with you, how have you handled this?
? When you have entered a new workplace in the past, describe how you have
gone about meeting and developing relationships with your new coworkers,
supervisors, and reporting staff.