FREQUENTLY ASKED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
by Kevin Brennfleck and Kay Marie Brennfleck
National Certified Career Counselors

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Most questions you will ever be asked in interviews can be anticipated beforehand. That means that you can develop effective answers and practice your responses before you are sitting face-to-fact with a prospective employer! This list of frequently asked interview questions is a good starting place in preparing for interviews.

Once you have developed good answers (in writing) to each relevant question (all questions may not relate to your situation or the prospective job), practice giving your answers out loud. Have a friend pose as the "interviewer," and use a tape recorder or camcorder to record the mock interview. (This type of preparation is like having the questions in advance for a final exam!) Listen to the recorded "interview" and modify any of your responses that: (1) are too long (most answers should not exceed 60 seconds); (2) do not clearly answer the question being asked; and/or, (3) do not market your skills and abilities effectively.

1. Can you tell me about yourself?

2. What are your greatest strengths?

3. What are your greatest weaknesses?

4. Why are you interested in this particular area of work?

5. Why should we hire you?

6. What interests you about our company, agency, school?

7. Why are you looking for a job?

8. Why did you leave your last job?

9. What didn't you like about your last job?

10. What did you like about your last job?

11. What were your major contributions to your last job?

12. Why have changed jobs so frequently?

13. May we contact your employer?

14. How do you feel about a female boss?

15. Can you work under pressure?

16. How do you handle pressure?

17. Are you willing to travel?

18. What are your long-term objectives?

19. What are your short-term objectives?

20. How do you hope to benefit from this job?

21. Would you be able to relocate?

22. What is your feeling about working for a large...small...medium-size company?

23. Can you delegate responsibility? Cite an example.

24. Have you ever hired anyone?

25. How did you help to increase sales and/or profits at your last job?

26. How long do you envision yourself working for this company?

27. Would you be willing to take less money?

28. Have you ever been responsible for profit-and-loss statements?

29. Can you give us business and character references?

30. Do you have any handicaps?

31. What are your three greatest accomplishments in your career?

32. Do you like to work? Why?

33. Have your objectives changed over the last few years? How and why?

34. What kind of contribution can you make to our company?

35. Are you creative? Analytical?

36. Do you like to manage people?

37. Do you consider yourself to be an aggressive individual?

38. Do you feel you are being fairly compensated at your present job? Why or why not?

39. How far do you feel you can go in this company?

40. If you could choose any company for which you could work, where would you work?

41. What interests you most about this job?

42. What interests you least about this job?

43. How do you react to criticism?

44. Are you organized? Cite some examples.

45. What are your feelings about success?

Remember it is not necessarily the best possible candidate who gets the job, but rather the person who can prove during the interview that he/she can meet the employer's needs. The majority of job applicants don't interview as effectively as they could and thus delay their employment. Many job hunters have benefited from professional coaching to polish their interviewing skills.

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© 1999 Copyright by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck. All rights reserved.

Source: The above information is published electronically on by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck, and is intended for personal use only. No commercial use of this information is authorized without written permission from the copyright owners. For additional information, contact the Brennflecks at 626/577-2705. The Christian Career Center is found at www.ChristianCareerCenter.com and on America Online at keyword COCC.