Career Goals

1. If you were hired, where do you see yourself five years from today?

2. Tell us a little more about your professional experiences, particularly those not mentioned on your resume.

3. How does this position fit into your overall career goals?

4. How do you feel about the progress you’ve made in your career to date?

5. What career objectives have you met?

6. What aspects of your career have not lived up to your expectations? 

Stress

1. Can you please provide an example of what an organization/management should do to cushion or prevent the effects of stress from a job.

2. How do you handle the need to juggle priorities or projects?

3. What is the biggest conflict you have ever been involved in at work? How did you handle that situation?

4. Think about an instance when you were given an assignment that you thought you would not be able to complete. How did you accomplish the assignment?

5. Provide a time when you dealt calmly and effectively with a high-stress situation.

6. Name a time when your patience was tested. How did you keep your emotions in check? 

Motivation

1. What should a manager do to motivate others? Why does it sometimes fail?

2. What is your definition of success? How do you know if a project is successful?

3. What have you done since you were hired on your last job to be a more effective performer?

4. What have you done that has demonstrated a high level of initiative?

5. Describe two or three major trends in your profession today. 

Goal Orientation

1. Do you think Management by Objective works? How do you adjust to working under a goal setting program?

2. How do you/or how should your supervisor monitor the progress of assignments and projects? 

Attendance/Punctuality

1. When do you feel it is necessary to work overtime?

2. What would your last supervisor or manager say about your attendance and punctuality? How many times would he/she say you were absent or late this year?

3. Are there any reasons why you cannot work regular hours? 

Creativity and Innovation

1. Which have you preferred to work with – a set, planned day, or a day you can create for yourself? Why?

2. What new programs or services would you start if offered the position?

3. Share an experience when you applied new technology or information in your job. How did it help your company?

4. Give me an example of when you thought outside of the box. How did it help your employer? 

Problem Solving/Analytical Skills

1. How do you go about setting priorities for your time?

2. What information or technical support has helped you succeed on the job?

3. What process do you follow in solving problems?

4. What methods do you use to make decisions? Please give me an example of your approach?

5. In your last job what kinds of decisions did you have authority over? Describe the degree of authority you had over these decisions.

6. Can you describe how you go about solving problem? Please give us some examples.

7. Name a time when you identified strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems. What was the impact? 

Ability to Learn

1.  How do you keep up with changes in technology (terminology, information) in your field?

2.  What would you expect from us to get you oriented or trained in this position?

3.  Tell us how you would learn your new job in the absence of formal training program. 

Dependability

1.  What do you consider the three most impressive tangible contributions an employee can make to his/her employer?

2.  What do you think an employee owes his/her employer?

3.  What are the three or four bottom line (most critical) ways an employer can measure success of an employee?

4.  Share an example of when you went above and beyond the "call of duty". (Look for answers that show the candidate is dependable.) 

Organization and Time Usage

1.  How do you feel a meeting should be organized to be most effective?

2.  Do you like to juggle a lot of activities at the same time or do one at a time?

3.  How do you keep track of your own paperwork, schedule, etc.? Explain.

4.  How do you decide what you should work on next?

5.  How do you monitor tasks that require your attention?

6.  Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work. 

Communication Skills 

1.  What sorts of things do you feel are important for an employee to share with a manager? And vice versa?

2.  What kind of performance feedback do you feel is important for an employee to receive?

3.  How do you persuade others to get what you want?

4.  What role do you usually take in a group meeting or discussion? What are the advantages of that?

5.  What does the “open door” policy mean to you? Do you think it works?

6.  Describe how you like to be managed?

7.  What kind of people do you find most difficult to work with? Please provide an example and describe what you did? 

Conflict

1.  What should a manager do to minimize conflict at work? How much should he/she get involved in solving it?

2.  How would you confront someone at work? Should it become necessary?

3.  When (customers, vendors, co-workers, etc.) get angry with you, how do you usually react? How do you solve the problem?

4.  What is the best way to handle problems and complaints that arise on the job?

5.  Share an experience you had in dealing with a difficult person and how you handled the situation. 

Cooperation

1. How do you get cooperation from co-workers, vendors, suppliers, customers, etc.?

2. What problems do you feel are appropriate to bring to your manager?

3. Would you rather work on a team or on your own?

4. What do you require from a boss?

5. Provide a time when you worked in a rapidly evolving workplace. How did you deal with the change? (Make sure the candidate is flexible.) 

Previous Employment

1. Tell me about your last position(s).

2. What were your major responsibilities in your previous position?

3. What type of software/equipment did you use in your last position?

4. Are you doing a good job in your present position? How do you know?

5. What do you expect your previous employers to say about you when we call them for references? Why?