Will you give me an idea of your background in ____________?
Tell me about yourself.
What prompted you to apply for this position?
What are you good at doing?
What do you dislike doing?
How do you get along with different kinds of people?
What are your goals?
What are you doing to achieve these goals?
What do you hope to be doing in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
What kinds of things worry you?
Tell me about the last time you were angry at work?
How did your previous employer get the best out of you?
Are you interested in sports?
Do you prefer working with others or alone?
How do you manage to interview while still employed?
What sets you apart from other candidates?
When do you expect a promotion?
Who are your heroes?
What do you admire most? Why?
TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO THE JOB
What do you look for in a job?
What frustrated you in your previous jobs?
What was your single most important contribution in your last job?
If you could create a job for yourself, what would it be?
How do you feel about travel and/or relocation?
TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO PROBLEMS
Suppose you ran into a problem with ___________________? How would you handle it?
What was a tough situation that you had to handle?
Tell me about a situation that really challenged you and how you met the challenge.
What kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?
What is the most difficult problem that you have faced?
Are you willing to take calculated risks when necessary?
Describe some problems from your previous job and how you solved them?
What problem are you most proud of having solved? How did it benefit your company?
TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO THE BOSS
What is or was the title of your boss?
What are her or his responsibilities?
Tell me about your best boss?
What did you learn from your best boss?
Do you prefer to work for a delegator, or one who gives you close supervision?
What approach works best to get the most out of you?
AN EMPLOYER MAY ASK WHY YOU LEFT YOUR PREVIOUS JOB
According to Martin Yate, author of Knock 'Em Dead books and numerous other job-finding/career books, there are 6 acceptable reasons for leaving jobs (CLAMPS):
Challenge - you were not able to grow professionally.
Location - the commute was too long.
Advancement - there were no opportunities to get ahead within the company or the opportunities were taking too long.
Money - you were not being paid enough for your skills and accomplishments.
Pride - you wanted to be with a better, larger, or more prestigious company.
