Selection
Process
Sample Interview Questions
I.
Telephone Pre-Screen
Is the salary range we
have set for this position
within your acceptable
range?
Why are you currently
searching for a new
position?
What are the top three
duties in the job you now
have or in your most recent
job?
What are some typical
decisions that you make and
how do you make them? Give
me some examples.
What do you think you would
do for this organization
that someone else wouldn’t?
Where do you see yourself in
5 years?
II.
Behavioral
If someone told you that you
had made an error, describe
how you would react and what
you would say in your
defense.
Describe what you would
classify as a crisis.
You are angry about an
unfair decision. How do you
react?
Tell me about a time when
you were a part of a great
team. What was your part in
making the team effective?
How do you think your
co-workers would respond if
you were absent from work?
Tell me about a personal or
career goal that you have
accomplished and why that
was important to you.
What strengths did you rely
on in your last position to
make you successful in your
work?
What do you do when you know
you are right and your boss
disagrees with you? Give me
an example of when this has
happened in your career.
III. Interpersonal
What are your strengths?
Describe how you like to be
managed, and the best
relationship you’ve had with
a previous boss.
Explain the phrase “work
ethic” and describe yours.
What kind of people do you
find it most difficult to
work with? For example,
assume you are in a
situation where you have to
deal with a person very
different from yourself and
you are finding it
difficult. What would you
do?
Describe a difficult time
you have had dealing with an
employee, customer, or
co-worker. Why was it
difficult? How did you
handle it? What was the
outcome?
What do you do when others
resist or reject your ideas
or actions?
Under what kinds of
conditions do you learn
best?
If I asked several of your
co-workers about your
greatest strength as a team
member, what would they tell
me?
IV.
Creative Thinking
What's the best book you've
read in the last year?
Please take a minute and
tell us what you liked about
it.
What was the most creative
thing you did in your last
job?
V.
General
Could you share with us a
recent accomplishment of
which you are most proud?
What are your qualifications
in your area of expertise,
i.e., what skills do you
have that make you the best
candidate for this position?
Include any special training
you have had (on-the-job,
college, continuing
education, seminars,
reading, etc.) and related
work experience.
Why have you applied for
this position?
What are your short-term and
long-term goals?
In what areas would you like
to develop further? What are
your plans to do that?
What are your career path
interests?
What do you know about our
company?
Why should we hire YOU?
If the position required it,
would you be willing to
travel?
If the position required it,
would you be willing to
relocate?
After learning about this
opportunity, what made you
take the next step and apply
for the job?
What questions would you
like to ask me?
VI.
Managerial
Define professional behavior
and/or conduct appropriate
in the workplace.
Why do you think a team of
people – sports team, work
team, may not work well
together?
Tell us about your
management style - people,
teamwork, direction?
What is your own philosophy
of management?
How have you participated in
planning processes?
Discuss and differentiate
between remediation,
corrective action, and
discipline.
Why should employees seek to
improve their knowledge and
skill base?
When making a decision to
fire an employee, do you
find it easy because of the
company’s needs OR difficult
because of the employee’s
needs?
Managing requires motivating
employees as well as
accomplishing tasks. Do you
find it more natural to
point out what’s wrong so
employees can accomplish
tasks competently OR to
praise employees for their
work and then point out what
may need correcting?
VII. Executive
Would you please describe
your interest in becoming
(title of position).
Tell me about your current
position or most recent
position.
Do you have a personal
philosophy of management?
Tell me about your fiscal
management experience:
budgeting, reporting,
cutting costs, building and
maintaining reserves.
Have you ever had to
champion an unpopular
change? How did you handle
it?
Give me some example of how
and when you were the
spokesperson for your
current or most recent
company.
Based upon what you have
read and heard, what ideas
do you have about continuing
and increasing the success
of this company?
VIII. Functional
The following questions are
function-specific.
Accounting
Describe some recent
projects you were involved
in to improve Accounting’s
efficiency/effectiveness.
What did you do?
Describe for me a time when
you have come across
questionable accounting
practices. How did you
handle the situation?
Describe your most
challenging encounter with
month end/year end closing.
How did you resolve the
problem?
What type of inventory
audits have you been
involved in? Describe
challenges you’ve faced.
Administrative
What do you like about
working with
customers/clients? Dislike?
Describe a time when you had
to deal with a difficult
boss, co-worker or customer.
How did you handle the
situation?
Describe a time when you
made a mistake at work? How
did you deal with this
situation and what was the
outcome?
Each boss is little
different, my management
philosophy /style is ______.
In what way do you think
that your work style would
compliment mine? What do you
foresee to be challenges or
adjustments for us in this
new role?
What experience do you have
scheduling meetings,
conferences and ordering
food and materials for
meetings?
How would you describe your
skills in Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and Access
(relevant software used in
the job)? Beginner,
intermediate, or advanced?
How many words per minute
can you type?
Customer Service #1
What do you like about being
in Customer Service? What do
you find is the most
difficult part of being in
Customer Service?
Tell me about a time when
you went out of your way to
give great service to a
customer.
Tell me about a time when
you had trouble working with
a difficult or demanding
customer. How did you handle
this?
Tell me about a situation in
which you “lost it” or did
not do your best with a
customer. What did you do
about this?
Customer Service #2
How do you go about
establishing rapport with a
customer? Give an example.
Describe a time when you
exceeded a customer’s
expectations?
Marketing
Why did you choose a career
in marketing? Alternatively,
what interests you in
marketing?
What non-marketing skills
should a successful
marketing professional have?
Tell me what type of
relationship ought to exist
between marketing and sales?
Tell me about your
experience in marketing
research.
Which of the qualities and
skills you named for a
successful marketing
professional do you have?
Tell me about a marketing
nightmare you were involved
in. If you have had none,
describe what you would
consider a marketing
nightmare.
Tell me about two marketing
accomplishments that were
very successful or that you
are the most proud of.
What kind of training have
you had in web-based
marketing?
What does a good marketer
know how to do?
Tell me about a marketing
position you have held where
part of your pay was based
on your own marketing
results.
Having read about our
company and met with several
marketing heads here, what
ideas do you have on how we
can improve our marketing
efforts?
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