SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
MGMT*1100 – Business Career Preparation
MOTIVATIONAL OR TRADITIONAL QUESTIONS
Tell me about yourself.
What are your career goals/objectives? Where do you hope to be five years from now?
What goals have you set outside of work and career? How do plan to achieve them?
What are you looking for in your next job? How does this position fit in with your career
goals?
How is this job different from the other positions for which you have interviewed?
What kind of contribution do you think you could make to our organization?
What part of this job interests you the most? What part of this job interests you the least?
Tell us what you know about the role/organization.
Why should we hire you?
Why did you choose the career path you are pursuing?
What are your most prominent skills/strengths?
Describe yourself in ONE word.
Describe your personality.
What motivates you?
How did you prepare for this interview?
Which of your jobs did you like the least? Which job did you like the most? Why?
How will your experience be relevant in this position?
What skills have you acquired from previous work experiences?
Looking back on your experience, what are you most proud of?
How do you spend your time outside of work/school?
What kind of people with whom do you prefer to work?
What makes you different from other candidates?
BEHAVIOURAL OR STORY-TELLING QUESTIONS
Adaptability:
Describe a time in which you were faced with a problem that tested your ability to cope.
Tell me about a time when you were successful in dealing with an unstructured work
environment or academic project.
Decision Making:
Tell me about a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision.
Teamwork:
Have you ever had trouble getting others to agree to your ideas? How did you adapt?
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SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
MGMT*1100 – Business Career Preparation
Leadership:
Provide an example of a time when you held a leadership role, and the qualities displayed.
Integrity:
Tell me about a time when you were confronted with dishonesty in the workplace.
Problem Solving:
Tell me about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation.
Describe a situation in which you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem.
Describe a project which best demonstrates your analytical abilities.
Initiative:
Describe a project or idea that was implemented because of your efforts.
Provide an example of a time that you went above and beyond the requirements of either
job or school responsibilities. Describe the situation and share the results.
Communication:
Describe a situation in which you were able to communicate with another individual with
whom you had a difference of opinion.
Describe a time you had to use written communication skills to convey an important
argument or idea.
Give me an example of a time you had to use your negotiating skills – what was at
stake, and what was the result?
Influence:
Describe a situation in which you were able to positively influence the actions of others.
Learning from Mistakes:
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake on the job. What did you do to rectify the
situation?
Organization Skills:
Describe how you have handled a situation that suddenly interrupted your schedule.
Tell me about a time when you were struggling to meet a commitment you had made.
How did you remain accountable? What did you do, and what were the results?
Results-Orientation:
Some jobs require a lot of persistence, perseverance, or dedication to results –
especially when faced with obstacles or distractions. Describe a situation when you
were able to be very persistent in order to reach your goals.
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SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
MGMT*1100 – Business Career Preparation
CHALLENGING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Are you a risk taker? How do you determine if a risk is worth taking?
Define cooperation.
Do you make your opinions known when you disagree with the views of your supervisor?
How do you handle rejection? How do you handle stress?
What are some of the things you find difficult to do?
What area of your skills/development are you presently working on?
What interests you least about this job?
What kinds of people do you find difficult to get along with?
How would a friend describe you? How would someone who doesn’t like you describe
you?
What do you consider to be your weaknesses or shortcomings?
Describe something you’ve done for which you are not proud.
What have previous employers identified as areas needing improvement?
What kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?
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