Possible Interview Questions

Interview questions often fall into varying categories. Practice answering some of these interview questions (but don’t try to memorize answers; just think them through before your interview). We have also included some possibly appropriate answers for you: remember, tailor your answers for the particular job you seek.

Your Skills

Typical Questions: What are your qualifications? What do you have to offer? What experience do you have in this field? Why should we hire you?

Possible Answer: “With four years of experience in this field, and up-to-date training from the University of Nebraska, I would be an excellent addition to your team.”

Your Goals

Typical Questions: What are your short or long term goals? What do you hope to achieve here? What do you see yourself doing in five years?

Possible Answer: “In the short term, I hope to secure an engaging and challenging job doing what I love: working with children. In the long term, I hope to help raise responsible and caring individuals who grow into mature adults.”

Your Job

Typical Questions: Why do you want this job? Why did you apply to this company? What are your general career interests?

Possible Answer: “I applied to some select companies whose mandates matched my career goals. I hope to help this company exceed its sales quota and possibly expand into new markets – as I have done in the past at Black’s Widgets.”

Behavioural Questions

Possible Questions: “Have you ever disagreed with your boss? If so, how did you handle it?”; “Give an example of a time when your organizational skills have helped you achieve success”; “What do you feel exemplifies your leadership style? Can you give an example?”

Possible Answer: These questions draw on your personal experiences and so will be different for each person. Just knowing that you might be asked to relate anecdotal evidence will help you prepare. Remember, after relating the story, always conclude with a reason this demonstrates your skill that will help you achieve your job.

Situational Questions

Possible Questions: “If you had just arrived back in the office from a sales call, and a customer called complaining about the lack of service he had received earlier when he called customer support, how would you handle this?”

Possible Answer: Again, each question is different and based on your personality, but think ahead of time, and don’t be afraid to pause for a minute and think through your answer before starting to speak.