Situational

Question 1

What would you do if you made a mistake no one noticed?

Answer 1

Make sure to alert fellow employees of my mistake
For example, if I actually entered the wrong figures on an invoice and submitted it. I would edit the invoice

Question 2

What would you do if a manager asked you to perform a task you’ve never done before?

Answer 2

Explain to the manager that I’m new to the task
Use active listening and take notes
Use these notes to execute the task

Question 3

Tell me about a time when you failed. How did you learn from this experience?

Answer 3

I failed when doing the financial modelling task
I did the task again and I ended up being endorsed for my financial modelling ability

Question 4

What would you do if an angry and dissatisfied customer confronted you? How would you resolve their concern?

Answer 4

Understand what the customer wants
Offer a solution inline with company policy

Question 5

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of and how did you achieve it?

Answer 5

Getting my degree result
I worked very hard for a few years

Question 6

Can you discuss a time when you had to work alongside someone you had a previous conflict with and how you overcame your differences to create a quality product?

Answer 6

At Open University, I had a conflict with a team member about what tasks we would do.

We came to an understanding and therefore the operation moved steadily

Question 7

Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your quality of work? How did you try to improve it?

Answer 7

During my studies I had an assignment I scored low on.
Spent more time on the next assignment. Ended up getting a higher result

Question 8

Can you tell me about a time you noticed an issue at work and fixed it?

Answer 8

Data entry into Quickbooks
I noticed an expense had a wrong amount
I edited the expense to show the correct amount

Question 9

Explain a time when you felt like your workload overwhelmed you. How did you manage it?

Answer 9

I used a concept called the Eisenhower matrix
Decided which tasks needed my immediate attention and which tasks I could schedule for later

Question 10

Consider a scenario where a customer insists on speaking to a manager, but you’re the only person available. How would you approach this?

Answer 10

Show that I understand the customer’s problem
Take ownership of the customer’s problem
Reflect - Finding out what needs to change and why

Question 11

How do you schedule your days to ensure you meet your deadlines?

Answer 11

Use the Eisenhower matrix
Tick tasks off throughout the day
Very useful through my work experience at AIMS and studying

Question 12

Have you ever disagreed with your manager about the best way to handle a situation? How did that discussion go?

Answer 12

S: Colchester parkrun
T: Disagreed about a position
A: I joined a new position, kept an open mind
R: Ended up succeeding in a role

Question 13

How would you try to ensure you made a positive impression when meeting an important client for the first time?

Answer 13

Be friendly, make sure my appearance is perfect
Explain what I do in simple English
Answer all the client’s questions

Question 14

How do you respond when you aren’t feeling motivated some days?

Answer 14

Remind myself of my purpose and future career aspirations

Question 15

What’s been the most challenging hurdle in your career and how did you overcome it?

Answer 15

S: Newcastle University
T: Wasn’t enjoying the course and the pandemic hit
A: Switched courses and universities
R: Ultimately successful through my high degree grade

Question 16

Imagine you had the task of creating a presentation explaining a project to other team members. What strategies would you use to make the presentation engaging?

Answer 16

Compelling introduction
Strong main body
An actionable conclusion

Question 17

Consider a situation where you needed approval from a manager to move to the next step of a project, but they’re taking a long time to respond. How would you approach this scenario?

Answer 17

Contact the management more frequently if it is very urgent
Gain an understanding of the manager’s work situation to limit this happening again

Question 18

Tell me about a time at work when you felt under pressure. How did you handle it?

Answer 18

S: Work experience at AIMS
T: Had to enter sales invoices into the sales ledger in a short amount of time
A: Realised there were shortcuts in the Quickbooks software for speed
R: Managed to get the sales invoices done within the timeframe

Question 19

Have you ever turned in work you knew wasn’t up to your standards? How did you handle that situation?

Answer 19

S: Internship at AIXR
T: Send a spreadsheet that had missing information
A: Re did the spreadsheet
R: Spreadsheet was more accurate

Question 20

How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple high-priority tasks in your queue?

Answer 20

Do the task which has the shortest deadline
Ask colleagues to help out if I can’t get to a task in time
Limit distractions - e.g. not concentrating

Question 21

What do you think is the best way to explain complex topics to team members or clients who don’t understand the technical details of the project?

Answer 21

Use simple English
Always be prepared to answer questions
use metaphors and imagery

Question 22

An irritated customer demands an impossible request. What steps do you take to appease them?

Answer 22

Repeat to them company policy
Employ active listening - repeat words the customer has used (e.g. difficult)
Try to offer solutions that are more feasible

Question 23

How do you respond when a client changes their mind about something without discussing it with you first?

Answer 23

Get myself familiar with the new requirements immediately
Make fellow team members aware of such changes
Complete the task asap

Question 24

What do you do to ensure you and your team members communicate effectively during projects?

Answer 24

Use a variety of communication methods (e.g. chatrooms such as Guild, regular meetings, encourage those who are silent to speak up)

Question 25

What was your most successful presentation, and what did you do to ensure it went well?

Answer 25

S: Final year at Open University
T: Presentation on Ooni at The Open University
A: Wrote a script that was brief and to the point
R: Presentation was extremely successful

Question 26

You notice a colleague is acting inappropriately in the workplace, specifically toward a coworker. What action do you take?

Answer 26

Tell the coworker to stop behaving in that way
If serious, I go through the company policy on harassment

Question 27

Consider a scenario where your workplace switches to an entirely new online management system on short notice. What steps do you take to ensure you’re qualified to work with the new program?

Answer 27

Use my technical background to quickly pick up on the software
Take lots of notes on how to use the new program
help anybody who’s struggling

Question 28

Can you provide an example of a time you had to think quickly to solve a workplace issue?

Answer 28

S: Cleaning operative
T: Cleaning the windows, the solution left a permanent stain if left for a couple of minutes
A: Quickly applied water with a sponge
R: Resolved it before the window was damaged