Types Of Interview Questions
Learn the types of questions employers may ask and what they are looking for below.
Traditional Questions often start an interview to establish rapport, i.e.:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What interests you in our organization?
Open-ended/Behavioral Questions call for description of your qualifications often through examples of how you have acted in the past in specific situations to reveal how you may act in similar situations in the future, i.e.:
- Tell me about a creative solution you developed for a problem at work.
- Describe a time you set and met a goal.
Case/Problem Questions require you to analyze and offer a solution to a specific situation or puzzle in the interview to reveal your critical thinking skills and ability to articulate your thoughts under pressure, i.e.:
- Your client asks for account credit as their sales have been declining despite your support services. What do you do?
- You disagree with your supervisor on how to solve a problem. How do you go about finding a solution?
Skills
- Tell me about a challenge you faced in a previous role and how you handled it.
- Describe a class that challenged you, in what ways, and how you handled it.
- What skills would you bring to the position?
- Describe a time when you were facing multiple projects and deadlines and how you handled it.
Experience
- Give an example of a time you had a conflict with a fellow team member. How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a project you worked on as part of a team and what your role was.
- Tell me about a time you went beyond what was expected of you.
- Tell me a time you had to meet a tight deadline.
Environment
- Tell me about a time when you’ve felt energized and productive at work.
- Tell me about a time when your manager was unavailable when a problem arose. How did you handle it?
- What interests you in this field?
- Describe a time when you asked for direct feedback from a supervisor. What led you to do so?
Technical
Technical Interviews are interviews where employers can observe specific skills as listed in your resume.
- What do you do to make sure you maintain your technical knowledge and skills?
- Can you tell me a bit more about your educational background and how it prepared you for this position?
- What is your process for staying current with new tools or technologies in your area of study?
- Can you tell me about a time when you had to teach yourself a technical skill on the job?
- Can you walk me through a project where you used [specific software or tool]?