General Information Questions General information questions are asked to obtain factual
information. They usually cover your skills, work experience, etc. 1. Why do you want this job? (Be
prepared; every employer wants to know the answer to this question.) Suggested answer: “My skills
and experi-ence are directly related to this position, and I’m very interested in this field.” If
applicable, relate examples of your experi-ence, education, and/or training that relate to the job you
are seeking. Never say that you want the job because of the pay and benefits. 2. What type of work
do you enjoy most? Suggested answer: Play your research card; name the types of tasks that are
involved in the job and demonstrate how you are quali-fied for the position. 3. What are your
strongest skills? Suggested answer: Review your abilities and accomplishments and your 30-Second
Commercial to develop your answer. Relate your skills directly to those required for the position. 4.
Are you a team player? Suggested answer: Teamwork is highly valued in today’s workplace, so a
positive answer is usually a plus. Give examples of your successful team roles (as a leader, a
member, or a partner) from school, previous jobs, volunteer work, or sports. 5. What are your long-t
General Information Questions General information questions are asked to obtain factual
information. They usually cover your skills, work experience, etc. 1. Why do you want this job? (Be
prepared; every employer wants to know the answer to this question.) Suggested answer: “My skills
and experi-ence are directly related to this position, and I’m very interested in this field.” If
applicable, relate examples of your experi-ence, education, and/or training that relate to the job you
are seeking. Never say that you want the job because of the pay and benefits. 2. What type of work
do you enjoy most? Suggested answer: Play your research card; name the types of tasks that are
involved in the job and demonstrate how you are quali-fied for the position. 3. What are your
strongest skills? Suggested answer: Review your abilities and accomplishments and your 30-Second
Commercial to develop your answer. Relate your skills directly to those required for the position. 4.
Are you a team player? Suggested answer: Teamwork is highly valued in today’s workplace, so a
positive answer is usually a plus. Give examples of your successful team roles (as a leader, a
member, or a partner) from school, previous jobs, volunteer work, or sports. 5. What are your long-t
given new responsibilities so that we can get off to a good start. I think supervisors
appreciate someone who takes responsibil-ity for his or her job.” (Be prepared to give an example of
a “new responsibility” you were given and what you did to “get off to a good start.”) Behavioral
Questions Behavioral questions probe the applicant’s specific past performance and behaviors. The
interviewer wants details of experiences that illustrate how you perform or behave on a job or in
stressful environments. You can expect questions such as “Describe the most chal-lenging
assignments you’ve had. How did you handle it?” This may be followed by several more in-depth
probes such as “Explain what problems you encountered. How did you over-come them?” Some
behavioral questions probe for negative experiences. In responding to these, use the SAR technique
to frame your answer: Situation–Action–Results. What happened? What did you do? What were the
results? Be thorough but keep your answer short. Focus on what you learned from the experience or
what actions you took to improve the situation. 1. Tell me specifically about a time when you
worked under great stress. Suggested answer: Be careful to choose a relevant example that would
be considered stressful in a work environment. Quickly describe the elements that made it stress-ful
for you and how you maintained your cool and got the job done. If you don’t have a good example,
describe what you would do or how you would handle the situation better this time. 2. Describe an
experience when you dealt with an angry customer or coworker. Suggested answer: Give an answer
that highlights how you value communication and know that conflict can lead to personal growth
and opportunity. Your reply also should include how you resolved the situ-ation and what you would
do differently in the future. Be prepared to handle silence. Give me an example of your ability to
adapt to change. Suggested answer: “When the new firm took over management of our site, I
focused on the positive outcomes rather than looking back and comparing manage-ment styles. I
encouraged my coworkers to remain flexible and patient.” This shows your leadership and maturity.
4. Explain what problems you have encoun-tered. How did you overcome them? Suggested answer:
Some behavioral ques-tions probe for negative experiences. In responding to these, focus on what
you learned from the experience or what actions you took to improve the situation. Character
Questions Character questions are asked to learn about your personal attributes, such as integrity,
per-sonality, attitudes, and motivation. 1. How would you describe yourself? Suggested answer:
Emphasize your stron-gest personal attributes and focus on those that are relevant to your target
job. Review
your capabilities and accomplishments. Examples: “I’m punctual and dependable. At my
current job, I haven’t been late or missed one day in the last two years.” “I get along well with
others; in fact, my cowork-ers chose me to represent them in our com-pany’s monthly staff
meetings.” Give specific examples of your strengths. Don’t just say “I’m a hard worker” or “I’m
dependable.” Other leads include “I learn quickly,” “I like solving problems; for exam-ple . . . ,” “I like
contributing to a team,” and “I like managing people.” Use a relevant example that shows that you
know what is important in a work environment. 2. What rewards do you look for in your career?
Suggested answer: Don’t make finan-cial rewards your prime motivator. Emphasize your desire to
improve your skills, make a valuable contribution to the field, and become better educated. These
answers show initiative, interest, and professionalism.
3. What accomplishment are you most proud of, particularly as it relates to your field?
Suggested answer: Relate an accomplish-ment that shows special effort and initia-tive. “I recognized
the need to improve communications [between two depart-ments]. I designed a questionnaire that
was completed by representatives from each department. Management made several of the
changes, and communications were improved in those areas.” 4. Do you work well under pressure?
Suggested answer: You may be tempted to answer with a simple yes or no, but don’t. Yes and no
answers reveal nothing specific about you. Don’t miss an opportunity to sell yourself. Be honest in
your answer. If you prefer to work at a well-defined job in an organized, calm atmosphere (rather
than one that involves constant decision making and pressure), say so. Otherwise, you may end up in
a job that is a constant source of ten-sion. If you enjoy the challenge of pressure,
On the surface, questions such as these seem innocent enough. Yet the structure and
format of the questions may be illegal or, at the very least, inappropriate. When you are in a
situation where the person asking the question has the power to decide whether you will get the
job, this information can be used to discriminate against you or other candidates. Questions that
focus on age, gender, race, marital status, language, children, criminal record, national origin,
religion, or disability are inappropriate in a job interview. So you’ve just been asked an inappropriate question. What do you do? How do you respond? The risk here is that refusing to answer can
count against you, even though the question was illegal. If you complain about a question being
illegal or unfair, you probably won’t be offered the job. You certainly have the right to refuse, but
first weigh the situation. Is it worth jeopardizing the job over this question? If it is an offensive
question, the answer may be “Yes, the job is worth risking because I’m not sure I want to work for
this company.” Or does the interviewer appear nonthreatening and unaware that the question was
inappropriate? Only you can decide. The most effective approach is to answer the question in a
polite, honest manner. Don’t offer detailed personal information. Instead, steer the conversation
back to your ability to meet the employer’s expectations, as in the following examples: Interviewer:
Do you have any children
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