interview research worksheet

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Interview Preparation Guide and Worksheets

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The Interview Preparation Guide will help navigate you through the entire interview process with tips about how to prepare for your interview, how to succeed during the interview, and what to do after your interview ends. In addition, the Interview Self-Assessment and Interview Reflection worksheets are designed to help brainstorm talking points that best highlight your skills and past experiences, as well as reflect upon your interview performance to identify areas of improvement for future interviews.

Interview Preparation Guide

Interview Reflection Worksheet

Interview Self-Assessment Worksheet

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Complete Online Video Course

Our interview masterclass is packed with tips you can use right away to ace your next interview. Each video is fun to watch, so feeling prepared can feel effortless.

Training Guides & Worksheets

Master your interview skills with our comprehensive guides and downloadable worksheets. Each guide is crafted with care and optimized for easy reading on all devices so you can learn on the go.

Sign up for My Interview Practice Premium to keep watching.

Lesson Plan

Learn what employers look for in a candidate and how you can use this program to land your dream job.

Learn what to research about a company, and how to use that information to gain an edge over the competition.

Determine how to assess your strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage during an interview.

Understand why interviewers ask Behavioral and Situational questions, then learn how to use the S.T.A.R. technique to blow them out of the water!

Technical questions assess whether you have the right skills for the job. Learn how to put your best foot forward.

The questions you ask are almost as important as the answers you give during an interview. Determine which questions to ask and why they’re important.

Knowing what to do before and after an interview is crucial. Use this checklist to get ready for the big day!

Your Training Journey

Introduction

Understand what employers look for in a perfect candidate and how you can use this program to land your dream job.

Company Research

Learn what to research about a company, why it’s important, and how to use that information to gain an edge over the competition.

Research Worksheet

Keep track of your research with this step-by-step worksheet that helps you capture important company information as you go.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Determine how to accurately assess your strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage during an interview.

Strengths & Weaknesses Worksheet

Don’t know what your top strengths and weaknesses are? This worksheet will help you identify them and then use them to formulate your talking points.

Behavioral & Situational Questions

Technical Questions

Technical questions are an important part of the interview process. Understand why they are asked and how best to answer these questions.

Questions to Ask

Interview Checklist

Knowing what to do before and after an interview is crucial. Use this checklist to help get you into the right mindset for the big day!

When it comes to job hunting, the competition is fierce. Studies show that each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes on average. Of those candidates, 5 will get called for an interview, and only 1 will get the job.

The Bureau of Labor says that preparation can be as important as the interview itself, and our team at My Interview Practice strongly agrees. The #1 way to enter an interview confidently is to prepare!

The Introductory Guide will detail the critical factors of the job search process, including:

The importance of projecting confidence during an interview and how to accomplish this.

The steps you should take to prepare for an interview.

According to CNBC, having little-to-no knowledge of a company is one of the most common mistakes made during interviews.

In an increasingly competitive job market, employers expect more and more out of potential employees. Employers don't have time to bother with job seekers who haven't done their research. If you don't take the time to get to know the company, why should they take the time to get to know you?

The Company Research Guide will explore vital research topics such as:

Identifying key information to figure out company values such as what kind of business they run, what their vision is, what their mission is, and more!

How to use a company’s website and social media presence to identify their ideal employee.

It’s important that you go into an interview well prepared. Use the Research Worksheet to help you organize the following information:

Company Information - Quick Facts, Vision, Products & Services, Key Players, and more.

SWOT Analysis - Company Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. You can use this information to prepare for the questions you will be asked and the questions you’ll ask them.

How Good a Fit You Are - An analysis of your fit for the job and what you will contribute.

Interviewer Information - Knowing about the interviewers will provide you a competitive edge.

When preparing for an interview, it's important to make sure you know how to talk about yourself.

Besides the request, "Tell me about yourself," the next most common topic covered in an interview is some variation of, "Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses." The interviewer wants to know more about you as a professional and how you use your skills to deal with problems in the workplace. There is a right way and wrong way to answer these questions, and the way you answer will have an impact on your overall success.

The Strengths & Weaknesses Guide will explore vital research topics such as:

Identifying your strengths for any interview, even if you are switching careers.

Learning to assess weaknesses in a productive way and talking about them honestly without ruining your chances of getting the job.

Talking about your strengths without coming off as boastful as well as accurately assessing your strengths and presenting them in a positive manner.

Topics the Strengths and Weaknesses Worksheet will prompt you to think about include:

Tasks, projects, and activities you enjoy and are good at.

Past successes. These will help identify your strengths.

Feedback from your network, including supervisors, co-workers, and other people who know you well.

Stressors, past failures, and negative feedback, which help you to identify your weaknesses so you can work on improving them.

Behavioral interviewing is one of the most popular methods of interviewing used by interviewers in every industry around the globe. It is the practice of focusing on a candidate's past experiences to gain an understanding of whether or not they will do well in the position they are applying for. When asked behavioral questions,  candidates are expected to give the interviewer specific examples of how they handled certain situations in the past.

The Behavioral & Situational Questions Guide will explore vital research topics such as:

Understanding why interviewers ask behavioral questions and why they are important.

Identifying the difference between behavioral and situational questions and how to answer both.

Using the S.T.A.R. technique and understanding why it is such a valuable tool for job seekers

Identifying common interview questions and the best ways to answer them.

Using our Interview Simulator to practice answering behavioral and situational questions!

Technical questions are designed to test a candidate’s abilities as they pertain to the position they’re applying for. They can be used to test general knowledge within that industry or to determine a candidate’s “hard” skills. Overall, technical questions will let the interviewer know if the candidate is able to perform the day-to-day operations associated with that position. 

Interviewers ask technical questions because it helps them separate qualified candidates from unqualified ones. It’s estimated that it costs 10-20% of a new employee’s salary to train them, so interviewers want to make sure they select the right hire to invest in. 

The Technical Questions Guide will explore vital research topics such as:

Understanding what technical questions are and why they’re important.

Researching industry standards and best practices.

Using our Interview Simulator to practice answering technical questions!

Everyone expects to be questioned during an interview, but not everyone realizes that they should be asking questions as well.

It's important for candidates to ask questions because it shows they are interested and prepared. If a candidate doesn't ask questions during an interview, the interviewer may conclude that the interviewee did not care enough to prepare questions beforehand, did not take the time to think about what they are looking for in the job, or is not committed to the position they are applying for.

The Questions to Ask the Interviewer Guide will explore vital research topics such as:

• Why it’s important to ask the right questions in an interview.
• How asking bad questions or no questions can ruin an interview.
• A list of questions that you can ask in the interview.

The Interview Checklist helps you get organized for the interview. The items it addresses include: 

Interview logistics such as the company information, location, and the people you will be meeting with.

Items to bring to the interview and suggestions for how to dress.

A summary of the questions you should prepare for and the research you need to do before the interview.

Tips on how to perform well during the interview.

How to follow-up after the interview.

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We’re working hard to get the simulator back online quickly. You can still access all other parts of the site. If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected] .

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Interviews , Job Search

How to prepare for your job interview (+ free worksheet and checklist).

The goal of the resume is to get you a job interview. Once you secure an interview, researching and preparing for the interview is important. Like studying for a test, some of the information you can prepare ahead of time—and some of it is important to review just to be better prepared in general. Believe it or not, many job candidates don’t prepare for job interviews. Spending just 30-60 minutes (at a minimum) can improve your chances of securing a job offer.

Research on the company can be vital information that you can use to your advantage in the interview. It will also shape your ability to answer the interviewer’s questions and can give you a strategic advantage when it comes to salary negotiation.

Think about a job interview from the employer’s perspective. They are looking for the best fit—skills, experience, education—and, most importantly, fit with the company’s culture. Focusing on the needs and preferences of the company can help you identify which aspects of your work history and background will best serve your future employer.

Like Zig Ziglar said, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” 

By understanding a company’s needs, you can identify how you can help them in the job you’re seeking—and demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the position.

If it’s a sales job, you’ll want to show them how you can:

• Increase sales, revenue, and profits
• Secure new business while retaining existing customers

If you’re applying for an information technology position, you’ll want to demonstrate your:

• Ability to solve problems
• Skill in helping the company save money on their technology needs

In her book Resume Magic , author Susan Britton Whitcomb suggests job seekers target what she calls “employer buying motivators.” These include the company’s desire to:

• Make work easier
• Solve a specific problem
• Be more competitive
• Build relationships / an image
• Expand business
• Attract new customers
• Retain existing customers

Keep these in mind as you prepare for the interview.

It also helps to understand that the information an interviewer wants from you falls into a few broad categories:

• Who you are
• What sets you apart from the other candidates
• Can you solve a problem we have? (Remember, all jobs solve a problem)
• Why you might not be the best fit for the job
• Why you’re looking for a new job (Unemployed? Underemployed? Seeking a better opportunity—but why?)

Understanding that most interview questions will fall into these broad categories will also help you prepare for the interview.

Before your interview, ask for a list of the people you will be meeting with for the interview. Don’t be shy about this—it’s a completely normal request. Be sure to ask for the spelling of each name. This will help you conduct your pre-interview research.

Not only will you want to research your interviewer(s)—by Googling them and/or conducting a people search on LinkedIn and Glassdoor —but you’ll also want to find out who you know in common so you can get advance insight into the interviewer and the hiring process.

Your research before the interview can also help you ask better questions in the interview. Remember—a job interview is about “fit”—but the “fit” from your perspective is as important as “fit” from the company’s point of view. The job interview is like a first date—you want to see what you have in common and whether it’s worthwhile to continue to pursue a relationship or whether you should “see other people.”

If you are given a choice of times you would like to interview, consider your personal preferences—such as: are you a morning person, or not—and also the overall interview schedule. Generally, it’s best not to be the first person interviewed for a job. As with house hunting, the natural inclination is not to believe that the first candidate is the best one—interviewers generally have a better idea of what they want—and don’t want—after conducting several interviews. 

The “ Pre-Interview Worksheet and Checklist ” is very important. Fill this out for each of your interviews. Don’t skip this step! Knowing this information can give you a competitive advantage over other (unprepared) candidates.

Fill out as much information as you can. The more you know about the company, the interviewer(s), and the job, the more confident you will be. 

A successful LinkedIn profile gives readers a snapshot of who you are and how you can contribute to their organization. You must understand and be able to articulate and communicate what makes you exceptional and compelling. If you are looking to develop your LinkedIn profile that will lead to job opportunities, contacts from prospective employers and recruiters, and increased profile visibility online, check out this comprehensive report on  How to Write A Strong LinkedIn Headline and About Section .

Increase your LinkedIn profile views by 40x and your visibility with recruiters by 17x with this free LinkedIn Profile Checklist.

Resource: Get 17x More Profile Views with the LinkedIn Profile Checklist

Download this free LinkedIn Profile Checklist now!

Get more comprehensive insight into connecting with hiring managers—including a template of what to say, what not to say, other ways to find and network with them, and a video showing you how to find the hiring manager on LinkedIn—check out our newest guide  The Complete Guide to Connecting with Hiring Managers  in our new product shop. 

Also, I would also love to connect with you and continue the conversation on  Linkedin . You can  send me an invite here.

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About the author

Jessica hernandez, president, ceo & founder of great resumes fast.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

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Qualitative Research 101: Interviewing

5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Undertaking Interviews

By: David Phair (PhD) and Kerryn Warren (PhD) | March 2022

Undertaking interviews is potentially the most important step in the qualitative research process. If you don’t collect useful, useable data in your interviews, you’ll struggle through the rest of your dissertation or thesis.  Having helped numerous students with their research over the years, we’ve noticed some common interviewing mistakes that first-time researchers make. In this post, we’ll discuss five costly interview-related mistakes and outline useful strategies to avoid making these.

Overview: 5 Interviewing Mistakes

• Not having a clear interview strategy /plan
• Not having good interview techniques /skills
• Not securing a suitable location and equipment
• Not having a basic risk management plan
• Not keeping your “ golden thread ” front of mind

1. Not having a clear interview strategy

The first common mistake that we’ll look at is that of starting the interviewing process without having first come up with a clear interview strategy or plan of action. While it’s natural to be keen to get started engaging with your interviewees, a lack of planning can result in a mess of data and inconsistency between interviews.

There are several design choices to decide on and plan for before you start interviewing anyone. Some of the most important questions you need to ask yourself before conducting interviews include:

• What are the guiding research aims and research questions of my study?
• Will I use a structured, semi-structured or unstructured interview approach?
• How will I record the interviews (audio or video)?
• Who will be interviewed and by whom ?
• What ethics and data law considerations do I need to adhere to?
• How will I analyze my data? 

Let’s take a quick look at some of these.

The core objective of the interviewing process is to generate useful data that will help you address your overall research aims. Therefore, your interviews need to be conducted in a way that directly links to your research aims, objectives and research questions (i.e. your “golden thread”). This means that you need to carefully consider the questions you’ll ask to ensure that they align with and feed into your golden thread. If any question doesn’t align with this, you may want to consider scrapping it.

Another important design choice is whether you’ll use an unstructured, semi-structured or structured interview approach . For semi-structured interviews, you will have a list of questions that you plan to ask and these questions will be open-ended in nature. You’ll also allow the discussion to digress from the core question set if something interesting comes up. This means that the type of information generated might differ a fair amount between interviews.

Contrasted to this, a structured approach to interviews is more rigid, where a specific set of closed questions is developed and asked for each interviewee in exactly the same order. Closed questions have a limited set of answers, that are often single-word answers. Therefore, you need to think about what you’re trying to achieve with your research project (i.e. your research aims) and decided on which approach would be best suited in your case.

It is also important to plan ahead with regards to who will be interviewed and how. You need to think about how you will approach the possible interviewees to get their cooperation, who will conduct the interviews, when to conduct the interviews and how to record the interviews. For each of these decisions, it’s also essential to make sure that all ethical considerations and data protection laws are taken into account.

Finally, you should think through how you plan to analyze the data (i.e., your qualitative analysis method) generated by the interviews. Different types of analysis rely on different types of data, so you need to ensure you’re asking the right types of questions and correctly guiding your respondents.

Simply put, you need to have a plan of action regarding the specifics of your interview approach before you start collecting data. If not, you’ll end up drifting in your approach from interview to interview, which will result in inconsistent, unusable data.

2. Not having good interview technique

While you’re generally not expected to become you to be an expert interviewer for a dissertation or thesis, it is important to practice good interview technique and develop basic interviewing skills .

Let’s go through some basics that will help the process along.

Firstly, before the interview , make sure you know your interview questions well and have a clear idea of what you want from the interview. Naturally, the specificity of your questions will depend on whether you’re taking a structured, semi-structured or unstructured approach, but you still need a consistent starting point . Ideally, you should develop an interview guide beforehand (more on this later) that details your core question and links these to the research aims, objectives and research questions.

Before you undertake any interviews, it’s a good idea to do a few mock interviews with friends or family members. This will help you get comfortable with the interviewer role, prepare for potentially unexpected answers and give you a good idea of how long the interview will take to conduct. In the interviewing process, you’re likely to encounter two kinds of challenging interviewees ; the two-word respondent and the respondent who meanders and babbles. Therefore, you should prepare yourself for both and come up with a plan to respond to each in a way that will allow the interview to continue productively.

To begin the formal interview , provide the person you are interviewing with an overview of your research. This will help to calm their nerves (and yours) and contextualize the interaction. Ultimately, you want the interviewee to feel comfortable and be willing to be open and honest with you, so it’s useful to start in a more casual, relaxed fashion and allow them to ask any questions they may have. From there, you can ease them into the rest of the questions.

As the interview progresses , avoid asking leading questions (i.e., questions that assume something about the interviewee or their response). Make sure that you speak clearly and slowly , using plain language and being ready to paraphrase questions if the person you are interviewing misunderstands. Be particularly careful with interviewing English second language speakers to ensure that you’re both on the same page.

Engage with the interviewee by listening to them carefully and acknowledging that you are listening to them by smiling or nodding. Show them that you’re interested in what they’re saying and thank them for their openness as appropriate. This will also encourage your interviewee to respond openly.

Need a helping hand?

3. Not securing a suitable location and quality equipment

Where you conduct your interviews and the equipment you use to record them both play an important role in how the process unfolds. Therefore, you need to think carefully about each of these variables before you start interviewing.

Poor location: A bad location can result in the quality of your interviews being compromised, interrupted, or cancelled. If you are conducting physical interviews, you’ll need a location that is quiet, safe, and welcoming . It’s very important that your location of choice is not prone to interruptions (the workplace office is generally problematic, for example) and has suitable facilities (such as water, a bathroom, and snacks).

If you are conducting online interviews , you need to consider a few other factors. Importantly, you need to make sure that both you and your respondent have access to a good, stable internet connection and electricity. Always check before the time that both of you know how to use the relevant software and it’s accessible (sometimes meeting platforms are blocked by workplace policies or firewalls). It’s also good to have alternatives in place (such as WhatsApp, Zoom, or Teams) to cater for these types of issues.

Poor equipment: Using poor-quality recording equipment or using equipment incorrectly means that you will have trouble transcribing, coding, and analyzing your interviews. This can be a major issue , as some of your interview data may go completely to waste if not recorded well. So, make sure that you use good-quality recording equipment and that you know how to use it correctly.

To avoid issues, you should always conduct test recordings before every interview to ensure that you can use the relevant equipment properly. It’s also a good idea to spot check each recording afterwards, just to make sure it was recorded as planned. If your equipment uses batteries, be sure to always carry a spare set.

4. Not having a basic risk management plan

Many possible issues can arise during the interview process. Not planning for these issues can mean that you are left with compromised data that might not be useful to you. Therefore, it’s important to map out some sort of risk management plan ahead of time, considering the potential risks, how you’ll minimize their probability and how you’ll manage them if they materialize.

Common potential issues related to the actual interview include cancellations (people pulling out), delays (such as getting stuck in traffic), language and accent differences (especially in the case of poor internet connections), issues with internet connections and power supply. Other issues can also occur in the interview itself. For example, the interviewee could drift off-topic, or you might encounter an interviewee who does not say much at all.

You can prepare for these potential issues by considering possible worst-case scenarios and preparing a response for each scenario. For instance, it is important to plan a backup date just in case your interviewee cannot make it to the first meeting you scheduled with them. It’s also a good idea to factor in a 30-minute gap between your interviews for the instances where someone might be late, or an interview runs overtime for other reasons. Make sure that you also plan backup questions that could be used to bring a respondent back on topic if they start rambling, or questions to encourage those who are saying too little.

In general, it’s best practice to plan to conduct more interviews than you think you need (this is called oversampling ). Doing so will allow you some room for error if there are interviews that don’t go as planned, or if some interviewees withdraw. If you need 10 interviews, it is a good idea to plan for 15. Likely, a few will cancel , delay, or not produce useful data.

5. Not keeping your golden thread front of mind

We touched on this a little earlier, but it is a key point that should be central to your entire research process. You don’t want to end up with pages and pages of data after conducting your interviews and realize that it is not useful to your research aims . Your research aims, objectives and research questions – i.e., your golden thread – should influence every design decision and should guide the interview process at all times. 

A useful way to avoid this mistake is by developing an interview guide before you begin interviewing your respondents. An interview guide is a document that contains all of your questions with notes on how each of the interview questions is linked to the research question(s) of your study. You can also include your research aims and objectives here for a more comprehensive linkage. 

You can easily create an interview guide by drawing up a table with one column containing your core interview questions . Then add another column with your research questions , another with expectations that you may have in light of the relevant literature and another with backup or follow-up questions . As mentioned, you can also bring in your research aims and objectives to help you connect them all together. If you’d like, you can download a copy of our free interview guide here .

Recap: Qualitative Interview Mistakes

In this post, we’ve discussed 5 common costly mistakes that are easy to make in the process of planning and conducting qualitative interviews.

To recap, these include:

If you have any questions about these interviewing mistakes, drop a comment below. Alternatively, if you’re interested in getting 1-on-1 help with your thesis or dissertation , check out our dissertation coaching service or book a free initial consultation with one of our friendly Grad Coaches.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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200+ Job Interview Questions List (PDF Practice Cheat Sheet Included)

Jeff Gillis 0 Comments

By Jeff Gillis

Going through Google, I noticed there wasn’t any good, big, huge, mega (you get my point) lists of interview questions available that job seekers could easily use to practice for their upcoming interviews.

That’s what led me to putting together this master list of job interview questions for you!

These are all real interview questions that candidates have faced in the hot seat.

I have broken them into categories and I have also provided downloadable PDFs in two versions at the bottom of this article.

( One I made with fancy graphics you can use on your phone or iPad and the other is a stripped down version that can be easily printed out. )

My goal was to provide you with a list you could easily use for your own mock interviews with family and friends!

We also wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions!

Click below to get your free PDF now:

Get Our Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet!

FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET: Get our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you " word-word sample answers to the most common job interview questions you'll face at your next interview .

CLICK HERE TO GET THE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS CHEAT SHEET

Without further ado, here’s the master list!

The Interview Guys’ Master List Of 200+ Job Interview Questions

Most common interview questions.

1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why should we hire you? 3. What’s your greatest weakness? 4. What are your career goals? 5. What’s your greatest strength? 6. What’s your greatest accomplishment? 7. How do you handle conflict? 8. How do you handle stress? 9. What are you most proud of? 10. What are you passionate about? 11. What makes you unique? 12. How would you describe yourself? 13. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 14. Why do you want to work here? 15. Why did you leave your last job? 16. What motivates you? 17. What are you looking for in a job? 18 Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 19. What is your salary range expectation? 20. Do you have any questions for us?

Questions Focused On You

21. How do you define success? 22. Do you prefer to work alone or in groups? 23. What’s the most recent book you’ve read? 24. If you could describe yourself in two words what would they be? 25. What most turns you off in a job? 26. If you were a billionaire, what would you do with your time? 27. What are you prepared to do with an employee who refuses to be a team player? 28. If you were given the opportunity, would you take my job from me? 29. What is your ideal job? 30. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a hard worker and 10 being smart, where would you rate yourself? 31. How would you describe your personality? 32. How do you describe you analytical skill? Good, average or bad. 33. Why are you the best person for this job? 34. What is your philosophy of selling? 35. What is the thing that frustrates you the most about work in general? Give examples. 37. Are you good at multitasking? 38. Are you self motivated/a self starter? 39. What’s an animal you most admire/relate to? 40. What do you want to accomplish? 41. What is your work style? 42. Who’s your mentor? 43. What are your hobbies and interests? 44. What is your favorite website? 45. What makes you uncomfortable? 46. On a scale of 1-10, how aggressive are you? 47. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? 48. Can you easily build rapport? 49. How do you think other people think of you? 50. What do you see yourself in 10 years, and how did you get there? 51. Do you prefer Quality or Quantity? 52. What areas need improvement? 53. Who is your biggest inspiration? 54. Do you like constant change? 55. How do you communicate when you are unsatisfied? 56. Why are you a good fit for this job? 57. What core value of the organization most resonates with you? 58. Do you find it difficult to talk to and meet new people? 59. What does integrity mean to you? 60. How will you achieve a work/life balance? 61. What is the most competitive thing you did last week that wasn’t related to work? 62. What gets you out of bed in the morning? 63. Would you say you are a person who loves to win or hates to lose? 64. What is your biggest regret? 65. Describe your personality 66. What is your management style? 67. Who is your hero?

Questions Focused On The Job

68. Are you willing to relocate for this job? 69. Will you travel for this job? 70. What interests you about this position? 71. If you were hired, how soon can you start? 72. Are you willing to travel? 73. Are you overqualified for this role? 74. Would you be willing to work nights and weekends? 75. What do you know about our company? 76. What do you know about our industry? 77. If you were asked to, would you break Union rules if directed to do so by management? 78. What’s the biggest problem you see with our company? 79. Is it okay to miss a deadline? If so, when? 80. How do you feel about working long hours? 81. Would you get bored in a year and leave us? 82. How would you deal with ambiguity in the workplace? 83. Why is diversity important in the workplace? 84. What do you think about overtime work? 85. What does customer service mean to you? 86. How long do you expect to stay with this company? 87. How would you deal with a rude employee? 88. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job? 89. What is the name of our CEO? 90. How would you fire someone? 91. What is your desired salary? 92. What do you consider the most important qualities for this job? 93. Can you from day one, be on your own, no processes, just be told what needs to be done, and do it? 94. Describe your best day at work. 95. What you would do if the head partner gave you an assignment to do ASAP and another partner gave you another assignment to do ASAP? 96. Why should I hire you over these other candidates? (In a group interview) 97. Some people only work in [This industry] just to have a job until something better comes along. How do we know if we hire you that you will stay? 98. If you saw your boss stealing would you turn him in? 99. Would you be willing to start out part-time? 100. How do you see yourself fitting into the organization? 101. What would you do if you heard a coworker talk bad about about a customer? 102. Sell me this [object] 103. What would you consider your one greatest attribute as it applies to this position? 104. What makes you a bad candidate for this position?

Questions Focused On Your Past Job Experience

105. What did you like least about your last position? 106. Can you explain these gaps in your resume? 107. Can you walk us through your resume? 108. Why are you changing careers? 109. What did you hate about your last job? 110. Why is your resume so diverse? 111. What was the hardest thing you ever had to do in your prior work experience? 112. Tell me about your experience at [XYZ] company 113. Tell me about your background and how that impacted your ability as an employee? 114. What do you think your former boss? 115. Name something you wish you regret at your previous job and would do differently here. 116. Why were you let go from your last position? 117. Why are you looking for a new job? 118. Were there any unethical situations at past jobs and how did you handle this? 119. Have you ever been late for work? How do you make sure you always get to work on time? 120. Pretend I didn’t read your resume, and we just met on the street and go from there…

Behavioral & Situational Interview Questions

121. Describe a situation where you disagreed with a supervisor. 122. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. 123. Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. 124. Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. 125. Do you feel you work well under pressure? If so, describe a time when you have done so… 126. Give me an example of a time when you motivated others. 127. Tell me about a time where you had to delegate tasks during a project 128. Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead. 129. Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem. 130. Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment. 131. Describe a time when your work was criticized 132. How would you feel about reporting to a person younger than you? 133. Describe a time you went above and beyond at work. 134. Tell me about the last mistake you made. 135. Describe a time when you had to give a person difficult feedback. 136. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer? 137. Describe a time you chose to not help a teammate. 138. Tell me about a time you failed 139. How would you handle a situation where you have a client who interrupt your existing interaction with a client? 140. Suppose you are working on a project with an original scope of a few months and you are told that you instead now have a few days — how would you handle it? 141. How would you communicate to team members that a deadline was approaching and they had to have their materials ready in time? 142. If your supervisor gives you a direct order that you know is against company policy how do you handle the situation? 143. Tell me a time when you had to make a quick decision without knowing all the facts. 144. Tell me a time when you had to work on a project and had someone on your team who would not cooperate. What did you do? 145. Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned. 146. Tell me about a time when you had to work with someone with whom you did not get along. How did you handle that situation. 147. How would you go about solving a problem, describe the process. 148. Tell me about a time when you went above or beyond? 149. Describe a time you disobeyed a rule 150. Describe a time when you didn’t complete a task on time or to expectations. 151. Tell me about a situation where you had to adapt quickly 152. Please explain the last time you realized you made a mistake, how did you handle it? 153. Tell me about a time when you had to work in a culturally diverse environment. 154. Tell me something you would change if you could go back and do it over. 155. Tell me about a time you provided excellent customer service 156. Tell us about a time you’ve faced a moral decision 157. Tell me about a time that a situation at work was solved because of team work? 158. If your boss was late giving you information to complete a project for a boss 2 levels up, how would you handle it? 159. Tell me a time when someone made a decision that you did not agree with and what did you do about it? 160. Tell me about a time that you jumped to an incorrect conclusion. 161. Describe a time when someone pushed your buttons continuously- and how did you handle it? 162. Tell me about a time when you struggled with meeting your goals and what did you do 163. How would you handle a situation where another employee was complaining about the job? 164. Talk about a time when you provided a creative solution to a problem 165. Tell me about a time when you had to work long hours to finish a project. How did you handle it? 166. Give an example of when someone on your team was not pulling their own weight. How did you deal with the situation? 167. Tell me about a time you were a leader and were unsuccessful. 168. Describe a time where you held a co-worker accountable for their actions. 169. Describe a situation where you didn’t particularly care for someone, but had to interact with them in a difficult situation. 170. Tell me about a time you managed a team and things didn’t work out as planned.

Questions About Leadership

171. Can you tell me about a time when you demonstrated leadership capabilities on the job? 172. Which supporting skills do you think are most important when it comes to leadership? 173. When there is a disagreement on your team, how do you handle it? 174. Tell me about the hardest decision you’ve ever made as a leader. How did you decide which course of action was best? 175. What steps do you take to make sure that projects are completed on time, on budget, and to the proper standard? 176. How would you describe your leadership style? How would your colleagues describe it? 177. Can you tell me about a time where you faced a leadership challenge? What did you do to overcome it? 178. If a team member is under performing, what steps do you take to improve their performance? 179. Have you ever taken on a leadership role voluntarily? If so, can you tell me about it? 180. Tell me about your approach to delegation. 181. Can you describe a time when you lead by example? 182. Have you ever served in a coach or mentor role? How were you able to help the other person achieve success? 183. How do you monitor a team’s performance? 184. If a team is struggling to stay motivated, what steps would you take to boost engagement? 185. When a member of your team presents you with an idea, how do you respond? 186. Which of your past managers was your favorite leader, and why? 187. Who inspires you? 188. How do you respond to constructive criticism? 189. What approach do you use when you need to deliver constructive criticism? 190. What steps do you take to measure your personal performance at work? 191. During your first days in the job, are there any changes that you try to implement immediately? 192. When starting with a new team, how do you evaluate the current state of their capabilities? 193. What do you think is most important in creating a positive culture? 194. How do you determine who gets access to professional development or training? 195. If your project became unexpectedly shorthanded, what would you do to ensure it stayed on target? 196. Tell us about a time you had to lead a meeting. 197. Describe how you motivate others 198. Are you a leader or a follower? 199. What are three qualities of leadership? 200. Describe your philosophy of leadership in a few sentences.

Brain Teasers

(A lot of these are used to see how you approach solving the problem/answering the question)

201. If you had to figure out the total number of red cars in the city of Boston, how would you go about doing that? 202. Why is a manhole round? 203. Mary’s mother has four children. The names of three of the children are April, May, and June. What is the fourth child’s name? 204. How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator? 205. If you had to get rid of one of the States in the U.S. which one would it be and why? 206. Suppose you had eight identical balls. One of them is slightly heavier and you are given a balance scale . What’s the fewest number of times you have to use the scale to find the heavier ball? 207. You have 25 horses, what is the minimum number of races you can find the top 3. In one race you can race 5 horses, and you don’t have a timer. 208. How many bottles of shampoo are produced in the world a year? 209. How many baseballs can you fit on a 747? 210. four people need to cross a bridge at night, there is only one flash light and only one person can walk on the bridge at a time. How do would you get them all across the bridge? 211. How does a toilet work?

2 PDF Versions Of This List You Can Use To Practice With

This is the PDF Version with graphics. Simply click on the image.

This is the simple version without graphics or color for easy printing. Simply click on the image above.

I hope this big list of interview questions helps your preparation!

FREE : Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!

Download our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you word-for-word sample answers to some of the most common interview questions including:

• What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
• What Is Your Greatest Strength?
• Tell Me About Yourself
• Why Should We Hire You?

Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Jeff gillis.

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Resources: Discussions and Assignments

Module 14 assignment: finding a job.

For this assignment, you are going to find a job advertisement online that you would potentially want to apply for someday. You’ll then create a custom résumé and cover letter for this specific job, and then fill out the Interview Research Worksheet for your chosen job.

• Click here to download a PDF of the Interview Research Worksheet.
• Click here to download a .docx file of the Interview Research Worksheet.

You will submit a link to the job advertisement, your custom résumé, your cover letter, and your completed Interview Research Worksheet to your instructor.

NOTE: You can use your actual work and volunteer experience as you create your résumé and cover letter for this assignment, so you’ll be able to use them as starting points when applying for jobs in the “real world.” If you are still building your work work experience, complete this assignment for the job you want in the future.

Grading Rubric

• Module 14 Assignment: Finding a Job. Authored by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Interview skills lesson

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Interview skills

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Interview skills: Lesson plan

Interview skills: presentation slides

Adapting To Different Types Of Interview Interactive Worksheet

Interviews can take place in a range of ways to suit different situations, such as by telephone or video, and might include questions as well as tasks. This full-length lesson plan and interactive worksheet can help students understand the different types of interviews, why they are used and how the STAR model can be used to craft answers to common interview questions while providing the detail employers will be looking for.  

Teaching resources:

• Interview skills: Lesson plan and presentation slides – full lesson plan for use with a group of students in the classroom
• Adapting to different types of interview: Interactive worksheet – activity for independent learning whether remote or in class

Lesson plan

(30 - 120 minutes)

This lesson is designed to help young people understand why employers hold different types of interviews, and how to prepare and practise for an interview. Students will discuss different types of interviews they might come across, and the situations these interviews are most appropriate for. There are also tips on how to approach interviews using the STAR model when answering questions, and a chance to put this into practice through an interview role play.

How does LifeSkills support preparation for interviews?

Preparation is key to interview success, and this lesson includes an activity focusing on useful preparation tips and what they should and should not do in an interview. They will be introduced to the interactive Virtual Interview Practice tool , where they can do mock interviews and both practice and watch some model answers. The second activity also includes a group exercise where students discuss each stage of preparation including researching a company, deciding what to wear, and finding the interview location, before sharing advice with each other.

Lesson learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify different types of interview, their purpose and ways to prepare
• Apply the STAR method to answer some common interview questions
• Receive constructive feedback on their performance and reflected on goals for improvement

Interactive worksheet

(15 - 20 minutes)

The Adapting to different types of interview independent worksheet explores similar themes to the parts of the lesson, also introduces to students the different types of interviews and why they might be used. Additionally, it gives them the opportunity to create their own answers to interview questions using the STAR model. You might choose to assign it:

• As homework following the Interview skills lesson
• For independent study
• For remote learning

Boost interview technique with LifeSkills

Continue work on embedding students’ skills for the future with a range of LifeSkills lessons, such as Communication and digital skills at work lesson  and  Online reputation in the workplace lesson and Communicating digitally in the world of work lesson . Our  Content guide has more information on how LifeSkills resources can be used in PSHE, English lessons, and much more. Why not try one of the related lessons below next? Or for more interview resources to use yourself or to share with teachers, young people, parents, or others, visit our interviews hub .

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