Sunday, November 3, 2013

Behavioral or Situational Interview Questions



  • Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
  • How do you handle a challenge? Give an example.
  • Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Describe a decision you made that wasn't popular and how you handled implementing it.
  • Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
  • Give an example of how you worked on team.
  • What do you do if you disagree with someone at work?
  • Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
  • Have you handled a difficult situation? How?
  • More behavioral interview questions.
  • Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Give an example of a goal you didn't meet and how you handled it.
  • Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
  • Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
  • How do you handle a challenge?
  • Have you been in a situation where you didn't have enough work to do?
  • Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
  • Did you ever make a risky decision? Why? How did you handle it?
  • Did you ever postpone making a decision? Why?
  • Have you ever dealt with company policy you weren't in agreement with? How?
  • Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
  • When you worked on multiple projects how did you prioritize?
  • How did you handle meeting a tight deadline?
  • Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
  • Did you ever not meet your goals? Why?
  • What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
  • Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
  • Give an example of how you worked on team.
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
  • What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
  • Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
  • Do you listen? Give an example of when you did or when you didn't listen.
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a supervisor? How?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with another department? How?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a client or vendor? How?
  • What do you do if you disagree with your boss?
  • Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
  • Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
  • What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
  • Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?


  • Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
  • Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
  • What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
  • Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
  • Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.

    • Difficult Interview Questions

    Questions About Co-Workers and Supervisors - Best Answers
    • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a co-worker who wasn't doing his/her fair share of the work. What did you do and what was the outcome?
    • Give me an example of a time when you took the time to share a co-worker's or supervisor's achievements with others?
    • Tell me about a time that you didn't work well with a supervisor. What was the outcome and how would you have changed the outcome?
    • Have you worked with someone you didn't like? If so, how did you handle it?
    • Tell me about a time that you helped someone.
    • Tell me about a time that you misjudged a person.
    • How do you get along with older (younger) co-workers?
    Questions About Your Abilities - Best Answers
    • Describe a decision you made that was a failure. What happened and why?
    • Tell me about a time that you worked conveying technical information to a nontechnical audience.
    • Tell me about a time that you worked with data, interpreting data, and presenting data.
    • Why do you think you will be successful at this job?
    • Tell me about a time that you participated in a team, what was your role?
    • Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting priorities. How did you determine the top priority?
    • Tell me about a time when you failed.
    Questions About Yourself - Best Answers
    • What would you do differently if you could start your working life over?
    • How do you balance life and work?
    • What is your preferred way to communication - instant message, phone, or email?
    • Do you check voicemail and email when on vacation?
    • What is your favorite book? How about your favorite movie?
    • What historical figure do you admire and why?
    • If you could choose anyone (alive or deceased) to have lunch with, who would it be?
    • If you could be any animal on a carousel what would you pick and why?
    • What did you do during this six month gap in employment?
    • What do you love?
    • What led you to this point in your life?
    • Do you consider yourself successful?
    • What inspires you in a job?
    • What excites you most about the position and what do you think would be stretch for you?
    • Who are the influencers in your life?
    Questions About Your Career Goals - Best Answers
    • Start with your graduation from college and explanation the rationale behind each of your career moves.
    • Also explain the thinking process that went into making each if those decisions.
    • How many hours a day/week do you need to work to get the job done?
    • If you stayed with your current company, what would be your next move?
    • How do you measure success?
    • Describe your dream job.
    • Describe a job that would be your worst nightmare.
    • If you were the CEO of this company what would be the top two things that you would do?
    Questions About Working With Other People - Best Answers
    General Questions
    • Are you a risk taker?
    • If you were an animal what would you be?
    • It's your dime.
    • Convince me to hire you.
    • Why shouldn't I hire you?
    • What is your favorite game?
    • What was the most recent book you have read?
    • Who is your favorite singer?
    Job Interview Questions About You
    Job Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
    • What interests you about this job? - Best Answers
    • Why do you want this job? - Best Answers
    • What applicable attributes / experience do you have? - Best Answers
    • Are you overqualified for this job? - Best Answers
    • What can you do for this company? - Best Answers
    • Why should we hire you? - Best Answers
    • Why are you the best person for the job? - Best Answers
    • What do you know about this company? - Best Answers
    • Why do you want to work here? - Best Answers
    • What challenges are you looking for in a position? - Best Answers
    • What can you contribute to this company? - Best Answers
    • What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days on the job? - Best Answers
    • What would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal? - Best Answers
    • Are you willing to travel? - Best Answers
    • What is good customer service? - Best Answers
    • How long do you expect to remain employed with this company? - Best Answers
    • Please rate me as an interviewer - Best Answers
    • Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? - Best Answers
    Interview Questions: The Future
    • What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? - Best Answers
    • Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? - Best Answers
    • What are your goals for the next five years / ten years? - Best Answers
    • How do you plan to achieve those goals? - Best Answers
    • What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term? - Best Answers
    • Questions about your career goals. - Best Answers
    • What will you do if you don't get this position? - Best Answers
    • Where else are you interviewing? - Best Answers
    Behavioral Interview Questions
    In addition to being ready to answer these standard questions, prepare for behavior based interview questions. This is based on the premise that a candidate's past performance is the best predictor of future performance. You will need to be prepared to provide detailed responses including specific examples of your work experiences. Review examples ofbehavioral interview questions.
    Interview Questions Employers Should Not Ask
    There are some interview questions, typically known as illegal interview questions, that employers should not ask during a job interview. Here are questions that shouldn't be asked during a job interview and how to best respond.
    Interview Questions Listed by Type of Job
    Job specific interview questions for a variety of jobs, career fields, industries, and types of candidates, as well as tips on how to answer these types of questions. List includes accounting, administrative, customer service, technical, management, retail, sales, analyst, consultant, entry level, part-time, work at home and many more.
    Phone Job Interview Questions
    Have a phone interview on the agenda? Here are common questions asked during a telephone interview, plus tips on how best to answer so you can move to the next stage of the interview process.
    Tough Interview Questions
    These are some of the more difficult interview questions that you may be asked on a job interview.
    Interview Questions to Ask
    The last job interview question you may be asked is "What can I answer for you?" Have aninterview question or two of your own ready to ask. You aren't simply trying to get this job - you are also interviewing the employer to assess whether this company and the position are a good fit for you.
    Interview Questions Not to Ask
    Here's a list of questions never to ask an employer during an interview, along with information on why you shouldn't ask them.
    Phone Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
    Phone Interview Questions About You
    Phone Interview Questions to Ask
    • How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
    • What qualities are you looking for in the person you hire to join this company?
    • If I was hired, how would I be interacting with you and your department, what would be your expectations, and your measures for success?
    • How would I get feedback about how well my work meets the expectations?
    • What do you view as the most challenging part of this job?
    • Why is the last person who held this position leaving?
    • Who does this position report to?
    • How would you describe the company culture?
    • What is the typical work week? Is overtime expected? How about travel?
    • What are the opportunities for advancement with the company?
    • Is there anything else can I tell you about my qualifications?
    • Could I schedule an in-person interview at your convenience?
    • If I am extended a job offer, how soon could I start?
    • Would you like a list of references?
    • When can I expect to hear from you?
    • Are there any other questions I can answer for you?
    Interview Questions to Ask the Employer
    • How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
    • How would you describe a typical week/day in this position?
    • Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do?
    • What is the company's management style?
    • Who does this position report to? If I am offered the position, can I meet him/her?
    • How many people work in this office/department?
    • How much travel is expected?
    • Is relocation a possibility?
    • What is the typical work week? Is overtime expected?
    • What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
    • How does one advance in the company?
    • Are there any examples?
    • What do you like about working here?
    • What don't you like about working here and what would you change?
    • Would you like a list of references?
    • If I am extended a job offer, how soon would you like me to start?
    • What can I tell you about my qualifications?
    • When can I expect to hear from you?
    • Are there any other questions I can answer for you?
    Interview Questions NOT to Ask
    • What does this company do? (Do your research ahead of time!)
    • If I get the job when can I take time off for vacation? (Wait until you get the offer to mention prior commitments)
    • Can I change my schedule if I get the job? (If you need to figure out the logistics of getting to work don't mention it now...)
    • Did I get the job? (Don't be impatient. They'll let you know.)
    Interview Questions: Work History
    Job Interview Questions About You
    Job Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
    • What interests you about this job? - Best Answers
    • Why do you want this job? - Best Answers
    • What applicable attributes / experience do you have? - Best Answers
    • Are you overqualified for this job? - Best Answers
    • What can you do for this company? - Best Answers
    • Why should we hire you? - Best Answers
    • Why are you the best person for the job? - Best Answers
    • What do you know about this company? - Best Answers
    • Why do you want to work here? - Best Answers
    • What challenges are you looking for in a position? - Best Answers
    • What can you contribute to this company? - Best Answers
    • What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days on the job? - Best Answers
    • What would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal? - Best Answers
    • Are you willing to travel? - Best Answers
    • What is good customer service? - Best Answers
    • How long do you expect to remain employed with this company? - Best Answers
    • Please rate me as an interviewer - Best Answers
    • Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? - Best Answers
    Interview Questions: The Future
    • What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? - Best Answers
    • Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? - Best Answers
    • What are your goals for the next five years / ten years? - Best Answers
    • How do you plan to achieve those goals? - Best Answers
    • What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term? - Best Answers
    • Questions about your career goals. - Best Answers
    • What will you do if you don't get this position? - Best Answers
    • Where else are you interviewing? - Best Answers
    • What interests you about this position?
    • What are your technical certifications?
    • What do you do to maintain your technical certifications?
    • What automated-build tools or processes have you used?
    • What development tools have you used?
    • What languages have you programmed in?
    • What source control tools have you used?
    • What technical websites do you follow?
    • Describe a time when you were able to improve upon the design that was originally suggested.
    • Describe the most innovative change that you have initiated and what you did to implement this change.
    • Given this problem (problem is based upon job requirements), what solution would you provide. Explain your thought process.
    • How do you handle multiple deadlines?
    • How do you keep current on this industry?
    • How do you troubleshoot IT issues?
    • Tell me about the most recent project you worked on. What were your responsibilities?
    • Tell me about the project you are most proud of, and what your contribution was.
    • Give an example of where you have applied your technical knowledge in a practical way.
    • What is the biggest IT challenge you have faced and how did you handle it?
    • You are working at a client site and the CTO of the client company has asked if she can see you. The CTO wants to know how much it would cost to bring in five more people on your team. She gives you very vague requirements of the job she is looking for you to do. What would you do?
    • You have been asked to research a new business tool. You have come across two solutions. One is an on-premises solution, the other is cloud-based. Assuming they are functionally equivalent, why would you recommend one over the other?
    • You have submitted a piece of code that has broken the client's website in production. You have found this bug while you were testing, and nobody else knows about it. What is your next move?
    • You have learned that a business unit is managing a major component of the business using Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. What risks does this present, and what would you recommend be done to mitigate those risks?
    Questions About the Job and the Company
    • Describe the skills you have that qualify you for this job.
    • Do you prefer to manage people or ideas?
    • Describe your production deployment process.
    • From the description of this position what do you think you will be doing on a day-to-day basis?
    • Have you worked with software vendors? How do you handle vendor relations?
    • How important is it to work directly with your business users?
    • How would you rate your key competencies for this job?
    • If hired, is there anything you would change about this IT team?
    • What challenges do you think you might expect in this job if you were hired?
    • What companies do you see as the biggest competitors to this company?
    Technical Questions
    • Compare and contrast REST and SOAP web services.
    • Define authentication and authorization and the tools that are used to support them in enterprise deployments.
    • Describe the difference between optimistic and pessimistic locking.
    • Describe the elements of an in tier architecture and their appropriate use.
    • Have you used Eclipse?
    • Have you used Visual Studio?
    • How did you manage source control?
    • How much (what percentage) of your time do you spend unit testing?
    • How much reuse do you get out of the code that you develop, and how?
    • How would you describe the ideal working environment?
    • If you know you aren't going to make a project deadline what will you tell your manager and/or the client?
    • In databases, what is the difference between a delete statement and a truncate statement?
    • In network security, what is a honey pot, and why is it used?
    • What are the most important database performance metrics, and how do you monitor them?
    • What are transaction logs, and how are they used?
    • What did you do to ensure quality in your deliverables?
    • What do you consider documentation and why is it important?
    • What do you do to ensure you provide accurate project estimates?
    • What do you expect in the solution documents you are provided?
    • What elements are necessary for a successful team and why?
    • What have you done to ensure consistency across unit, quality, and production environments?
    • What is a cross site scripting attack, and how do you defend against it?
    • What is a SAN, and how is it used?
    • What is clustering, and describe its use.
    • What is ETL and when should it be used?
    • What is most important - quality or quantity?
    • What is structure?
    • What is the difference between OLAP and OLTP? When is each used?
    • What is the role of continuous integration systems in the automated-build process?
    • What is the role of SMNP?
    • What is the role of the DMZ in network architecture? How do you enforce relational integrity in database design?
    • When is it appropriate to denormalize database design?
    • When is the last time you downloaded a utility from the internet to make your work more productive, and what was it?
    • Which do you prefer; service oriented or batch oriented solutions?
    Java Interview Questions
    How can you minimize the need for garbage collection and make memory use more effective?
    How do you pass data (including JavaBeans) to a JSP from a servlet?
    What are HashMap and Map?
    What are transient variables in java?
    What is the difference between doPost and doGet methods?
    What is the difference between an interface and an abstract class?
    What is the difference between Swing and Awt?
    What is the main difference between a Vector and an ArrayList?
    Macros and functions are related in what aspect?
    Explain the significance of public, private, protected, and default modifiers, both singly and in combination. State the effect of package relationships on declared items qualified by these modifiers.

    J2EE Interview Questions
    What is J2EE?
    What is the difference between J2EE and Java?
    What is a thin client?
    What is JAXP?
    What is the J2EE Connector?
    What is a container? What are the services provided by a container?
    What are the J2EE application components?
    What makes J2EE suitable for multi-tiered applications?
    How do we package J2EE components?
    Define the three main types of J2EE clients.

    How to Answer Interview Questions About Why You Want to Change Jobs

    How to Answer Interview Questions About Why You Want to Change JobsImage Copyright iStockphoto Nigelcarse
    Hiring managers are often curious about why you want to change jobs. They often need to be reassured that you aren't covering for poor performance or difficult working relationships. When responding to questions about why you are switching jobs, it's important to provide reassurance that you are moving on for career reasons, not just to get out of a bad situation.
    Here are some approaches you can use to reassure the interviewer that you are leaving your job for the right reasons.
    How to Respond: Why Do You Want Change Jobs?
    Emphasize the positive reasons why you are targeting a job with their organization. Refer to specific aspects of the work and employer which correspond well with your interests and skills.
    Frame your move as a path to advancing your career without disparaging your current job. One way to do that is to reference the aspects of the new job which appear to carry more responsibility. Even if the new job doesn't have a higher status, you could mention that you believe it would provide a springboard for future career advancement down the road (after you have spent considerable time in the first job and mastered it).
    Integrate positive references about you current job in your response, so that it is clear that you are not fleeing a bad situation. You are just seeking to improve upon an already good situation. Of course, you should avoid any negative references to management or the number of hours worked.
    Incorporate some positive reflections upon rewarding relationships with supervisors, co-workers and clients, whenever feasible.
    Consider giving an external reason for leaving. Another option is to refer to factors such as relocating to a more urban area or looking for a job that is closer to home. Be sure that it is clear that this is not the primary reason that you are applying for a job at the organization. The primary emphasis should always be placed on the fit of the job itself.
    If it is a well-known (public) fact that your current employer has a shrinking market shareor other financial problems you might refer to this issue after making a strong case for why the new job is suitable. Be sure to avoid sharing any proprietary information or painting an overly negative picture of your current employer's situation. A vague reference to your employer's difficulties will usually be sufficient.
    More Interview Questions About Leaving Your Job

    How to Research a Company

    Tips for Researching Companies Before a Job Interview

    Visit the Company Website
    Visit the company website, review the company mission statement and company history, products and services, management, as well as information about the company culture. The information is usually available in the About Us section of the site.
    Use LinkedIn
    LinkedIn company profiles are a good way to find, at glance, more information on a company you're interested in. You'll be able see your connections at the company, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics. Take a look at your interviewer's profile to get insight into their job and their background.
    Get an Interview Edge
    Glassdoor's Interview Questions and Reviews section has a goldmine of information for job seekers. You can find out what candidates for the positions you are interviewing for were asked and get advice on how tough the interview was.
    Use Social Media
    Check Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. Like or follow the company to get updates. You'll find information you may not have found otherwise.
    Google and Google News
    Search both Google and Google News for the company name.
    Tap Your Connections
    If you have a connection that will help you find inside information, use it. Do you know someone who works there? Ask them if they can help. If you're a college grad ask your Career Office if they can give you a list of alumni who work there. Then email, send a LinkedIn message or call and ask for assistance.
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