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Sample Interview Questions
The sample questions below are grouped into areas that an
interviewer will be assessing you on. You may wish to follow
the structure outlined in the question
preparation sheet for suggestions on how to prepare answers.
Introductory / Background Questions
These questions are designed to find out a little bit more about
you. It is a chance for you to explain the major aspects of your
resume, what you've done, your attitudes and values, and the
choices you've made in your life and most importantly, why you
made those choices. It is often a good idea when answering these
types of questions to start with the most recent information
and work backwards and also to start with a brief synopsis.
Remember, that you need to be informative without going into
so much detail that you bore them. It is also worth noting
that if they ask you to expand on what you are saying, they
are asking because they are interested and not because you've
necessarily done something wrong.
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Tell me about yourself
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What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
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How would you describe yourself?
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Tell me about any time when you weren't pleased with your
performance. What did you do about it?
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Tell me about a challenging situation you have faced?
What was the situation and how did you cope with it?
Objectives
This is a somewhat difficult area on which to answer questions.
It is difficult because you need to demonstrate to the interviewer
that you have thought about what it is that you want from work and
what you hope to achieve. At the same time you need to assure them
that you are flexible and would be prepared to work in a range of
areas. Therefore, you need to tell them about those areas that are
of most interest to you, as well as reassuring them that you are
flexible and willing to explore new opportunities.
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What are your long range and short range goals and objectives?
How are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
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What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
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Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?
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What do you see yourself doing in five years' time? Do you
have any long range ambitions?
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What are you looking for in a job?
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What do you expect from your initial graduate position?
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In what kinds of positions are you most interested?
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Have your thought about any other careers to which
you may be more suited?
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What job would you look for if you could not find a
job in this field?
Job Interests
Employers are often keen to find out what your major areas of
interest are so that they can better assess how well you will
fit into their organisation, both now as well as your potential
to develop with the organisation in the future.
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In what kinds of positions are you most interested?
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What are the most important considerations for you in
choosing a job?
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What is more important to you, the money or the type of job?
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Do you have a geographical preference? Why?
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Will you relocate? Does relocation bother you?
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Are you willing to travel?
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Where would you like to work?
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How much do you expect to be paid?
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What other applications have you made?
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Are your over qualified?
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What's on your shopping list?
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You do realise, don't you, that this is a junior position?
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What sort of training/induction would you expect to be
involved in initially?
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Most jobs have their frustrations and problems. Describe
some that have been particularly dissatisfying to you.
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What have been the most satisfying aspects of jobs
that you have held?
Other Interests
With these questions employers are trying to find out more
about the types of things in which you are interested, so
that they can gain a better understanding of you, and
thereby better assess how well you are going to fit in
with the company, both now and in the future. There
are no right answers to these questions but it is
important to think about how your interests and goals
fit in with what the company does and how it hopes to
develop in the future.
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Where can you be found when you are not working (or studying)?
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Who is your favourite novelist?
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Do you like/dislike football?
Educational Questions
With these questions interviewers hope to gain more of an
insight into what it is that you have studied so that they
can better assess how well your studies meet their needs.
Most importantly, they are interested in the reasoning behind
why you chose the course that you did and what you
think that you got out of it. You will find that these
questions are likely to focus on both the technical as
well as the generic skills that you develop through your course.
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Why did you choose to major in ...?
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What led you to choose your field or major of study?
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What university subjects did you like best? Least? Why?
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Do you have plans for continued study? An advanced degree?
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What courses have you taken that prepared you for
this position?
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What part of your education do you see as being most
relevant to this position?
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Is your academic performance any indication of how
you will do this job?
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What do you like about your discipline of study?
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How does your academic performance compare with
your colleagues and what factors have influenced it?
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What parts of your education do your see being most
relevant to this job?
Achievements
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What two or three accomplishments have given you the
most satisfaction? Why?
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Is there an achievement of which you are particularly
proud? What is it and why is it significant?
Work Experience
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In what part time or summer jobs have you been most
interested? Why?
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Do you have any vacation employment or previous
experience in this or a related field?
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What type of work experience have you had and how do
you feel that it has helped prepare you for a graduate
position?
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What has been the value of your previous work experience?
Your Contribution to the Organisation
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Why should I hire you?
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In what ways do you think you can make a contribution
to our company?
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Can you see any conflicts of interest between your
career and that of your partner?
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Why should we give this job to you?
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Is there anything else we should take into account to
help us make a decision?
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So far you have not really convinced me I should
give you this job.
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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?
Commitment to the Company
An employer is interested to know how you think that you
might fit into their organisation.
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Why did you decide to seek a position with this company?
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What do you know about our company?
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Why did you apply to this organisation?
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Are you prepared to perform duties that may not be
part of your routine?
Commerciality
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You mentioned you had a part time job in retail/hospitality,
what is the business environment of the company? What are
the goals of your team?
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What do you understand is the current climate of the ____ industry?
Approach to Work
Employers are often interested in knowing how you manage
different responsibilities, particularly how you prioritise
your time.
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How do you work under pressure?
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How do you balance work priorities and those of
your personal and family life?
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Describe the relationship that should exit between
a supervisor and those reporting to him or her.
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In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
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What two or three things are most important to you in
your job?
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How do you get on with other people?
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How do you plan your day?
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Tell me about a time when, despite careful planning,
things got out of hand.
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Here is a problem we faced recently ... How would your
have dealt with this?
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Can you handle pressure?
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How would you deal with a problem you had not
encountered before?
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How high do you set your standards?
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Have your ever been responsible for the generation of
a new idea or suggestion? Describe and explain.
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Describe how you have coped with a new or difficult situation.
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Have you ever had to persuade people to your way of thinking?
Teamwork
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Have you been in any situations 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?
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Outline a time you were in a team situation. What was your role?
What went well/not so well? How did you contribute to the enjoyment
of the team? How did you confront a difficult team member?
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How do you establish working relationships with new people?
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What kind of people do you like to work with?
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Have you ever had to stifle your normal behaviour to get
along with someone?
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How do you define a conducive work atmosphere?
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What do you feel are the key ingredients to a successful team?
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What are some of the problems that can occur within team
Your Turn to Ask
Remember, interviews are a two way process. During the interview,
the employer will be trying to find out as much as they can about
you, but equally, it is your chance to find out as much as you
can about them. So ask questions! If there are particular
things that you are looking for in a job and they haven't been
mentioned into the interview, ask about them.
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Why is this position open?
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What are the key requirements for the position?
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How is performance measured? (Goals should be clearly
defined so measurements have some objectivity.)
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How tough is your company's opposition? (You should know
from your research who their major competitors are.)
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Are there opportunities that are unique to this job
within the organisation?
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Do internal promotions meet your growth demands for management?
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Do you feel I fit the requirements for the position? From
your perspective, in what areas do you see that there are gaps?
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Are there any areas you would like me to expand upon?
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What are the company's plans for the future?
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What would a successful person expect to be earning
in their fourth or fifth year?
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What sort of induction and training do you normally provide?
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What do you like most and least about working at ____?
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Why did you choose to work at ____?
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I have researched the organisational culture and what appeals
to me is ….. Can you tell me about any social or sporting events
that are organised by staff?
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Does the organisation interact with the local community (e.g. provide pro bono work)?
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