Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Describe a challenging work issue you had to face, and how you dealt with it?
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Education
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How does your experience and education qualify you for this job?
How does your education qualify you for this job?
Why did you choose to attend the college that you are attending?
What aspect of your education applies to this position?
What training have you received that qualifies you for this job?
What have you done outside of formal education to improve yourself?
What training opportunities have you taken advantage of and why?
What additional training will we have to provide for you if we hire you?
Experience
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Tell
us
about
yourself.
Focus on the aspects of your experience that apply specifically to the position that you're applying for.
How are you qualified for this job?
How does your current job qualify you for this position?
How does your experience qualify you for this job?
Describe a typical day at your present position.
What were your three greatest accomplishments on your last job?
What are some of the things on your current job you have done well?
What is the most difficult assignment you have had?
What accomplishment on the job are you the most proud of?
What steps have you taken to improve your job skills?
What significant contributions have you made to the operation of your work group?
How has your current position prepared you to take on greater responsibilities?
What makes you more qualified than the other candidates?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
How has your job prepared you to take on greater responsibility?
Tell us about your qualifications for this position.
What actions have you taken in the past 10 years to prepare you for this position?
What steps have you taken in the past two years to improve your qualifications?
In the areas where your experience falls short for this job, what steps will you take to make up for this shortfall?
Describe yourself.
What skills and abilities do you have?
Recall an incident where you made a major mistake. What did you do after the mistake was made? What did you learn
from this mistake?
What is the greatest failure you've had? What would you have done differently?
What action on the job are you the least proud of?
Tell us about a difficult situation that you encountered and how you resolved it.
Resume
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Analytical Skills
1. Are you analytical? Give us one example of your analytical abilities.
2. Tell us about your analytical skills.
3. Tell us about a particularly difficult problem that you analyzed and what was your recommendation.
4. What steps do you take when analyzing complex problems?
5. How would you rate your analytical ability? Why?
6. How would your manager rate your analytical ability?
7. Tell us about a situation where the analysis that you performed was incorrect. What would you have done differently?
Tell us about your analytical skills.
This should be easy if you have done a realistic skill inventory for yourself, listing what skills you do have and how you can
offer proof of this skill (where you learned it, last used it). Working off your inventory, focus on various analytical skills and
match them to the skills you feel are most important for the job you are considering. You can now give specific examples
of skills you can offer. (Do not neglect skills obtained in extracurricular activities, such as volunteer work.)
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Career Goals
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Interview Closing
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New Job
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What is the most attractive aspect of the job you are interviewing for?
What is the least attractive aspect of the job you are interviewing for?
In order to successfully meet the responsibilities of this position, which of your personal qualities will be of the greatest
benefit?
What part of the job that you interviewing for do you look forward to the most?
What part of the job that you are interviewing for do you look forward to the least?
What aspect of our organization has the greatest appeal for you?
Knowing our organization and the position that youre interviewing for, where can you make the greatest contribution?
How will the job youre interviewing for, fit into your career plans?
Why did you choose this profession and this specific job?
What do you think your responsibilities will be if youre hired?
Why are you interested in the position?
What are you seeking from this job?
What challenges do you think that you will face in moving from your current position to this position?
What aspect of the job announcement interested you the most?
In comparision to your current position, what do you think will be different in your new position?
Our company is more widely recognized than the current company that you're working for, why do you think that is?
Tell us why you believe you are ready to promote to the next level of management.
What can you contribute to our company?
What do you know about our company?
What interests you about a career in (field of new job)?
Why should we give you a chance to perform in this job?
Why should we hire you instead of the the other candidates?
We have 24 candidates. A number of the candidates have more experience than you do. Why should we hire you
instead of one of the other candidates?
Why do you want this job and how does it fit you?
What do you intend to accomplish as a (title of new job) with our company?
Why should we hire you?
What additional training or development will you need to perform in this position?
Teamwork
Entry Level
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What are the important qualities a person should have to become an effective team member?
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Tell us about an unsuccessful team of which you were a member. What, if anything, could you have done differently?
Tell us about a successful team of which you were a member. What was the most outstanding characteristic of that
team? What did you contribute?
What qualities do you have that make you an effective team player?
Do you work better by yourself or as part of a team?
What can you contribute to establish a positive working environment for our team?
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What are the advantages, if any, of establishing team goals as opposed to individual goals?
You supervise a group of civilian employees. Your employees appear to be at odds with the uniformed personnel. What
steps can you take to improve the teamwork between civilian and uniformed personnel?
Interview Questions
Why are you interested in this field?
Why are you interested in this company?
Why are you interested in this position?
Why do you want this job?
What qualities do you think this job requires?
Why do you want to work for this organisation?
What have you got to contribute?
What can we offer you that your present employer cannot offer?
How long have you been looking for a new job?
What do you know about this organisation?
What interests you about this organisation?
What are you looking for in a new job?
What would be your ideal job?
What sort of jobs are you considering at the moment?
What did you do on a day to day basis?
What do you not like about the job?
How did you make a difference to your last organisation?
How successful are you?
What was your greatest success and how did you achieve it?
What has been your biggest failure?
How could you improve yourself?
How did you progress in your last job?
How do you handle criticism?
How do you work with others?
Are you a self-starter, able to work without constant supervision?
Can you be depended upon in critical situations and follow work through to completion?
Are you objective in evaluating yourself and others?
What motivates you?
Are you competitive?
What problems did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities?
Are you enthusiastic and easy to work with?
Can you work under pressure?
Can you manage your time effectively?
How do you structure your day's work?
How do you plan your day and week?
How did you handle sudden unplanned work or crisis?v Can you handle constructive criticism in a productive manner?
What are you like under pressure?
How many hours are you prepared to work?
What are your career goals?
How did you get on with your last manager/colleagues?
How do you express yourself in situations where you have to be tactful?
What initiatives do you take to make the work place more efficient?
How do you deal with different people at work?
How do you handle work in high pressure situations?
How do you think a friend or someone who knows you well would describe you?
What do you think is your greatest weakness?
Can you summarize the contribution you would make to our organisation?
What accomplishment has given you the most satisfaction?
Tell me about your experiences at school.
What has been the most rewarding university experience?
Please tell me about the greatest professional assignment you've ever handled.
Tell me about your most significant work experience.
How would those who have worked with you describe you?
Why are you the best candidate for this position?
Have you ever supervised anyone?
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What are your long-term career goals? When and why did you establish these goals and how are you preparing yourself to achieve
them?
What are the most important rewards you expect in your business career?
What do you do in your spare time?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
Are you willing to relocate?
Did you ever have a group leader or boss you disliked? Why did you dislike him/her?
How would someone who dislikes you describe you?
Talk about a group situation in which there were problems. How did you handle the situation and what was the outcome? What role did
you play in the group? How could the group improve its performance?
Tell me about a time when you experienced a failure and how you reacted to it.
Tell me about a time when you were under considerable pressure to meet one or more goals.
Describe a situation where you had to resolve a problem at work and explain how you resolved it.
Give me an example of how you are a risk taker.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
What motivates you?
Why do you want to work for us and not for our competitor?
Why should we hire you over everyone else we spoke to today?
What do you think is the most important/difficult ethical dilemma facing corporations today?
Give a one sentence positioning statement of yourself.
How do you go about deciding what to do first when given a project?
Tell me about an experience you have had in a working environment (school, work, or community).
Describe a situation where you did not agree with something your boss asked you to do and how you resolved the problem.
Can you work under pressure?
What did you like/dislike about your last job?
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
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While in school, I developed strong organisational and customer service skills. As a dormitory assistant, I organized events, led
meetings, and assisted students. As treasurer of the Business Society, I maintained the budget and presented budget reports. My
summer jobs also required extensive interaction with the public.
I believe these experiences have prepared me for your management trainee position.
(Request an interview)
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications more extensively in an interview.
I can be reached at 03 9999 9999.
Thank you for your consideration.
(Place your phone number near the end)
Sincerely,
John Ryan (Sign your cover letter)
General Questions
Questions start the minute the interview does, and to show that you are an exceptional
candidate, you need to be prepared to answer not only the typical questions, but also the
unexpected. You can expect questions regarding your qualifications, your academic
preparation, career interests, experience, and ones that assess your personality.
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of my disability?
There is no way to know for certain. This is especially true when an employer doesnt directly state that you werent hired because of your
disability or provides no reason at all for not hiring you.
Then, how can I prove that I wasnt hired because of my disability?
(a) You must show that you are a person with a disability; you were qualified for the job; you were denied the job; and the job either remained
open or was given to a person without a disability.
(b) The employer must offer a neutral or non-discriminatory reason for the decision not to hire you, such as the fact that you were not qualified for
the job or were not as qualified as another applicant who was hired.
(c) If the employer can meet this burden, then you have to show that the neutral reason given by the employer is not the real reason for the
employers decision not to hire you, and your disability was the true reason. Any information that you can obtain on these issues prior to filing a
complaint will be helpful to your case.
Whats my chance of success if I file a complaint based on disability discrimination by an employer?
Even if you can prove that an employer asked an illegal question on a job application or at an interview, and you can prove that you were not hired
as a result of your response to the illegal question, you will not necessarily win an administrative proceeding challenging the employers decision
not to hire you.
To win an administrative complaint or lawsuit challenging a decision not to hire you, you will also have to prove that you were able to perform the
essential functions of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. You will need concrete evidence that the employers decision not to
hire you was based, at least in part, on your disability.
Does an employer who asks an illegal job interview question violate the ADA even if they extend a job offer?
The employer may have violated the ADA even if you are offered the job or even if you decide that you do not want the job and withdraw your
application before a hiring decision is made. In either of these situations, you may want to ask the EEOC, NYLPI or state or local human rights
agencies to investigate and ask the employer to change the application or interview process so that the question is not asked of other applicants.
Does the ADA require employers to give preference to hiring people with disabilities?
No. While the ADA and state and local laws protect people from employment discrimination on the basis of disability, they do not require an
employer to hire or promote the person with a disability over other people.
These laws prohibit an employer from refusing to hire or promote or from taking other adverse action against a person because of the persons
disability, if he or she can perform the essential functions of the job.
An employer can, under the ADA, choose a person without a disability with more experience over an individual with a disability even if the
individual with the disability is qualified for the job.
An employer can choose a person without a disability over an individual with a disability, if the two individuals are equally qualified, as long as the
choice was not made because of the individuals disability.
Would you tell us what attracts you to a career with us? How do you see your
studies, skills, experience and personal qualities contributing to the work of the
organisation?
Tip: How do you think that you might fit into this company
Describe a time when you had to deal with conflicting demands. How did you deal with this situation and what was the outcome?
Tip: STAR
Can you describe a time where you have been required to perform as part of a team? What was the situation? What part did you play in the
team and what was the outcome of the exercise?
Tip: STAR
Where do you expect to be in 5 years time? What will you do if you are not successful in gaining this position?
Tip: Demonstrate to the interviewer that you have thought about what it is you want from work and what you hope to achieve. Let them know you
are flexible however, and willing to explore new opportunities.
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What particular skills and qualities do you bring to the workforce? What other skills would you like to develop in the future?
Tip: Strengths and weaknesses
Tell me about a challenging situation you have faced. What was the situation and how did you cope with it?
Tip: STAR
Is there an achievement of which you are particularly proud? What is it? Why is it significant?
Tip: STAR
Imagine that you are a member of a small team responsible for the development and production of an internal publication. Your team is
dependent on another workgroup to provide the data which will form the basis of your publication. The deadline for completing this project is not
able to be relaxed. (a) What factors do you think might affect the team's ability to meet the publication deadline? (b) What could the team do to
ensure the project is completed on time?
Tip: Hypothetical questions allow the interviewer to identify key competencies deemed important by the employer. No right or wrong answer
What are the key elements of measuring performance and how can you establish whether an outcome represents a success? (Answer this
in terms of your own work or study experience.) More specifically, what do you think might be some key indicators of the successful performance
of a national agency?
Tip: STAR (Behavioural +Situational question)
You have demonstrated in your CV that you have knowledge of entomology. Could you please expand on your experience and tell us what
you think your strengths are in this field. An important component of the position will be the maintenance of water quality parameters within
acceptable limits for the species. Can you outline your experience in water quality testing? What do you feel are the most important water quality
variables?
Tip: Multi-part question
The ability to work independently within a structured team is essential to the position. This will require the successful applicant to be selfstarting, able to prioritise tasks, be a good communicator, as well as showing considerable initiative. Can you give us some examples where you
have worked within a team environment and demonstrated these abilities?
Tip: STAR + multi-part question
What do you feel is the potential for aquaculture in Australia and what are some of the major impediments to its development? What are
some of the major aquaculture species cultured in freshwater? As well as the position involving general maintenance of the aquaria and pond
facilities, a significant component will involve participation in scientific experiments through the collection and collation of research data. Can you
describe previous experience you have had in the day to day running of scientific experiments?
Tip: STAR + multi-part question
The research project and facilities the successful applicant will be involved with receives considerable attention from the general public.
Therefore, a component of the job will involve liaising with the general public and media. This requires the delivery of information in a simple
precise manner. How confident do you feel you are in delivering sometimes complex information in a simple manner?
Tip: give examples
What computer programs are you familiar with, and more specifically, what programs would you use to write a report, enter research data,
and to prepare a poster or seminar.
Tip: give examples of where you have applied the use of these programs.
You have had an opportunity to look at the statistical table from the publication (this was supplied before the interview). (a) Imagine you
were asked to write a commentary on the information in the table. Are there any significant or curious or interesting features revealed by the data
which you think should be highlighted, and if so, what might you say about them? Can you offer any suggestions to explain these features? (b)
What is your opinion of the general layout of the table? How might it be improved?
Tip: multi-part question
Behavioral questions can be difficult if you are not prepared. Always try to be conscious about what the recruiter is trying to find
out about you by asking you a particular question. Setting up a mock interview with the MIT Careers Office is an excellent way
to practice. Here are some examples:
Adaptability:
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Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a classmates or colleagues working style in order to complete a project
or achieve your objectives.
Analytical Skills/Problem Solving
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was your thought process?
What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?
Communication:
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that
individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or difficulties did
you face? How did you deal with them?
Creativity:
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
Tell me about a problem that youve solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or
satisfied with it?
Decision Making:
Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
Describe a situation where you have had to overcome a problem or obstacle in order to move forward with something.
What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it?
Why? Were you happy with the outcome?
Flexibility:
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker understand a task. How did you assist them? What
was the result?
Goal Setting:
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?
Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach. What steps did you take? What obstacles did you encounter? How
did it make you feel?
Iniative:
Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did
you learn that?
Describe a situation where you have had to use your initiative to solve a problem. What did you do?
What was the best idea you came up with during your professional or college career? How did you apply it?
Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
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Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
Integrity/Honesty:
Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate
customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree. Why?
Leadership:
Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful
experience in speech making?
Tell me about a team project when you had to take the lead or take charge of the project? What did you do? How did you
do it? What was the result?
Interpersonal Skills:
Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this person
difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
Planning and Organization/Time Management:
How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to
get them all done?
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.
Teamwork:
Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have
personally liked you (or vice versa).
Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upsetcustomer or co-worker.
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Describe a situation where you have had to work as part of a team to achieve a result. What was your role in this?
Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
Software/Technical Questions
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How does your degree prepare you (a) for a career in [industry] or (b) to excel as a [job title]?
What qualifications do you have beyond academics that qualify you to make a successful transition into business?
Introductory Questions
What five adjectives describe you best?
Why should I consider you for this position?
Why are you the best candidate for this position?
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Tell me about the one thing in your life you're proudest of.
You've changed jobs frequently. What makes you think that this position will be different?
What qualities do you think are necessary to make a success of this job?
Describe your ideal job.
How did you find out about this job?
What do you know about the job?
What do you know about the this department?
Is there anything that will prevent you from getting to work on time?
Is there anything that will prevent you from working the jobs regular hours?
What kinds of work interest you the most?
What interests you most about this position?
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