50 Practice Interview Questions

8/8/2019 50 Practice Interview Questions

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10 General Questions:

Tell me about yourself. Keep your answer to one or two minutes; don't ramble. Use a ''positioning statement'' as a base to start. Your positioning statement

is the boiled-down story of your resume -- general goals, skills and background.

1. A brief summary of your personal details: You have to give your name, where youare from and a brief review of your resume. You may also provide any other personaldetail that you choose to provide.

2. Education: You should tell the interviewer about your educational qualificationsand any relevant miscellaneous educational qualifications that you might haveamassed.

3. Professional experience: Standard questions during a job interview are tell meabout your professional experience. Depending on whether you are a novice or anexperienced professional, you should share your previous job experiences. If youare a novice, then, you could tell anything that you think would be relevant forthe job. You may provide a scope of your educational capabilities and strengths orany of your hobbies, etc.

Here are the characteristics that are most commonly associated with each of thestyles:

Analytical:Positive Traits: Precise, Methodical, Organized, Rational, Detail OrientedNegative Traits: Critical, Formal, Uncertain, Judgmental, Picky

Amiable :Positive Traits: Cooperative, Dependable, Warm, Listener, NegotiatorNegative Traits: Undisciplined, Dependent, Submissive, Overly Cautious, Conforming

Expressive :Positive Traits: Enthusiastic, Persuasive, Outgoing, Positive, CommunicatorNegative Traits: Ego Centered, Emotional, Exploitive, Opinionated, Reacting

Driver :Positive Traits: Persistent, Independent, Decision Maker, Effective, Strong WilledNegative Traits: Aggressive, Strict, Intense, Relentless, Rigid

To demonstrate what I mean, let's take some examples from the business world. Whilethere are always exceptions, generally speaking the styles fit the example.

Analytical Style: Financial Manager (or programmers, engineers, and accountants).They like systems and procedures. They are slow to make decisions because they willanalyze things to death? but their decisions are usually very sound. They preferworking independently and are usually not very good in team environments, but theyare also dependable. They buy cars with good resale value and great gas mileage.They are conservative dressers. At the party, they want to know why so much moneywas spent on Michelob when we could have purchased Busch. They come to the partywith their laptops.

Ok, now you are really getting some insight into your style and the style of others. It is time for the interviews. Throw out your 30-second commercial. Thinkon your feet.

You will be interviewing with the human resource manager, the finance manager, thesales manager, and the CEO. The first question each of them will ask you is: "Tellme about yourself." How should you respond? Remember the second reason forsucceeding in a job search: focus on the needs of the people in the organization.Here are just a few examples of how to respond to that question:


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"Tell me about yourself?"

Response to Finance Manager: "I have been successful in my career by making well-thought-out decisions based on careful analysis of all factors. I approach problemswith logic and sound reasoning. I would enjoy working with you in developing theappropriate systems and procedures to make our two departments function efficiently

together."Response to Human Resource Manager: "My career has been characterized by my abilityto work well with diverse teams. I seek out opportunities to involve others in thedecision-making process. This collaboration and communication is what has enabledme to achieve success in my department. People are the most valuable resource ofany organization."

Response to Sales Manager: "Throughout my career I have always adhered to theprinciple that everyone in the organization must be sales-focused. My department isalways trained in customer service, providing outstanding support to the sales teamand to our customers. Without sales, the rest of use would not have a job. I lookforward to helping you drive sales in any way possible."

Response to CEO: "I have achieved success in my career because I have been focused

on the bottom line. I have always sought out innovative solutions to challengingproblems to maximize profitability. Regardless of the task or challenge, I alwaysestablished benchmarks of performance and standards of excellence. I have neversought to maintain the "status quo." An organization that does not change and growwill die. I would enjoy working with you to help define new market opportunities inorder to achieve the organization's goals."

In each instance, we responded to the "needs of the individual." It is almostguaranteed that, when you respond appropriately to the diverse needs of thedifferent managers, you will become the standard by which all of the othercandidates will be measured.

I challenge you to learn about your personality and leadership style, learn aboutthe styles of others, and learn how to think on your feet when responding toquestions. Whether you are seeking a job or you are gainfully employed, by

understanding the needs of others you will become a more valuable person, employee,manager and leader.

What do you know about our company? Know products, size, income, reputation, image, goals, problems, management

talent, management style, people, skills, history and philosophy. Project an informed interest. Ask several open-ended questions about the

company's course and the department's goals so the interviewer can tell youabout the company. Let her define the business in her terms.

Why do you want to work for us? Don't talk about what you want; first talk about their needs. You wish to be part of a company project.

You would like to solve a company problem. You can make a definite contribution to specific company goals: identify its

management talent, increase sales in the Northeast region, and so on.

The best way to answer this question is, first of all, to be prepared andknowledgeable about the company. Spend some time researching the company (the AboutUs section of the web site is a good place to start) so you can talk about thebenefits of working for this employer.

Compare your goals with objectives of the company and the position, then reiteratewhy you would be an asset to the employer. Let the interviewer know what you can dofor the company, if you get a job offer.


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Even though the question is about why you want to work here, you still need toconvince the interviewer that hiring you will benefit the company.

What would you do for us? What can you do for us that someone else can't? Relate past successes in solving previous employer problems, which may be

similar to those of the prospective employer.

What about our position do you find the most attractive? Least attractive? List three or more attractive factors and only one minor unattractive factor.

Why should we hire you? Because of knowledge, experience, abilities and skills. Tell what these are.

Your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants andneeds before you answer questions. You might say: "I have a number ofaccomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use ofour time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, couldyou tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All Iknow is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)"Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw outhis needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third questionthat unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything elseyou see as essential to success in this position?

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of yourgreatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, whichillustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and mostimpressive achievements. You should have this list of your greatest strengthsand corresponding examples from your achievements very well committed to memory.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you canchoose those achievements from your list that best match up. As a generalguideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in theiremployees are:

1. A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match upwith the employer's greatest wants and needs.

2. Intelligence...management "savvy".3. Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.4. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team

player who meshes well with interviewer's team.5. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.6. Good communication skills.7. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.8. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.9. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.10. Confident...healthy...a leader.

You should have carefully considered this question yourself before appling fora job interview. If you do not know the answer then the job is not for you.

STRONGER ANSWERS that would get the interviewers attention

Because I have three years experience working with customers in a very similarenvironment.

Because I have what it takes to fill the requirements of this job - solve customerproblems using my excellent customer service skills.


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The employer will get a faster return on investment because you have moreexperience than required.

A growing, energetic company is rarely unable to use its people talents.

What is your management style? If you've never thought about this, it's high time you did. Open door is best,

but you get the job done on time or inform your management.

"I find that it is not effective to use only one type of management style, I haveto adapt according to the individual I am dealing with and the situation. For example with inexperienced employees I use a management style that involves a highlevel of task instruction and close supervision. I find this effective because theemployee needs to be secure that they know exactly what to do and how to do it.They also require constant support to build their confidence. For a moreexperienced employee who is comfortable with the work, I delegate the task and expect them to come to me for help if they need it. This demonstrates my trust intheir ability to do the job on their own."

Work-force diversity has important implications. Managers need to be able torecognize employee differences and respond to those differences in ways that ensureeffective working relationships.

Are you a good manager? Give an example. Why do you feel you have top managerial potential?

Keep your answer achievement- and task-oriented and emphasize managementskills -- planning, organizing, controlling, interpersonal and so on.

What did you look for when you hired people? Skills, initiative, adaptability.

Have you ever fired anyone? If so, what were the reasons and how did you handle it? You have had experience with this and it worked out well since it wasn't a

good fit, or you've focused on having a great team that works well together so

have never been presented with this problem.

What do you see as the most difficult task in being a manager? Getting things planned and done on time within the budget.

What do your subordinates think of you? Be honest and positive; they can check your responses easily.

What is your biggest weakness as a manager? Be honest and end on a positive note: "I have a problem reprimanding people so

I always begin with something positive first."

1 Industry Trends Question:

What important trends do you see in our industry? Keep your answer to two or three trends.

4 Questions If You Are Leaving a Job:

Why are you leaving your present job? Refine your answer based on your comfort level and honesty.


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Give a "group" answer if possible; for instance, "Our department wasconsolidated or eliminated."

How do you feel about leaving all of your benefits? Concerned but not panicked.

Describe what you feel to be an ideal working environment. Where people are treated as fairly as possible.

How would you evaluate your present firm? An excellent company that afforded me many fine experiences.

12 Questions Quantifying Your Experience and Accomplishments:

Have you helped increase sales? Profits? How? Describe in some detail.

Have you helped reduce costs? How? Same as above.

How much money did you ever account for? Be specific.

How many people did you supervise on your last job? Be specific.

Do you like working with figures more than words? Be honest but positive.

In your present or last job, what features did you like the most? Least? Same as above

In your present or last job, what are or were your five most significantaccomplishments?

You could refer to the key accomplishments already identified on resume.

Why haven't you found a new position before now? Finding a job is easy but finding the right job is more difficult. You are

being "selective."

Had you thought of leaving your present position before? If yes, what do you think held you there? Challenge, but it's gone now.

What do you think of your boss? Be as positive as you can.

Describe a situation in which your work was criticized? Pick an example that emphasizes how you grew from the experience.

What other types of jobs or companies are you considering?


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4 Personality Questions:

What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended Talk about books, sports or films to represent balance in you life.

How would you describe your own personality? Balanced.

What are your strong points? Present at least three and relate them to the interviewing company and job

opening.

What are your weak points? Don't say you have none. Try not to cite personal characteristics as weaknesses, but be ready to have

one if interviewer presses. Turn a negative into a positive answer: "I am sometimes intent on completing

an assignment and get too deeply involved when we are late."

"I am always working on improving my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently joinedToastmasters, which I find very helpful."

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50 Practice Interview Questions