Interview Questions

  

Interview Questions

 

Colleges and units are required to develop a core set of questions for each selection process as a

mechanism for gathering consistent information about each candidate they consider.

Thes e

questions can assess candidates based on the position responsibilities/duties (for example, “Can you

discuss your experiences us ing software to create profess ional presentations and give me an example of

ion?”) and should also include ques tions that assess whether

a time you did this for a previous organizat

an individual is committed to our institutional values (s ee previous page).  Below is a set of sample

questions based on these values.  A sample interview guide follows these questions on pages 22-24.

Change Management

1.  Tell me about the most difficult change you have had to make in your professional career.  How

did you manage the change?

2.  Describe a time when you felt that a planned change was inappropriate.  What did you do?  What

were the results?

3.  Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to an uncomfortable situation.

4.  Tell me about a time you led a change effort.

5.  Describe a time a c hange effort you were involved in was not as successful as you would have

liked.

6.  Give me an example of a time you had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no

control.  What was the impact of the change on you?

7.  Give me an example of a time when you helped another person accept change and make the

necessary adjustments to move forward.  What were the change/transition skills that you used?

8.  Describe a s ituation where you, at firs t, resisted a change and later accepted.  What specifically,

changed

Collaboration

1.  Work ing with others usually involves some give and take.  Describe a time when you worked out

an agreement with a peer or colleague.  What did you do?

2.

Describe a time when you wished you’d been more collaborative with others.  What did you do?

3.  Leaders often have opportunities to foster positive relations hips at work.  Give me an example of

a time when you did this.

Tell me about one of the toughest groups that you’ve had to work with.  What made it difficult?

4.

What did you do?

5.  Interdepartmental cooperation involves giving and receiving.  Tell me about a time you

collaborated with others  to determine courses of action to achieve mutual goals.

Continuous Improvement

1.  Tell me about a suggestion you made to improve the way job processes/operations work ed.

2.  Tell me about one of your workplace improvements that another department now uses.

3.  Give me an example of when you initiated a change in a process or operation.

4.  In your last or current job, what problems did you identify that had previously been overlooked?

Were changes made?  Who supported the changes as a result of your ideas?

5.  Tell me about something new or different that you initiated that improved customer service,

productivity, quality, teamwork, or performance.

6.  Tell me about a time you found and took advantage of an opportunity to make an improvement in

your position or department/team/group.

7.  Tell me about a time you had to sacrifice quality to meet a deadline.  How did you handle it?

8.  In some aspects of work, it is important to be error free.  Describe a situation where you tried to

prevent errors.

9.  Describe a time you caught an error that someone else made that could have affected the

outcome of a project (or affected a customer).

10.  Tell me about a suggestion you made to improve the processes or operations in your position or

within your team.

Creativity/Innovation

1.  Describe a time when you came up with a creative solution/idea/project/report to a work  problem

you had been dealing with for some time.

2.  Tell me about a situation when you have had to come up with several new ideas in a hurry.  Were

they accepted?  Were they successful?

3.  Describe a c reative/innovative idea that you produced that led to a significant contribution to the

success of an activity or project.

4.  Describe the most creative work-related project which you have carried out.

5.  Tell me about a time you were especially creative in solving a lingering problem.

6.  Describe the most significant plan or program that you ever developed or implemented.

7.  Tell me about a time when you created a new process or program that was considered risky.

8.  Describe the most creative thing you have done in a past job.

9.  Creativity often means stepping back from standard ways of thinking.  Give me an example of a

time when you were able to break out of a structured mindset and explore new or different

concepts and ideas.

10.  Give me an example of how you have been creative in completing your responsibilities.

11.  Tell me about the time you thought "outside the box"

12.  Give me an example of when someone brought a new idea that was unique or unusual.  What did

you do?

13.  Describe the most creative verbal pres entation you have ever made.

14.  Tell me about a problem that you've solved in a unique or unusual way.  Were you happy with the

outcome?

15.  Give me an example of when you took a risk to achieve a goal.  What was the outcome?

16.  What have been some of your most innovative ideas?

17.  What innovative procedures have you developed?  How did you develop them?  Who was

involved?

18.  Tell me about a creative approach you took to solve a problem.  How did you come up with this

approach?  Did you consider other options?

19.

Tell me about a time when your standard approach to problem solving didn’t produce the desired

solution.  What did you do?

Customer Orientation

How do you handle problems with customers? Give an example.

How do you go about establishing rapport with a customer? What have you done to gain their

confidence? Give an example.

What have you done to improve relations with your customers ?

Diversity (Valuing and Encouraging)

1.  Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a wide variety of people by accepting or understanding

their perspectives.

2.  Tell me about a time you adapted your style in order to work  effectively with those who were

different from you.

3.  Tell me about the most difficult challenge you have faced in working cooperatively with someone

who did not share your ideas, values, or beliefs.

4.  Give me an example of a time when your values and beliefs impacted your relationship with a

peer, coworker, supervisor, or customer.

5.  Tell me the steps you have taken to create a work  environment where differences are valued,

encouraged, and supported.

6.  Describe a s ituation when you had to give feedback to someone who was not accepting of others

 

Goal Setting/Accomplishment/Focus

Successes

1.  Give me an example of an important goal you had to set and how you accomplished that goal.

2.  Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

3.  Tell me about a time when a team you were involved with was going through long-term changes

or working on a long-term project.  What did you do to keep yourself and others focused?

Failed/Negative Incidents

4.  Tell me about an important goal you failed to achieve.

5.  Describe a time when you set a goal for yourself and did not achieve it because it was too high.

What was the standard?  Why was it too high?  What were the ramifications of your failure to

achieve your goal?

6.  Describe a time when you set a goal for yourself that was too low.

Processes

7.  Describe how you set your goals for last year and how you measured your work.  Did you achieve

your goals?  If not, why not?

8.  Tell me about a major project you recently finished.  Specific ally, how you set the goals . And

monitor your progress?

9.  Give me an example of a time when you used a systematic process to define your objectives

even though you were not prompted or directed to do so.  What type of system did you use?

What payoff did you get from using the process?

Challenges

10.  Tell me about a time you were given a goal by someone else that you believed would be

impossible to attain.

11.  Give me an example of a time you made a major sacrifice to achieve an important goal.

12.  Tell me about a time when you were unwilling or unable to make a sacrifice necessary to achieve

a goal.

13.  Describe your organization's culture and how that culture made it challenging for you to achieve

one of your goals.

Integrity

1.  Describe a time when you were asked to keep information confidential.

2.  Give examples of how you have acted with integrity in your job/work relationships.

3.  If you can, tell me about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged.  How did you

react/respond?

4.  Tell us about a specific time when you had to handle a tough problem which challenged fairness

or ethical iss ues?

5.  Trust requires personal accountability.  Can you tell me about a time when you chose to trust

someone?  What was the outcome?

Personal Accountability

1.  Tell me about a time when you took responsibility for a failure.

2.  Tell me about a time when you assumed personal accountability for a situation or event because

you realized the role you played in the situation or event?

3.  Describe what personal accountability means to you.

4.  Tell me about the last time you made a mistake.

5.  Please describe what you believe to be the biggest failure in your career.  What did you learn

from this situation and how have you grown as a result?

6.  Tell me about a time you did something you regret.

7.  Being fully accountable for results sometimes means acknowledging what more we, personally,

could have done to achieve des ired results.  Share about a time when you did not reach the

expected results.  What more could you have done in that situation to meet expec tations?

8.  Tell me about a time when you received negative feedbac k from your boss.

Personal Growth and Development

1.  Think  about at time when setting a positive example had a highly beneficial impact on people you

worked with.  How did you determine that a strong example was needed?  What did you do?

What was the effect on the people?

2.  Tell me the one thing about you as an employee that you hope your current or last boss doesn't

tell me during a reference call.

3.  Tell me about a time when you were not pleased with (or were disappointed in) your

performance.  What did you do about it?

4.  Tell me about a time when one of your weaknesses got the better of you.

5.  Give me an example of a time that you used one of your strengths to help another person or team

succeed.

6.  Describe a work s ituation or project that brought out the worst in you.  Why did it bring out the

worst in you?  What did you learn?

7.  Give me an example of something that you have done in the past to improve yourself.

8.  Describe a s ituation in which you received constructiv e feedback  about your work.  What was the

feedbac k about?  What was your assessment of the feedback?  What did you do with the

information you received?  What changes did you mak e?

Results Orientation

1.  Give me an example of an important goal you have had and about your success in achieving it.

2.  Describe a time when, against all odds, you were able to get a project or task completed within

the defined parameters.

3.  Tell me about a time when you were asked to complete a difficult assignment and the odds were

against you.  What did you learn from the experience?

4.  Tell me about a time you had to pay close attention to the tiny details in order to be successful.

5.  Describe a time when you had to work  very hard and make personal s acrifices to help your

organization/department/team reach its goals.

Stewardship/Corporate Citizenship

1.  Tell me about a collaborative effort you led between an organization or group and the community.

2.  Give me an example of a community issue that you have helped to address.

3.  Describe a c ommunity effort you have been involved in where both the community and

businesses located in the community benefited.

4.  Tell me about a way that you have championed the concept of citizenship/stewardship within your

team/department/organization.

Teamwork (Encouraging and Building)

Getting Groups/Individuals to Cooperate

1.  Describe a time you led a team of people who didn't always see eye to eye.  What did you do?

Why did you choose to do that?  How did it work out?

2.  Tell me about a time you were able to gain commitment from others to really work as a team.

3.  Provide an example of a time when it was critical that you establish an effective working

relationship with an individual or group outside your department to complete an assignment or

deliv er a service.

4.  Tell me about a time you needed to get two groups or people to work  together effectively, who

historically had never done so.

5.  Give me an example of a time that your leadership transformed a group of people into an

effective, healthy, productive team.

6.  Tell me about a time you led a team that had one or more unproductive/negative members.  How

did you find out about the unproductive member?  What did you do?  Why did you choos e to do

that?  How did it work  out?

7.  Describe a time when you had to have coworkers with different work styles or ideas work together

on a project.  What, specifically, did you do to pull them together?

Team/Team Member Strengths

8.  Tell me about a time you recognized a team member for having made a valuable c ontribution to

the team.

9.  Tell me about a time where, if it hadn't been for teamwork, your goal might not have been

achieved.

Miscellaneous

10.  Describe a time when you were able to build team spirit in an environment of low morale.

11.  Tell me about a time you needed to lead an intact, project, or ad hoc team toward a goal that you,

personally, did not completely support or believe in.

12.  Give me an example of a time you successfully built a project team from scratch.  What was  the

project?  How did you go about selecting team members?  How did you get these individuals to

work as a team?  What was the hardest part of getting them to work  as a team?  Was the team

successful on the project?

13.  Tell me about at time when you were able to provide your team with recognition for the work they

performed.

14.  Describe a s ituation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise.

What was your role?  What steps did you take?  What was the end result?

15.  Describe the types of teams you have been involved with.

16.  Describe your leadership style and give an example of a situation when you successfully led a

group.

17.  Some people work best as part of a group

–

others prefer the role of individual contributor.  How

would you describe yourself?  Give an example of a situation where you felt you were most

effective.

18.  Tell us about the most difficult challenge you faced in trying to work  cooperatively with someone

who did not share the same ideas.   What was your role in achieving the objective?

19.  What is the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team?  How did you handle this?

Teamwork (Working as a Team Player)

Problems Among/With Fellow Team Members

1.  Give me an example of a time when others with whom you were working on a project disagreed

with your idea.

2.  Describe a time when one of the members on you team did not complete (or wasn't doing) his fair

share of the work.

3.  Tell me about a time when you helped others compromise for the good of the team.  What was

your role?  What steps did you take?

4.  Tell me about a time when you were part of a team that did not get along or did not work  well

together.  What happened?

Positive Incidents

5.  Give me an example of when you worked cooperatively as a team member to accomplis h an

important goal.  What was the goal or objective?  What was your role in achieving this objective?

To what extent did you interact with others on this project?

6.  Give me an example of a time where you were willing to compromise on something relatively

important to you in order for the team you were a member of to proceed with a project.

7.  Tell me about a time you were rec ognized and rewarded for being a valuable team member.

Trust

1.  Tell me about a time you mistrusted another employee, resulting in tens ion between the two of

you.  What did you do to improve the relationship?  Were you successful?

2.  Give me an example of a time you failed to keep your boss informed of your actions or progress

on a task or project.

3.  Tell me about a time you had to give the benefit of the doubt to someone at work.

4.  Tell me about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged.  How did you react/respond?

5.  Tell me how you have developed trus t and loyalty between you and your direct reports.

Vision and Purpose

1.  Tell me about a time where your v ision of the future was so inspiring that you were able to

convert nay-sayers into followers.

2.  Tell me about a time you lost track of the vision/mission/purpose of your

team/department/organization and it turned out to have repercussions.

3.  Describe a time you established a vision for your department/unit.  What process was used?

Were others involved in setting the vision and, if s o, how?  How did the vision contribute to the

functioning of the department/unit?

4.  Tell me about the relationship of your goals in your c urrent position to the organization as a

whole.

5.  Tell me about a time when you anticipated the future and made changes to meet these future

needs.  Did the anticipated future occur?