Interview Questions

Question 0

2. Are you willing to relocate?

Answer 0

• I’d rather not relocate right now, but you never know what tomorrow may bring. I am very interested in this position and this company.
• I’m interested in growing my career, and if relocating for this job is a necessary part of it then, of course, I’d consider it.
• Where I live is not the most important issue for me. Utilizing my skills, developing new ones, and advancing my career are really my driving interests. And I’m more and more convinced that this company and this job is a really great fit because of my skills and opportunities to advance my career.

Question 1

1. Are you overqualified for this position?

Answer 1

• “I might be overqualified, but would that be wonderful for you. Because then you’d have someone who is more than ready to do well in this position. Someone who’s done this before and understands what it takes to be successful at this job, and can do it again.
• The truth is I may be overqualified, but it looks wonderful to me. My house is pretty well paid off, I’m not interested in moving, and I can easily commute via public transit, which I much prefer over driving to work each day. This would be an ordeal which I don’t want anymore.

Question 2

3. Describe a time when your work was criticized and how you handled it?

Answer 2

• keys: coach-ability, and accepting criticism are critical to learning and improving. Since no one is perfect, everyone needs to be corrected and coached to a new level to be successful.
• use the STAR technique to describe a time when you were given an assignment and you saw how you could make it better, and did do it better.

Question 3

4. Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it?

Answer 3

• We all have times when our workload becomes heavier than it normally is.
• I have found that the best thing to do is to look at what I have to do and prioritize tasks. What I have found is that not everything has to be done immediately. Some things are more mission critical than others, and in times of stress you have to prioritize. Taking this view of tasks helps me feel less stressed and more in control.

Question 4

5. Describe a time when you were given multiple tasks to complete in a day and there was no conceivable way you could finish them?

Answer 4

• It all comes down to prioritizing of tasks and use of strategic thinking.
• I started by asking does everything really have to be done by today? Maybe the person who wants them done can’t realistically deal with all of them immediately in one day. Maybe they can only deal with 5 - 10 of them over the next couple of days. So these are the ones I would concentrate on first. Also, if I was in a position to delegate to others, there may be some tasks I could assign others to do. This latter approach is valuable in assessing candidates suitability to assume greater responsibility if promoted.

Question 5

6. Describe your work style?

Answer 5

• I’m organized, I work quickly, I am a good multitasker, I enjoy taking on new responsibilities, I’m a great planner, I’m consistently a top performer.
• (this may be an attempt to find out if you prefer to work in a group or alone - mention most position require someone to do some of both).

Question 6

7. Describe yourself to me in one word?

Answer 6

• Dynamic: I change and adapt and I do whatever is needed to succeed.
• Also: strategic, flexible, creative, dependable, reliable, helpful, fair, honest, focused, organized, enthusiastic.

Question 7

8. Do you prefer working in a team or alone?

NOTE: Say what you prefer, but don’t be negative about the other

Answer 7

• I can’t think of a job that doesn’t occasionally require someone to apply both work styles.
• (if job description is for working alone): “I prefer to work alone, but I find that occasionally working with a team feels creative, because we can bounce ideas off each other. I like to learn from others’ experiences.”
• (if job description is for a team): “I like the dynamics of working in a group, but I appreciate sometimes having part of the project that is my own personal responsibility.”
• ask: “About how much time do you think will be spent working on my own versus working with a team in this position?”

Question 8

9. Give me a time when you had to conform to a specific policy with which you did not agree?

Answer 8

1. Sorry, I can’t think of a time when that happened.
2. I might ask questions or express concerns over a policy, because I think it’s a part of my job to support the team, and that includes spotting potential issues before they become actual problems. But in the end, the decision belongs to my supervisor and I always respect that.

Question 9

10. Describe a time when you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work?

Answer 9

• This answer can make you an amazing candidate.
• Always have an amazing STAR story prepared for this question. How you met and exceeded the expectations of your supervisors. Include aspects of conflict and resolution. This is an opportunity to brag.

Question 10

11. Have you ever been a member of a team when someone was not pulling their weight? How did you handle it?

Answer 10

• Don’t whine!
• “I concentrated on getting my own job done and asked my supervisor if there was anything else I could do to help him finish the task. Once I got my job done I offered to help out the slacker”.

Question 11

12. Have you ever had difficulty working with a supervisor or manager?

Answer 11

• ( this question is designed to find out how you are to work with. Don’t badmouth previous supervisors even if it is legitimate. Think “Disney”.
• “I can’t say I’ve ever had much trouble working with anyone. I actually appreciated the personality differences in my previous supervisors and found that I could learn something from working with each of those styles. It hasn’t been hard to adapt to working with anyone.

Question 12

13. How can you apply your specific skills to help the organization achieve sustainable growth and generate revenue?

Answer 12

• each position has financial value for the organization or else it wouldn’t exist. E.g the cleaner, waitress, etc … Even a person who puts screw on a plane! No one wants to see a plane fall from the sky! That would definitely be bad for that business.

Question 13

14. How did you deal with a situation where a boss chastised you or strongly disagreed with a statement or plan or a decision you made?

Answer 13

• land mine territory! (Don’t appear to be a yes-man, yet don’t appear to be a loose cannon).
• I would begin by ensuring that the issue hasn’t arisen from a simple communication issue. Sometimes that’s all it is. Then I would seek to fully understand their position on this issue. Finally, I would check to see if there was anything else I could have done differently. If there is I would own up to my mistake and assure them it won’t happen again.
• seeing it from the other person’s perspective is the key, as is fessing up when you make a mistake.
• “To ensure it doesn’t happen again I would ensure the lines of communication are kept open. If a mistake happens I make sure I correct it and see that it doesn’t happen again.

Question 14

16. How do ask know you still have the fire in my belly to do this job?

Answer 14

• “I understand that hiring is risky. One of the ways I can make you feel better about hiring me is to speak to my references. They’ll tell you I am who I say I am, and I am someone who will exceed your expectations”.
• “I absolutely do, and it’s a new challenge that I can’t wait to tackle”!

Question 15

16. How do you deal with difficult staff?

Answer 15

• This is a fact of life.
• “I deal with difficult staff the same way I deal with easier to work with staff: I wanted to make sure they have an exceptional experience when they deal with me. If aim haven’t met their expectations, I want to take full responsibility for it and see if I can fix the problem. If I can’t, I want to make their experience as positive as I can by doing something that would make up for the problem, so they can benefit from the experience and exit the situation as happy as possible. I would want to treat them as I would a member of my family.

Question 16

17. How do you deal with stressful situations?

Answer 16

• Every job has a time when you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.
• “If the situation seems overwhelming, I mentally break it up into smaller steps and doable goals. I focus on completing each one and as a result coming closer to completing the larger goal”.
• Use the STAR technique to illustrate. ( use sexual harassment investigation to describe the challenges and what needed to happen. Then I concentrated on one step at a time. We had the job done in 4 days!

Question 17

18. How do you evaluate success?

Answer 17

• “I evaluate success based on: a) meeting the goals set by my supervisors; b) How quickly I can accomplish them; c) the feedback I get on my performance”.
• “As a manager, I evaluate success based on meeting my professional goals, while ensuring everyone on my team is working both individually and together smoothly and in peak form”.
• Ask: “How is performance measured here?”

Question 18

19. How do you handle stress and pressure on the job?

Answer 18

• “Over the years I have learned to deal with the stress of the job. When it becomes extra stressful, I prioritize takes so that it is manageable”.

Question 19

20. How do you rate yourself as a professional?

Answer 19

• “Well, I realize that I have room to grow and develop, and become better than I am today. I would rate myself as a 8 or 9. I see a 5 as average and a 10 as perfect. I see myself as better than average, and I don’t know that anyone can rate themselves a 10, because no one is perfect. I know that I’m thorough, a good communicator, a good problem solver, analytical and a quick study in areas in which I haven’t had a great deal of exposure”.

Question 20

21. How does this position fit in with the career path you envision for yourself?

Answer 20

• “my career path is such that my career serves me and I serve my career. I’m looking to grow and become more and contribute more than I am today in my next role. I know that if I do that I will be rewarded professionally, personally and financially. This position fits that for me because it’s a growth role that will benefit me professionally because I’m going to learn and develop more skills. As I do well I’m going to be compensated financially and personally in terms of personal satisfaction. It’s a stepping stone towards the next role, and an opportunity to hone my skill set. I hope to be able to move into positions of greater responsibility”.

Question 21

22. How have you responded to a colleague who has put you down at work?

Answer 21

• “I have someone criticize me to my boss, and he was in a larger role than me, so that had a poor outcome for him. I didn’t step on his toes, nor did I call him on the carpet. In retrospect, I could see how having talked to that person directly beforehand when I first learned of his criticism would have shown him how criticizing me would have been damaging to both of us”.

Question 22

23. How long will it take you to make a significant contribution?

Answer 22

• introduce your 30-60-90 day plan ( strategic plan for what action you will take in your first 3 months on the job to ensure a successful transition from brand new employee to fully functioning productive leader or member of the team.
• the first 30: requires some training, getting to know the company’s procedures, and systems. By the 90th day: you should be initiating new projects, policies, etc … on your own.

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Question 23

24. How long would you plan to stay with us?

Answer 23

• “how long would you like me to stay?”
• “I plan to stay as long as I can. I don’t want to change jobs if I can avoid it. I understand there are learning curves to deal with and that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere, but there is also something to be said for history and being able to rely upon people. I stayed at the TPS for 30 years. Do you think I’d be able to stay that long here?”

Question 24

25. How much money did you make?

Answer 24

• “what is the salary range you’re offering for this position? I’m completely comfortable with that range.”

Question 25

26. How was your working relationship with your previous supervisor?

Answer 25

• “We got along great. I learned a lot from this position and I believe some things will help me succeed at this job.”

Question 26

27. How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you?

Answer 26

• “I usually find that even if someone knows less than me in one area, they know more than me in another one. I can learn something useful from just about anyone and I enjoy the process.”

Question 27

28. How would you go about establishing your credibility quick within the team?

Answer 27

• “I would try and understand the situation and ask good relevant questions, before trying to do anything ‘magical’ and make suggestions based on the evidence or facts that are presented.”
• “in some settings it’s just a question of buckling down and do your job as best you can as soon as possible. In this setting, sometimes actions speak louder than words.”

Question 28

29. I notice that you are applying for a position that is not as senior as your past positions. Why are you applying for a positions that is in fact a ‘demotion’ for you?

Answer 28

• “I enjoy the hands on work of the investigative process. I admire this company, and I have a great deal of respect for public transit and the staff that provide it. Working for this public transit company is a perfect fit for me: it combines my strong interests in the investigative process with my support for the men and women that provide an invaluable service to our community. I hope that you recognize that I bring a substantial amount of experience conducting a variety of investigations which will benefit your organization.”

Question 29

30. If we hire you, what will we know about you a year down the road?

Answer 29

• “If you hire me, you’ll know that everything I’ve said in this interview is true. You’ll know why everyone that I’ve worked with in the past has enjoyed my work. You’ll see that my experience in investigations are a perfect fit for this position. You’ll see that I will meet and exceed your expectations.”