INTERVIEW PRACTICE

Performance/Behavioral based interviewing questions requires you to articulate past behaviors, successes and challenges of former experiences, providing specific examples as indicators of future success. We always suggest role playing before an interview. Interviewing is an art and practice makes perfect. Role playing makes you sound confident and professional when asked a question during an interview because you already know your answer. Below are some performance/behavioral based questions to guide your interviewing preparation.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

How do you define success?  Please give a couple of examples of successes in your jobs and the things that contributed most to the success.

01

What are the top three things that motivate you?

03

Tell me about a time you made a mistake.  How was the situation resolved?  How did you communicate to your manager and any colleagues that the error occurred?  When you look back, how have you grown since then and what adjustment did you make so that it wouldn’t happen again?

05

Tell me what specific things about this company that makes you want to work here?  What concerns, if any, do you have?

07

Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.

09

Tell me about a time when you needed to get up to speed very quickly in something that was relatively unfamiliar to you.  What did you need to do?   What were your resources?

02

Can you describe a tense or difficult situation that you have been involved in at work?  What was the outcome?  What role did you play?  What would you have done differently?

04

What would your current manager say was your major contribution?  Areas for development?

06

Tell me about the recognition and / or awards from previous employers.  How were you ranked amongst your peers?

08

Describe a decision you made that wasn’t popular and how you handled implementing it.

10

POST INTERVIEW

It is not only important what you say during an interview but also how you present yourself and communicate.  After the interview, ask yourself these questions:

  • Did you make a positive impact when you entered the room?

  • Were you enthusiastic about the organization?  Did you do enough research on the company?  Did you ask good questions about the position and the company?

  • Did you maintain good body language and eye contact?

  • Did you clearly and professionally articulate your answers?

  • Did you follow up after the interview? Did you send a note or email asking about the next step?

  • Did you close you the interviewee?

  • Did you ask if it would be worth putting together a business plan (30, 60, 90 days-short term/1 year, 2 year, and 3 year-long term), or providing proof of success; portfolio, stack rankings, awards or W-2’s.