Think outside of the box – a lot of skills you learn in one job can relate to another job as well. Don’t ever say “I don’t know” – at a minimum say “I am a quick learner and I know I would be able to learn that”. SELL YOURSELF!
** Practice the various questions, you never know what an employer might ask. Feel Comfortable saying "I can"..."I know how"..."I am able to"..."I have the experience..."
Common Questions
Although you have put all your past education and experience on your application and resume, go through it all again in the interview. Assume they don’t know anything about you and you have to explain it all. Make notes to take with you so you don’t forget any details.
1) Please tell us about your experience as it relates to this position.
2) Please tell us about your educational background as it relates to this position.
3) What do you know about this position (or this company, department, etc)?
4) What courses did you enjoy the most in school (or ones you struggled with)?
These questions on focused on your skills and abilities. What do you know? How good can you do it? Specific questions will pertain to the applicable job you are applying for, which may or may not include the following:
1) Please tell us about your specific experience /relating to the job/ - supervising,
budgeting, managing, customer service, typing, etc.
2) What type of a computer system have you used in the past.
3) What type of computer software (or office equipment) are you familiar with.
4) How fast can you types?
5) Do you know how to create an Excel spreadsheet?
6) What experience have you had operating heaving equipment or machinery?
7) What do you know about the Social Security Act?
Personal Motivation & Traits
These may sound like strange questions, but realize that many employers today are looking more for a good personality than anything – they figure they can train the skills necessary as long as they have someone with a good personality to start out with.
1) What is your greatest strength (or weakness)? How will that impact you in this
position?
2) What motivates you to do your best work?
3) What makes a job enjoyable for you?
4) What interests you about this position?
5) What five adjectives describe you the best?
6) Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
Job Performance
SELL YOURSELF! You know you can do great things – let them know it!!
1) What was your biggest accomplish in your last position?
2) Please tell us about a mistake you made in your previous employment and how
you handled it?
3) What type of a rating did you receive on your last performance evaluation?
4) Give us an example of how you used your customer service (or other) skills.
5) Have you held positions similar to this one? Please tell us about it.
Communication
1) Tell us about a situation you had that required excellent communication skills.
2) Do you prefer to speak directly with someone or send an email?
3) How would you handle a situation where you did not understand the instructions
that were given to you by your supervisor?
Flexibility
1) How do you handle change in the work place?
2) What were some changes you experienced in previous employment?
3) If you could change two things in your last employment, what would they be?
Stress
1) What are some factors you find stressful in the workplace?
2) What is the most difficult work situation you have faced?
3) What do you do when you have a great deal of work to accomplish in a short period of time?
4) What do you do when you’re having trouble with your job?
1) What are your expectations of a supervisor?
2) What are your expectations of co-workers?
3) How do you handle situations where you and your co-worker have a disagreement?
4) How do you handle situations where you and your supervisor have a disagreement?
5) What does the word “teamwork” mean to you?
Organizational/Time Management
1) Is there anything that would prevent you from being to work every day and on time?
2) How do you keep track of what needs to be done when you have multiple tasks needing your attention.
3) How do you prioritize what work gets done first?
4) What do you do when things are slow (or hectic)?
5) How do you plan and organize for major projects?
6) How do you organize yourself for day-to-day activities?
Try to come up with something that is related to the job you are applying for – make sure it sounds good.
1) What were some difficult situations you had to handle in your previous employment? Such as meeting deadlines, handling an irate customer or an angry caller, etc.
2) What do you do when you are having trouble solving a problem?
3) Please tell us about one time when you disagreed with your supervisor and how you handed the situation.
1) Please tell us why you are interested in this job?
2) Where do you see yourself in five or ten years from now?
3) Please tell us what “success” means to you.
Supervisory/Management Questions
1) Describe your supervisory/management style.
2) How many employees have you supervised in the past?
3) How do you handle an employee who does not follow your instructions?
4) What experience do you have in managing a budget?
5) How do you motivate people?
6) What do you do when you are having trouble with an employee?
7) Have you ever fired anyone? What were the circumstances?
8) What is the employee turnover rate in your area?
9) What programs have you put in place to build morale?
10) How do you handle unpopular management decision?
General/Ending Questions
1) Why do you think you are the best candidate for this position?
2) Why should we consider you for this position?
3) When would you be able to start work?
Do some more research on the Internet, here’s a good site that I have used; they give you sample questions and then you can review the various answers as well.