Common questions can be used to break the ice during the first few minutes of an interview or to end the interview. General questions also can be used for most positions. You will find a selection of opening and closing questions to choose from below. 

Opening:

• What do you know about our company?

• Tell me why you chose [name of career] as your profession.

• What do you like most about the [name of profession]? What do you like least, and what do you find the most challenging?

• Tell us a bit about your work background, and then give us a description of how you think it relates to our current opening.

• What are your qualifications in your area of expertise, that is, what skills do you have that make you the best candidate for this position? Include any special training you have had (such as on-the-job, college, continuing education, seminars, reading) and related work experience.

• Why have you applied for this position?

• What skill sets do you think you would bring to this position?

• Tell me about your present or last job. Why did you choose it? Why did you, or why do you, want to leave?

• What was your primary contribution or achievement in your last or current position? Biggest challenge?

• What are your short- and long-term career goals?

• What are some positive aspects of your last employment or employer? What are some negative aspects?

• After learning about this opportunity, what made you take the next step and apply for the job?

• What would you have liked to do more of in your last position? What held you back?

• Would you please describe your interest in becoming [title of position].

• Tell me about your normal experiences during a typical day in your current position.

• In your current job, what is your usual schedule? How many hours do you work, and when do you work them?

• What sizes of organizations have you worked in?

• What industries have you worked in?

• What qualities and skills do you think a successful [name of career] professional should have? Which of these qualities and skills you named do you have?

• Tell me about two work accomplishments that were very successful or you are the most proud of.

• What college courses or experience have prepared you for the position you are applying for with us?

• What three things are most important to you in a position?

• What was the best job you ever had? What was the worst? Why?

• What do you think makes a “good” organization? What makes a company be described as “one of the best businesses” or “best places to work” by a community?

• Describe the ideal job from your perspective.

• Describe what you would say if asked to talk about yourself in a group of 15 work colleagues.

• 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 is your interpretation of “success”?

• Describe an ideal work environment or “the perfect job".

Closing:

• Describe what you see as your strengths related to this job or position. Describe what you see as your weaknesses related to this job or position.

• If we offer you this position, what contributions would you expect to make during the first three months on the job?

• What direction do you see your career taking in five years? 

• 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?

• If you were offered this position, when would you be available to start?

• If you are the successful applicant, how would you expect to be different after a year in this position?

• Now that you have learned about our company and the position you are applying for, what hesitation or reluctance would you have in accepting this job if we offered it to you?

• Tell me anything else you would like us to know about you that will aid us in making our decision.

• What questions would you like to ask me?

• Have you heard of any programs, policies or actions of [Company Name] that concern you?

• How will your work performance enhance [Company Name] in this industry as it is today?​

• Describe the work environment that will help you contribute most effectively.

• What kind of oversight would your ideal boss provide?

• What are the three most important attributes you'll bring to a company?

• How will your skills contribute to the accomplishment of our company's mission

• How are you going to continue to develop your professional skills and knowledge

Teamwork Questions

• What work habits promote team spirit? (e.g., regular meetings, cross-departmental projects, team-bonding activities) 

• Describe a group project you worked on. What was your role and what did you achieve? 

• Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours.

• Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle that?

• Describe a time when you had to step up and demonstrate leadership skills.

• Tell me about a time you made a mistake and wish you’d handled a situation with a colleague differently.

• Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?

Customer Service Questions

• Describe a time when it was especially important to make a good impression on a client. How did you go about doing so?

• Give me an example of a time when you didn’t meet a client’s expectation. What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation?

• Tell me about a time when you made sure a customer was pleased with your service.

• Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult client or customer. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?

• When you’re working with a large number of customers, it’s tricky to deliver excellent service to them all. How do you go about prioritizing your customers’ needs?

Adaptability Questions

• Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure at work or at school.  What was going on, and how did you get through it?

• Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt?

• Tell me about settling into your last job. What did you do to learn the ropes?

• Give me an example of a time when you had to think on your feet.

• Tell me about a time you failed.  How did you deal with the situation?

Time management Questions

• Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?

• Can you describe how you handle tight deadlines on the job? 

• Describe a long-term project that you kept on track. How did you keep everything moving?

• Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming. What did you do?

• Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective?

• Tell me about a time an unexpected problem derailed your planning. How did you recover?

• Can you give me an illustration of how you improved productivity at your last job?

Communication Questions

• Tell me about a time when you had to rely on written communication to get your ideas across.

• Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade someone at work to see things your way.

• Describe a time when you were the resident technical expert. What did you do to make sure everyone was able to understand you?

• Give me an example of a time when you had to have a difficult conversation with a frustrated client or colleague. How did you handle the situation?

• Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit.

Motivation and Values Questions

• Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment

• Describe a time when you saw a problem and took the initiative to correct it.

• Tell me about a time when you worked under either extremely close supervision or extremely loose supervision. How did you handle that?

• Give me an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it?

• Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied in your role. What could have been done to make it better?

Reliable and Punctual Questions

• How would you define a reliable employee?

• Tell me of a time you made a wrong decision.

• Tell me of a time when punctuality impacted your work.

• Our attendance requirements are “X” – Will you be able to meet them? 

• What situations kept you from coming to work on time at your last job?

• How do you handle situations that could cause you to be tardy or absent?

• Two hours before you are scheduled to arrive at work, you learn the weather is bad and traffic is backed up. How do you respond?

Creative Thinking Questions

• In five minutes, can you explain something to me that you know well?

• Tell me about a time you felt like a failure.

• What's something you'd be ecstatic about doing every day for rest of your professional career?

• What's the most significant decision you made in the past year?

• If you were given $100,000 to build your own business, what would you do?

Additional Questions

• Degree aside, what is your natural strength?

• What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

• If you were asked to improve communications across your previous/current company, what steps would you take?

• If you had an opportunity to revise your early career path, what would you do differently?

• If you could have anyone in our industry as a mentor, who would you choose and why?

• What could your current company do to be more successful?" 

• What's the most difficult problem you've ever solved? 

• What are your methods for avoiding errors? 

Here is a sample list of questions to ask during in-person interviews with Retail Associate (Outfitter) candidates. Not all of these questions must be asked, but all questions should be consistent for everyone interviewing for the role. You will also find suggestions of what you should listen for in a candidate's answers to these questions.

1. Tell me about your work history. How has your previous work experience helped you prepare to take on the challenges of this role?

Answer: They don’t need to have specific experience in this industry but we do want to see that they have some understanding of the needs and expectations of a customer service role. In their answers listen for experience interacting with people whether it be customers or coworkers.

2. What does great customer service mean to you? Are there any moments that come to mind when you’ve received excellent customer service? If not, what are the characteristics that you look for as a consumer?

Answer: We want to gauge their ability to delineate between expected service and what it takes to be considered a step above. I would normally take the opportunity after this answer to reiterate that at FF we use our standard of care and customer service to separate us from our competitors.

3. Describe your ideal work environment. In what type of culture do you feel you perform best?

Answer: We work in a fast paced, ever changing work environment and we want to make sure they can handle that style of work. We would hope that they strive to work in an environment/culture that is similar to what we are fostering in our store and on our team.

4. When working as a part of a team, what is your style when interacting with others? Do you go with the flow or are you more likely to take the lead? How do you feel your approach impacts the dynamics of the team?

Answer: No right or wrong answer here. This is another answer that will give us insight into how this candidate will mesh with the existing team that we have. We do want to make sure that they have some situational awareness that their communication style can impact the rest of the team.

7. We all have preferences when it comes to supervisory style and the type of manager with whom we work most effectively. What type of oversight and interaction do you prefer from a manager? Why do you feel this helps you work most effectively?

Answer: This question is more to help us know how they might fit into our existing ecosystem. It is our role as leaders to learn the most effective way to communicate with every member of our team. If they are hired this will potentially give us some insight into the best way to do that. In an ideal world they will be seeking the type of relationship that we already foster with our staff but if they don’t it should not exclude them from obtaining this job.

7. Describe a stressful situation at work that you experienced. What was the situation? How did you react to it? How did this impact your work performance?

Answer: This question helps learn about the candidate’s soft skills that help manage and overcome stress. It also gives the opportunity to the candidate to provide real life examples so you can get a glimpse into who the candidate is and how they operate in stressful situations.

8. What is your work availability? How many hours per week were you hoping to work? Do you have any planned trips or vacations coming up over the next few months?

Answer: This is just a housekeeping question but does give the opportunity to make sure the candidate can meet the needs of the store.

9. Do you have any questions about the job? Is there anything that I can explain further about the expectations of this role?

Answer: This is kind of a wild card question, be prepared for a myriad of questions ranging from job title/responsibilities, growth opportunities, your personal feelings about working at FF, dress code and of course pay level. The best thing to do is to be honest and realistic about what this job entails.

Here is a sample list of questions to ask during interviews for Leadership/Managerial roles in a retail store setting. Not all of these questions must be asked, but all questions should be consistent for everyone interviewing for the role.

• Can you describe your experience in retail management and highlight specific achievements in your previous roles?

• How do you approach staff management, and what strategies do you use to motivate and lead a retail team effectively?

• In a retail environment, customer satisfaction is crucial. How have you ensured a positive customer experience in your previous roles?

• Retail involves handling various responsibilities simultaneously. How do you prioritize tasks and manage time effectively to meet operational goals?

• Tell us about a situation where you successfully implemented cost-saving measures without compromising the quality of service or products.

• How do you stay informed about industry trends, and how would you use this knowledge to stay competitive and improve the retail business?

• Describe a challenging situation you faced as a retail manager and how you resolved it while maintaining a positive team morale.

• Retail often involves dealing with difficult customers. Can you provide an example of a challenging customer interaction and how you handled it?

• Inventory management is crucial in retail. How do you ensure accurate inventory levels and minimize stockouts or overstock situations?

• Communication is key in a retail management role. How do you ensure effective communication between different departments and staff levels?

• How do you approach training and development for your team to enhance their skills and improve overall performance?

• Retail operations can be influenced by seasonal trends and external factors. Can you share an experience where you successfully adapted to changing market conditions?

• In a retail setting, promoting sales is essential. How have you implemented sales strategies to drive revenue and meet sales targets in your previous roles?

• Describe your experience with budgeting and financial management in a retail setting. How do you ensure the store operates within budgetary constraints? 

• How do you handle employee scheduling to ensure adequate staffing levels during peak business hours and seasons?

• What steps do you take to monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) for the store, and how do you use this data to make informed decisions and drive improvements?

• What steps do you take to ensure a safe and secure environment for both employees and customers in a retail store?

• How do you handle performance evaluations, feedback, and disciplinary actions when managing a retail team?

The individual conducting a behavioral interview may also use probing questions to dig deeper into a candidate’s responses. 

Probing questions are follow-up questions asked of candidates when:

•  Initial answers are vague, ambiguous, evasive, or do not fully address the lead question.

•  The candidate’s tone changes drastically or word choice becomes negative.

•  The candidate seems to have difficulty forming an answer or takes extensive pauses.

Probing questions are not developed in advance.  They are based on triggers that are prompted through the candidate’s responses to your prepared questions. These types of questions comes from an interviewer using active listening and observation as a candidate relates facts and experiences about how they have behaved in the past. These questions should be open-ended and should not direct a candidate towards a desired response. 

Here are a few examples:

•  I'm not quite sure I understood. Could you please tell me more about that?

•  I'm not certain what you mean by . . . Could you give me some examples?

•  You mentioned . . . Could you tell me more about that? What stands out in your mind about that?

•  This is what I thought I heard . . . Did I understand you correctly?

•  Can you give me an example of . . . ?

•  You just told me about . . . I'd also like to know about . . .