BCC: UGH, Interviewer Questions



Background Questions

• Tell me about yourself.

• Describe yourself in three words.

• How did you decide on your career path?

• Tell me about your background, your interests and work experiences.

• Describe the key events that led to your decision to get a business degree.

• Describe your education to me.

• Why did you choose the Carlson School of Management?

• Why did you pick your area of concentration?

• What courses did you like best/least and why?

• Who were your favorite professors and why?

• What have you learned from your involvement with extracurricular activities?

• What were your best and worst experiences in college?

• How did you change during college?

• Do you think your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement?

• How has your education in ______________ prepared you specifically for this position?

• If you could do so, how would you plan your academic studies, extracurricular activities and other activities differently?

Industry, company, job related questions

• Why did you decide to seek a job with us?

• What are you looking for in a job?

• How would you compare us with our competitors?

• What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

• Would you relocate?

• How familiar are you with the community our company is located in?

• Do you have any location preferences?

• Is travel a problem for you?

• Are you willing to spend _____ months as a trainee?

• Why do you want to work in the ______ industry?

• What do you see as the image of this company and why would you fit into it?

• What qualifies you for this position?

• If I'd never heard of this company, what could you tell me about it?

• How much do you know about our company?

• Why are you interested in joining us?

• What do you find most attractive about this position? Least attractive?

• What other companies are you interviewing with?

• Have you had any job offers yet?

• What criteria are you using to evaluate different jobs? Different organizations?

• Why should I hire you?

• How many hours per week do you think a person should spend on his/her job?

• How much training do you think you’ll need to be a productive employee?

• What salary range are you expecting?

• What can you do for us that another business student can't do?

Previous Experience or Employment

• Why did you accept each of the jobs or internships on your resume?

• Describe your best boss and your worst.

• Describe your best job and your worst.

• Detail any experiences you've had that have caused you to communicate with people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

• Why have you changed jobs so frequently?

• If I were to pick up the phone and call your last employer what would they tell me?

• How did you get along with your last supervisor?

• What did you think of your last employer? How would you evaluate the firm?

• Why did you leave your previous company?

• What did you like best/least about your last (or present) job?

• Could you have done more in your last job?

• How many people have you hired? What do you look for?

• How have you helped to increase earnings for former employers?

• How do your subordinates get along with you?

• What are your three most important accomplishments thus far in your career? In your last job?

• What is the most difficult assignment you have tackled?

• What is the most rewarding assignment you have completed?

• How have you motivated others to work with or for you?

• What management traits do you value in a superior? Have you ever been in a situation where some of these traits were lacking in a significant way? How did you deal with that?

Short and long range goals

• What are your short-term goals?

• Where do you plan to be in 3-5 years?

• What are your long-term goals?

• What other types of positions are of interest to you?

• How far do you think you can go in this company? How long would it take before you would make a significant contribution? How long will you stay?

• What career goals do you have? How do you plan to achieve them?

• Do you have goals to further your education?

Communication skills

• Do you like to write reports? Give me an example.

• Do you consider yourself fairly adept at sensing and adjusting your communication methods to suit individuals with whom you're working? Give me an example.

• What kind of communication do you think you are best/weakest at? (Formal presentation, informal presentation, written, interpersonal) Give me an example.

• What have you done to enhance your communication skills?

• Describe your level of training or experience in presenting material orally.

• Describe the business correspondence you are experienced in producing (memos, business reports, executive summaries, etc.)

Working in groups

• When working in a group, what factors do you think must be present for a group to accomplish its goal?

• Can you describe for me a group situation that you thought worked very well? Why? What role did you play?

• Can you describe for me a group situation that you thought did not work well? Why?

Personal traits, character, values & preferences

• At this time in your life, what do you value most?

• What three things do you want me to know about you?

• In your scheme of life, what importance does work play?

• Would you best categorize yourself as more tense and high strung, or easy going?

• What characteristics or qualities do you value most in people?

• In general, how do you react to conflict?

• What is your philosophy of life?

• How would you describe yourself?

• What is the most important lesson you've learned in life?

• Describe your nature and personality to me.

• Describe your character.

• What one characteristic best describes you?

• What motivates you?

• Do you like to be an independent worker or do you perform best with structure and supervision?

• In what kind of a work environment are you most comfortable?

• Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?

• Would you rather work with information or with people?

• What kind of people do you like to work with?

• What is your competitive advantage?

• Whom do you admire most and why?

Challenges, strengths & weaknesses

• Describe the most difficult situation you have been in and how you handled it.

• Describe one goal for yourself and what you did to meet it.

• Can you give me an example of a time that you successfully dealt with conflict?

• Can you describe for me a situation in which you exemplified leadership?

• What were the frustrations and satisfactions of being a leader?

• What has been your greatest failure in life?

• What has been your greatest accomplishment?

• What have you learned form your mistakes?

• Give me an example of when you were assertive and took the initiative to achieve some goal--a business example.

• Give an example or situation where you had to convince someone to do something.

• Tell me what you consider to be your greatest assets. Weaknesses.

• Describe one goal for yourself and what you did to meet it.

• Can you describe for me a situation in which you failed to accomplish your objective?

• How will your major strengths help you in this position?

• Would you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized?

• What was the biggest mistake you made?

• What was your most satisfying success?

• What have been your most important rewards?

Outside interests

• How do you relax? What do you do in your leisure time?

• Are you active in any outside groups or organizations? What is your role in the group? What have you contributed to the organization?

• What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Cultural event you attended?

• What magazines and what kinds of books do you read and how much time per month do you spend reading them?

• How do you plan to stay current in your field?

General questions

• Name 5 unique contributions you can make to our company.

• How do you handle criticism?

• How do you evaluate success?

• How important is money to you?

• What rewards do you expect in your career?

• Do you consider yourself a competitive person? Explain.

• Are you considered by friends to be ambitious? Explain.

• Since it is likely that you can make more money in the private sector, why are you interested in the public sector? (if applicable)

• How would you use your skill in sports on this job? (if applicable)

• Problem--a key employee has been absent four days in the past month. What would you do?

• Have you considered self-employment? If so, what would you do?

• Tell me about a recent article you read in the Wall Street Journal.

• What question do you wish I would have asked you? (Then answer the question.)

Behavioral Based Questions (remember…this type of question will be focused on past behavior)

• Tell me about a time the last time you worked on a team and what happened.

• Describe a situation where you were in a leadership role.

• Give me an example that demonstrates your ability to organize.

• Tell me about a time when you dealt with a conflict situation.

• Tell me about a specific time where you had to work under pressure?

• Give me an example of a time when you had to motivate others.

• Tell me about a time when you had to convey technical information to a non-technical audience.

• Tell me about a time when you had to use your analytical skills to solve a problem.

• Give me an example of a time when you had to adapt to a new situation.

• Tell me about a specific time when you exhibited your creativity.

• Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone to do something they didn’t want to do.

• Give me the details of a time when you had to manage a group of people.

• Tell me about a time when you showed particularly good leadership.

• How have you successfully worked with a difficult person?

• Share with me a time when you worked in an unstructured situation.

• Give me the details of a time when you had to deal with a major change.

• Give me an example of a time you had direct supervisory responsibilities.

• Give me an example that demonstrates your assertiveness.

• Describe an experience where you had to resolve a difference in personalities.

• Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

• Share with me a time that you had to sell a new idea to a group of individuals who preferred to keep things as they are. How did you convince them to adopt your idea?

• Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.

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