The following are some of the most difficult questions you will face in the course of your job
interviews. Some questions may seem rather simple on the surface--such as "Tell me about
yourself"--but these questions can have a variety of answers. The more open-ended the question,
the wider the variation in the answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing
skills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular
topic or compelling story.
1. Tell me about yourself.
My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____
I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself . . .
2. Why should I hire you?
Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many
other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also
bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for
excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into
achieving it. In _____ and _____ I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can
become by doing the following . . .
3. What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now?
Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I
want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your
company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in
the _____ industry. I will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing
so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented
in the long term.
4. How has your education prepared you for your career?
As you will note on my résumé, I've taken not only the required core classes in the _____ field,
I've also gone above and beyond. I've taken every class the college has to offer in the field and
also completed an independent study project specifically in this area. But it's not just taking the
classes to gain academic knowledge--I've taken each class, both inside and outside of my major,
with this profession in mind. So when we're studying _____ in _____, I've viewed it from the
perspective of _____. In addition, I've always tried to keep a practical view of how the
information would apply to my job. Not just theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone
course project in my final semester involved developing a real-world model of _____, which is
very similar to what might be used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . . .
5. Are you a team player?
Very much so. In fact, I've had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills
as a team player. I was involved in _____ at the intramural level, including leading my team in
assists during the past year--I always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I've
worked on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader. I've seen the value
of working together as a team to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved
individually. As an example . . .
6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?
Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations
where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs,
it's because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to
give me their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully explain my
perspective. At that point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be
reached. If not, I would submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you
have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you're in full
agreement or not. An example of this was when . . .
7. What is your greatest weakness?
I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I would
overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I
would like. However, since I've come to recognize that weakness, I've taken steps to correct it.
For example, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my
appointments and "to do" items. Here, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . .
8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say?
I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and
see to it that it's accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be
done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They
would say that I always took a keen interest in the subjects I was studying and always sought
ways to apply the knowledge in real world settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these
things? No, in fact, I'm quite certain they would say those things because I have with me several
letters of recommendation from my professors and those are their very words. Let me show you .
. .
9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
The key quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are
working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A
manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true
leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a
person who I consider to be a true leader . . .
10. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?
That's a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that
things had been different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be
changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That's why I continually strive to
improve myself each and every day and that's why I'm working hard to continually increase my
knowledge in the _____ field. That's also the reason why I want to become the very best _____
your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in the future. So in
answer to your question, there isn't anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the
future to make changes in my life.
Important:
• Do not reproduce the answers verbatim.
• Do not repeat the same answer in each and every company, as this might put you in a
tight situation. Research the company well before attending the interview.
• If possible, try to know the area in which you are expected to work and model your
answers accordingly.
• Give a small pause before you start answering a question and also in between your
answers. This conveys a fact to the interviewers that you are thinking before answering, and not
just blurting out the mugged up answers.
If this work of mine has really helped you in any way or if you think this is a very useful
reference tool, please send me an e-mail. I will be looking forward for all those gratitude mails.
BYE.
CHEERS!!!!!!!!
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