Prepare for the Job Search ~ Interviewing ~ Sample Interview Questions

Sample  Interview Questions

Introductory

• Why did you choose to attend Stanford?
• What are some of the greatest personal challenges you have faced during your lifetime?
• What motivates you?

Skills and Personal Qualities

• What skills or personal qualities do you possess that will help make you successful in today’s job market?
• Tell me about yourself (ask what type of information the employer is looking for, skills? personal background?).
• What special skills do you possess that would make you stand out from other candidates?
• Describe a frustrating or challenging experience you’ve encountered and tell me how you dealt with it.
• Discuss some of your past leadership/teamwork roles and your accomplishments in them.
• Why should our organization hire you?
• Who was the most difficult person you have ever dealt with, and how did you handle the situation?
• Can you think of a specific situation that reflects your ability to show initiative?  Describe it.
• What is your greatest weakness, what have you done to try to overcome it?

Career Goals and Objectives

• What are your long range career goals and how are you preparing to achieve them?
• Why are you interested in this industry/occupation?
• Why do you want to work for our organization?
• What do you see yourself doing in three to five years?

Extracurricular Activities and College Experiences

• Please describe your most rewarding college experience.
• If you could relive your college experience, what would you do differently? 

Academic Programs

• What factors influenced your choice of a major?
• What were your favorite and least favorite courses?
• What is your grade point average and how do you feel about this?
• Are you satisfied with your academic accomplishments?
• What courses gave you the most difficulty?
• How has your coursework prepared you for this position? 

Work Experiences

• What did you enjoy most about your most recent job experience?
• Please elaborate on your most relevant work experience.
• What do you see as your major strengths as they apply to this position? 

Accomplishments/Achievements

• What else would you like us to know about you?
• Of what accomplishment are you most proud? 

Knowledge of Organization/Industry

• Why did you select our organization with which to interview?
• What attracts you to this industry?
• What do you know about our organization?
• Why do you think you’d like working for our organization?  

Salary and Benefits

• When comparing one company offer to another, what factors will be important to you besides starting salary?
• What salary range are you expecting?  (If possible, you may want to state that you are more interested in the content of the position at this point and would be happy to discuss salary when an offer is presented).

Unusual Questions
These questions seldom have right or wrong answers.  Even though the questions may not seem to be job-related, employers may try to determine your confidence and creativity through your answers.

• If you could be any fruit which would you choose and why?
• Think about your favorite product.  Now think up five better names for it.
• Tell me a story.
• How would the world be different if you had never been born?
• If you had to choose to be one of these three life forms; a lemming, a sloth, or an earthworm, which would you be and why?

Illegal Questions
Employers may ask questions to learn about a candidate’s motivation and personality.  Such questions can relate to former job responsibilities and outside interests.  Inquiries into an applicant’s: race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, past arrests, alcohol and drug use, credit history, childbearing plans or age are illegal.

• An interviewer may not ask about your religion, church, synagogue, parish, the religious holidays you observe, or your political beliefs or affiliations. 
• An interviewer may not ask about your ancestry, national origin, or parentage; in addition, you cannot be asked about the naturalization status of your parents, spouse, or children.  The interviewer cannot ask about your birthplace.  However, the interviewer may ask whether or not you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien with the right to work in the U.S. 
• An interviewer may not ask about your native language, the language you speak at home, or how you acquired the ability to read, write, or speak a foreign language.  But, he/she may ask about the languages in which you are fluent, if knowledge of those languages is pertinent to the job.
• An interviewer may not ask about your age, your date of birth, or the ages of your children.  But, he/she may ask you whether or not you’re over eighteen years old.
• An interviewer may not ask about maiden names or whether you have changed your name; your marital status, number of children or dependents, or your spouse’s occupation.

Illegal questions are often asked unintentionally.  If you feel you are being asked an illegal question during an interview you can legitimately, but politely, refuse to answer.  You might say, “I’m not sure of the relevance of that question, can you tell me how it specifically relates to this job?”

Next: Questions to Ask Employers