Tough Questions & Answers for Interview

1. Tell me about yourself.

My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the
very best ____ I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I’ve prepared
myself . . .

2. Why should I hire you?

Because I sincerely believe that I’m the best person for the job. I realize that there
are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have
that ability.
But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job -
- my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service excellence, but
putting every part
of myself into achieving it. In ____ and ____ I have consistently reached for
becoming
the very best I can become by doing the following . . .

3. What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15
years from now?

Although it’s certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what
direction I want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very
best ____ your company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to
become a world-class ____ in the ____ industry. I will work toward becoming the
expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on
any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term.

4. How has your education prepared you for your career?

As you will note on my resume, I’ve taken not only the required core classes in the
____
field, I’ve also gone above and beyond. I’ve taken every class the college has to offer
the field and also completed an independent study project specifically in
in
this area. But
it’s not just taking the classes to gain academic knowledge -- I’ve taken each class,
both
inside and outside of my major, with this profession in mind. So when we’re studying
____ in ____, I’ve viewed it from the perspective of ____. In addition, I’ve always
tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to my job. Not just
theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course project in
my final semester
involved developing a real-world model of ____, which is very similar to what might
be
used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . . .

5. Are you a team player?

Very much so. In fact, I’ve had opportunities in both athletics and academics to
develop my skills as a team player. I was involved in ____ at the intramural level,
including leading my team in assists during the past year -- I always try to help
others
achieve their best. In academics, I’ve worked on several team projects, serving as
both a member and team leader. I’ve seen the value of working together as a team
to
achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an
example . . .

6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it
resolved?

Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have
been
situations where there was a disagreement that need to be resolved. I’ve found
that
when conflict occurs, it’s because of a failure to see both sides of the situation.
Therefore, I ask the other person to give me their perspective and at the same
time
ask that they allow me to fully explain my perspective. At that point, I would work
with
the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would submit to
their
decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit
yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you’re in full agreement or not.
An
example of this was when . . .

7. What is your greatest weakness?

I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I
would
over commit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully
accomplish
each as I would like. However, since I’ve come to recognize that weakness, I’ve taken
steps to correct it. For example, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so
that
I can plan all of my appointments and “ to do “ items. Here, let me show you how I
have
this week planned out . . .

8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say?

I believe they would say I’m a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task
at hand and see to it that it’s accomplished. They would say that if they ever had
something that need to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to
see that it was accomplished. They would say that I always took a keen interest in
the
subjects I was studying and always sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world
settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these things? No, in fact, I’m quite
certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of
recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. Let me
show you . . .

9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

The key quality should be leadership -- the ability to be the visionary for the people
who
are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for
subordinates.
A manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest
calling
of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I’d like to
tell you about a person who I consider to be a true leader . . .

10. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?

That’s a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and
wish that things had been different in the past. But I also realize that things had
been
different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be changed,
that only things in the future can be changed. That’s why I continually strive to
improve
myself each and every day and that’s why I’m working hard to continually increase
my
knowledge in the ____ field. That’s also the reason why I want to become the very
best
____ your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in
the future. So in answer to your question, there isn’t anything in my past that I
would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.