General Interview Questions
An excellent way to prepare for an interview is to practice your responses to the questions you’re most likely to receive.
Most interviews will rely on one to three questions from the 10 categories below. If you’re seeking additional support, consider booking a mock interview with our office.
- Tell me about yourself and your interest in the _________ position.
- Why do you want to work for this company?
- What led you to apply for this position?
- Walk me through your resume.
- What are your career goals?
- What do you consider to be your greatest strength(s)?
- How would you describe yourself?
- How do you think a friend or professor would describe you?
- Why should I hire you?
- What qualifications do you have that make you think you will be successful in (__________)?
- What qualities should a successful manager possess?
- Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those reporting to him/her.
- What two or three things are most important for you in your job?
- What is your geographical area of preference?
- Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is located?
- In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
- How do you work under pressure?
- What are your long range and short range goals and objectives, when and why did you establish these goals, and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
- What specific goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you established for yourself for the next 10 years?
- What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
- What do you really want to do in life?
- What are your long-range career objectives?
- How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
- What do you expect to be earning in five years?
- Why did you select your college or university?
- What led you to choose your field of major study?
- What college subjects did you like the best? Least? Why?
- If you could do so, how would you plan your academic study differently?
- How has your college experience prepared you for a career in ______________?
- Describe your most rewarding college experience.
- What changes would you make in your college or university experience? Why?
- What have you learned from participating in extracurricular activities?
- In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?
- What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
- What have you learned from your mistakes?
- What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?
- What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?
- Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?
- How would you describe the ideal job for you following graduation?
- What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
- How do you determine or evaluate success?
- If you were hiring a graduate for this position, what qualities would you look for?
- Why did you seek a position with this company?
- What do you know about our company?
- What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours?
- In what ways do you think you can contribute to our company?
- What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?
- Give an example of an important goal that you had set in the past and tell about your success in reaching it.
- Give an example of a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across.
- Describe a time on any job that you held in which you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills.
- Tell me about a time when you had to go beyond the call of duty in order to get a job finished.
- Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
- Describe an instance when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
- By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and environments.
- Give a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
- Describe the most significant or creative presentation which you have had to complete.
- Give an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another employee.
- What are your major strengths? Weaknesses?
- What is a weakness you have and what are you doing to correct it?
- What does success mean to you?
- What qualities do you admire in others?
- What were the three most important events (decisions) in your life?
- Are you a leader? Give me examples.
- What do you do in your leisure time?
- Tell me about accomplishments in which you take pride.
- What magazines or books do you read? Why?
- What personal characteristics are necessary for success in your chosen field?
- What are your career goals?
- How does your education relate to our needs?
- What position in our company interests you the most?
- How long do you intend to stay with our company/organization?
- What are the disadvantages of this field?
- What has annoyed you about people that you have worked with?
- What have you learned from your past jobs?
- How do you handle criticism?
- How often, and in what way, did you communicate with your subordinates and superiors?
- What kinds of professors did you like? Why?
