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Buckley Search Inc. |
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Partners for Progress |
Note: All of the following questions are "open-ended", meaning that they cannot
be answered merely by "yes" or "no".
This encourages the applicant to talk and provide more than rehearsed answers to interview questions.
Achievement
- Tell me about a time when you went beyond the call of duty.
- Tell me about accomplishments of which you are the most proud.
- What challenging experiences have you had?
- What do you consider to be your most important accomplishment and why?
- What is the most difficult task you have undertaken?
- What is the most stimulating thing you are looking for in a job?
- What were your most memorable accomplishments with your last employer?
- What was your greatest disappointment?
Motivations
- How important is recognition to you?
- How important is responsibility to you?
- What makes you put forth your greatest effort?
- What motivates you in accomplishing difficult tasks?
- What has your last employer done that motivated you to work harder?
- What challenges are you looking for in a job?
- What motivates you to be successful in your job?
- How important are promotions and advancement to you?
Sense of Self
- Describe situations in which you are most successful.
- How do you define 'success?'
- How would you describe your standards of performance?
- What are some of the reasons for your success?
- What does 'failure' mean to you?
- Tell me about your recent successes.
- Why are you better than your co-workers?
Weaknesses
- How could you have improved your progress?
- What weaknesses have you overcome when accomplishing difficult tasks?
Behavior
- Describe a conflict with an employee and how you handled it.
- Describe a (recent) situation in which you had to quickly establish your
credibility and gain
the confidence of others. What did you do ?
- Describe a (recent) situation when you didn't know who you needed to speak
with in an
organization to get something done. What did you do ?
- Describe a (recent) situation on your last job that you did not handle as
well as you might have.
- Describe a time when you simplified or clarified a situation by putting
your finger on the key issue.
- Describe how you work under pressure.
- Describe how you would handle rude, difficult or impatient people.
- Finish this sentence: Successful managers are the ones who....
- Given a situation when you disagree with your supervisor, how would you
deal with it?
- What role do you take in a group situation? Give examples.
- Your supervisor tells you to do something in a way you know is ineffective.
What would you do?
Experience/Responsibilities
- Describe your current job for me.
- Describe your typical workday.
- What experience do you hope to gain from this position?
- What experiences have taught you the most?
- What experiences led you to choose your career path?
- What have you learned from your mistakes?
- What kind of projects using leadership skills have you done?
- Which of your jobs presented the best (learning) experience?
Organization
- How do you determine your priorities?
- How do you fix unexpected problems?
- How do you organize your workload?
- How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
- How do you plan to correct your weaknesses?
- How do you usually plan your day?
- How important are details?
- Tell me about a time when you organized a project where your directions
were vague?
Analytical Thinking
- Describe a time you had to make a quick decision.
- Describe how you solve difficult problems.
- Describe your problem solving skills.
- How do you identify potential problems before they occur?
- How do you make important decisions?
- What kind of decisions are difficult for you?
- What do you do when you're stuck on a problem?
- What happens when two priorities compete for your time?
- What types of decisions are easiest for you to make and which ones do you
find most difficult?
Progression
- How did you move up within the company?
- How do you feel about your career progress?
- How has your job prepared you to take on greater responsibility?
- In what ways has your job changed since you began it?
- What do you think determines a person's progress in a good company?
- What kind of responsibilities would you like to see added to those you have
in your next job?
- Which do you consider more valuable, a high salary or job recognition and
advancement?
Goals
- How did you choose your last employer?
- How did you decide on this profession?
- How did you reach goals you have set so far?
- How have your career goals changed over time?
- How often do you set goals for yourself?
- If you could start your career over, what would you do differently?
- Tell me about your most important long-term goals.
- What are your long range career goals?
- What are your personal five-year goals?
- What goals have you set for yourself? Why did you choose these?
- What goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you
established
for yourself for the next 10 years?
Flexibility/Adaptability
- How do you deal with surprises?
-
How do you cope with change?
- How would you change your current working conditions?
- How would you handle a decision for which no procedure existed?
- What changes would you make in your current job?
- What is the most difficult change you've encountered in your career?
- Would you prefer a large or a small company? Why?
- What job responsibilities would you like to avoid on a new job?
- What do you do when starting a new job?
Benefit to Company
- How could you contribute to our company?
- How would we benefit if we hired you?
- What did you do particularly well in your last job?
- What did you spend most of your time doing in your last job?
- What skills do you bring to us and how can you put them to work?
- Why would you be an asset to our company?
Handling Stress/Pressure
- How do you cope with stress on the job?
- How well do you work under pressure?
- How would you clarify an unclear assignment?
- In what ways do you deal with criticism?
- Think of a particularly hectic day. How did you handle it?
- What do you find frustrating?
- What part of your workload do you find most challenging?
- What was the most frustrating thing about your last job?
Qualifications
- Describe one reason I should hire you over a more qualified candidate?
- If you were hiring a person for this position, what qualities would you
look for in an applicant?
- Tell me your (specific) qualifications that make you the best candidate for
this job.
- What are the skills you need to work on most?
- What are your specific strengths and weaknesses?
- What characteristics do you think a person must have to be successful in
your field?
- What skills do you think this position requires?
- What types of positions are you best qualified for?
- Why do you believe you are qualified for the position?
- You've had little experience in this field. How do you intend to learn?
Self-Knowledge/Awareness
- How did you like your last employer?
- How do you handle compliments?
- How would you describe yourself as an individual?
- How do you handle conflicts?
- What are some of your weaknesses, things you're still working on?
- What in your life has given you the most satisfaction?
- What is your energy level?
- What do you consider to be your greatest asset?
- Describe your personality.
- What criticism of you has helped you the most? Who was it from?
- What is your best personality trait?
- What are the aspects that you would like to further improve on yourself?
Compensation
- What amount of compensation are you seeking?
- What are your current salary requirements?
- What do you think would make a fair compensation package for this position?
- What kind of money do you need to make?
- What type of salary are you worth, and why do you think so?
- Why do you think you deserve your current salary?
- What was your salary history (on your last job)?