There are numerous types of questions employers could ask you in an interview. However, these questions can be categorized into the following types:
Opened Questions
Open-ended questions cannot be answered by yes or no. Below are some examples of open-ended questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- How would you describe yourself?
- Why are you leaving your job?
- What motivates you?
- What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
- What are you passionate about?
- How do you evaluate success?
- Why are you the best person for the job?
- What challenges are you looking for in a position?
- What previous experience has prepared you for the responsibilities of this position?
- Why are you interested in this position?
- Describe a previous experience that you feel is most relevant to this position.
- What are your short term/long term goals in this field? Where do you see your career in five years?
- Why are you interested in this industry? Organization?
- If I talked to your co-workers, how would they describe you?
- What does initiative mean to you?
- What are your strengths? Describe a weakness that you have and what are you doing to improve it.
- What are your salary expectations?
Behavioural Questions
Behavioural questions focus on asking for specific examples of where you have demonstrated a particular skill, or how you have handled a particular situation in the past. The rationale behind such questions is that your past behaviour is a good indicator of how you will respond to the demands of the position.
- Describe a team project that you have undertaken. What was your role? What did you learn?
- What is an example of a time when you demonstrated creative problem solving?
- Share with us an example of where you have demonstrated leadership qualities.
- Tell us about a time when you demonstrated initiative.
- Describe a situation in which you had a disagreement with a supervisor or coworker. How was it resolved?
- Discuss a major paper you have written. What was the model you used and why? What were your results?
- Think of a time you faced a challenge. How did you react? What were the results?
- Discuss a major project that you undertook. What are some of the challenges you encountered? How did you overcome them?
- Give an example of a goal you reached and how you achieved it.
- What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
- Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you do it?
- Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
- Give an example of a time when you could not participate in a discussion or could not finish a task because you did not have enough information?
- Describe a situation in which you were able to positively influence the actions of others in a desired direction?
- Give me an example of a time when you felt you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or colleagues?
Situational questions are hypothetical, problematic scenarios that require solutions. When answering these types of questions, it is important to demonstrate your critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills.
- You have been working on a project for over a month and are about to finish writing the report. Suddenly you realize some very important facts that should be included in this project have been overlooked. What would you do in this situation?
- You are working on a group project with your colleagues. While the deadline is getting closer, the group still cannot agree on how the project should be completed and one of the members is simply not doing his/her/their share. What would you do in this situation?
- You have heard that one of your colleagues has complained to your manager because s/he/they is/are dissatisfied with your work. What would you do in this situation?
- If our organization were to change its focus in terms of target client market, what target market would you suggest? • Your colleague was repeatedly making mistakes that affect customer service and your ability to do your work. You talked to this colleague about the problem but s/he/ they kept making mistakes again. What would you do next?
- You figured out that an employee was stealing from the company. What would you do?
- You believe strongly in a recommendation you made in a meeting, but most of your co-workers do not agree. What would you do in this situation?
- Who would you talk to if you discovered that a co-worker was disclosing confidential information that should not be divulged?
- You don’t have the information you need to prioritize your projects. Your co-workers and supervisor are unavailable for you to ask for assistance. How do you handle the situation?
Other resources for practicing for interviews
- Attend a CxEd Interview skills workshop (Register on CLNx)
- Try Big Interview! It is an online service that combines training and practice to help you improve your interview skills. Tools include virtual interview practice and video lessons.
- Review the Academic Interview Guide (PDF)-for masters and PhD students
- Check out the Interview Strategies Guide (PDF) for more tips on interview prep and practice