100 Potential Job Interview Questions

While there are as many different possible interview questions as there are interviewers, it always helps to be ready for anything. Which is why we've taken the time to prepare this list of 100 potential interview questions.

Will you face them all? We pray no interviewer would be that cruel.

Will you face a few? Probably.

Will you be well-served by being ready even if you're not asked these exact questions? Absolutely. How to be prepared for all manner of job interview questions begins here.

Now start practicing:

Basic interview questions:

Tell me about yourself.

What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Why do you want this job?
Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
What's your ideal company?
What attracted you to this company?
Why should we hire you?
What did you like least about your last job?
When were you most satisfied in your job?
What can you do for us that other candidates can't?
What were the responsibilities of your last position?
Why are you leaving your present job?
What do you know about this industry?
What do you know about our company?
Are you willing to relocate?
Do you have any questions for me?

Behavioral interview questions:

What was the last project you led, and what was its outcome?
Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
Can you describe a time when your work was criticized?
Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
How do you handle working with people who annoy you?
If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
What was the most difficult period in your life, and how did you deal with it?
Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job.
If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well done, what would you do?
If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years and how did you come to that decision?
Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.

Salary questions:

What salary are you seeking?
What's your salary history?
If I were to give you this salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next year, what would it say?

Career development questions:

What are you looking for in terms of career development?
How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?
If I were to ask your last supervisor to provide you additional training or exposure, what would she suggest?

Getting started questions:

How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?

More questions about you:

How would you describe your work style?
What would be your ideal working environment?
What do you look for in terms of culture -- structured or entrepreneurial?
Give examples of ideas you've had or implemented.
What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?  
If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
Tell me about your proudest achievement.
Who was your favorite manager and why?
What do you think of your previous boss?
Was there a person in your career who really made a difference?
What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
What are you most proud of?
What do you like to do?
What are your lifelong dreams?
What do you ultimately want to become?
What is your personal mission statement?  
What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
What are three positive character traits you don't have?
If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
List five words that describe your character.  
Who has impacted you most in your career and how?
What is your greatest fear?
What is your biggest regret and why?  
What's the most important thing you learned in school?
Why did you choose your major?
What will you miss about your present/last job?
What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
What are the qualities of a good leader? A bad leader?
Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?    
How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you?
How do you think I rate as an interviewer?
Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn't want me to know.
Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
What kind of car do you drive?
There's no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
What's the last book you read?
What magazines do you subscribe to?
What's the best movie you've seen in the last year?
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Who are your heroes?
What do you like to do for fun?
What do you do in your spare time?
What is your favorite memory from childhood?

Brainteasers:

How many times do a clock's hands overlap in a day?
How would you weigh a plane without scales?
Tell me 10 ways to use a pencil other than writing.
Sell me this pencil.
If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball?
If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
If you could get rid of any one of the US states, which one would you get rid of and why?
With your eyes closed, tell me step-by-step how to tie my shoes.

Articles in This Feature:

Make a Great First Impression home
Last-Minute Interview Preparation
Six Key Interview Answers Employers Need to Hear
100 Potential Interview Questions
Nonverbal Communications: Escape the Pitfalls
Job Interview Tips
Steer Clear of Interviewers' Pet Peeves
Do Your Homework Before the Big Interview
Assessing Your Skills 

Top Ten Daily Habits Which Make You Look Wildly Unprofessional

It’s not really just that the guy swore; most of us are pretty immune to that these days. It’s that three of his first 22 words were curses (assuming you count “damn” as a curse). That’s just lazy, as if he couldn’t be bothered to come up with better descriptions of all the things we were carrying. Instead, he went with the barnyard default, and that made him seem unserious and unprofessional.

(Just off the top of my head, since I’m sure some of you are about to ask what he could have called the things we carried instead: coats, bags, laptops, stuff, purses, briefcases, jackets, coats, gear, kit, pouch, totes, baggage, portage, luggage, junk, tunics—heck, call my a bag a man-purse, if you want to at least score a C-minus joke).

The truth is, nobody’s perfect. We’re all prone to semi-conscious verbal foul-ups that make us look totally unprofessional. That’s why we all need a reminder now and then. Here are 10 examples of similar things to avoid.

1. Lazy Profanity

OK, this one really is at the top of the list. Again, it’s not the profanity itself (although that often doesn’t help). It’s the laziness. If someone constantly uses the F-word as an all-purpose adjective, it makes you wonder whether they’re equally uncreative and slothful in everything they do.

2. Lateness

I must admit this is a tendency I’ve had to work hard to combat in my own life. The phrase “Murphy Standard Time” would not be met with blank stares by some of my friends and family. Yet I’ve learned that being on time is a matter of respect. Show up when you say you will, and you send a message that you’re professional enough to care.

3. Leering

We’re all human. We’re mammals. We notice alluring members of whatever gender we’re biologically predisposed to be attracted to. Yet, that same humanity also means we should have the self-control to keep the “up-and-down look” under control, so to speak. Eyes up here, my friend, or you’ll look like a creepy amateur.

4. Pollyannaishness

I’ve always been a bit bothered by the fact that the word “Pollyannaish” suggests the concept of having too much unrealistic optimism. Check out the 1913 book if you don’t understand why. Still, when, after a disaster, a colleague or a vendor insists that things are absolutely fine—while simple common sense tells you they’re not—it undermines his or her professionalism.

5. Flightiness

To be flighty is to be fickle and irresponsible. Tell someone you’ll be at a certain place, or that you’ll accomplish a certain thing—and then never do it? Sorry, you’re flighty.

6. Disorganization

Anyone who gets more than 1,000 emails a day probably falls into this category. As most of us who run businesses understand, clients and customers expect you to reply quickly. They want you to be able to talk about their situations (seemingly) off-the-cuff. If you aren’t in control of your own situation, they’ll wonder how you can possibly be in control of theirs.

7. Inarticulateness

This one is like, so like, obvious—and yet a lot of people like—they don’t really, like, get it. And that just, like, totally makes them seem like—well, not really professional, because they, like, can’t even get to the point of what they want to say and like, make it clear and stuff.

Enough said. I’d actually throw bad grammar into this category as well—although with the caveat that we’ve all known some very smart, professional people whose language simply betrayed their lack of formal education, or whose first tongue wasn’t ours. (Seriously, if this column were written in French or Spanish, we’d all have a good laugh at my grammar.)

8. Secrecy

Sure, we all have private lives, but most of the time our businesses don’t truly involve them. If you’re hiding important information from employees or clients, you’re not doing much for your reputation as a leader, and you’re probably making them wonder whether they can trust you.

9. Overpromising

A really brilliant salesperson once told me her art of selling was about “making the maximum promise you can, consistent with your ability to deliver.” Entrepreneurs often push the envelope on this, but the key is to make sure you’re confident you will eventually be able to make good on your promises.

10. Cheating and Lying

These two are obvious. As President George W. Bush once tried to say, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Five courses to help you get ahead in your career

Continuing professional development courses provide opportunities for professionals looking for a new challenge or to add skills to their repertoire. Here are five courses that can help you get ahead in your career.

Build your own website 

Gaining an internet presence and marketing yourself, your business or your skills can provide a huge career boost.sole traders and those creating a business as a sideline to their day job.

"It really demystifies what the internet is for people." The tutor introduces and demonstrates the tools for using WordPress and students develop their website to fit them, in the class and at home.

Some use the course to build a business while others use it as a taster for a degree, or to add basic web skills to their CV. Students will also learn to thinking creatively about how to enhance their website and social media presence.

One of the biggest advantages of the course, is building confidence to use those skills. "It's really about getting them to practice on WordPress without feeling that they're going to break it every time they change something."


Effective communications

"When you're working day-to-day, sending emails and writing copy, it's easy to forget that writing is difficult.For those who have to write as part of their job but aren't natural writers,constructing emails, writing engaging subject lines, and compiling information into an accessible document or report.

In the interactive course, the tutor sets practical exercises for the group to reinforce learning. "There are people who are really effective public speakers but can't always communicate well in writing. Even if people wanted to write a clear CV that emphasises their skills.

The course could also provide a stepping stone into a variety of communications-based roles; copywriting, marketing, PR or civil service positions where writing reports is a large part of the work.


Accounting 

The first accounting levels open up basic accounting positions, as an assistant accountant, ledger clerk, or a role in reconciliation. The higher level courses enable students to gain work in the finance department of a company."Many students become self-employed, starting their own companies or accountancy practices."


Applied Behavioural Analysis 

The Applied Behavioural Analysis programme is about understanding why people behave in the way they do, with a focus on intellectual or developmental disabilities, and autism.

"The course is ideal if you're in a position where you can immediately apply what you're learning on the course. The course is suited to a range of careers but is particularly relevant to professionals working with people who have intellectual disabilities, such as teachers, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and others working in health and social care.

The course provides the skills to teach a child with autism how to do some of the things they might not learn automatically, or to assess the behaviour of an adult with learning disabilities whose behaviour is challenging or difficult to manage.

For teachers, this course can provide promotion or specialisation opportunities, and for recent graduates "it opens up the potential to get jobs in health, social care and education that they otherwise wouldn't be able to get, as a teaching assistant, a tutor for young children with autism, or in a behaviour support role for adults with disabilities".


Medical decision making

Understanding ethics is important for most jobs and for those working in healthcare a course can be beneficial as a refresher or to fine-tune existing skills.

While increasing familiarity with various guidelines and statutes "we also want participants to start thinking more critically about their own divisions on a day-to-day level".

Advertisement Past students say that the course has made a significant different to their careers. Having started out as medics some are now working towards a more legal career and others work on ethics committees.

"The course adds depth to a CV and makes people better suited to the type of jobs out there."I think it makes jobseekers that little bit more shiny to potential employers."


To find more courses to benefit your career, click here.

MSD show you how to captain your team with a cool head

Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays multiple roles with elan. He’s the captain of the Indian cricket team, a batsman who can change the game, a wicketkeeper whose one-liners egg his bowlers on, an occasional bowler, and a role model for players and fans. It was under his captaincy that India climbed to No. 1 in the ICC Test Rankings in 2009. He led the Indian team to many wins, the most famous being the one in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka with his match-winning knock of unbeaten 91.

But it wasn’t easy for Dhoni to get past the many challenges and tests that life – and cricket – threw at him. What’s helped him become one of the most successful captains in the history of Indian cricket is that he’s maintained his calm and led from the front under pressure. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has famously said that Mahi was the best captain he had played under, adding that his handling of pressure was “incredible”. But Captain Cool makes short work of pressure. “It's like having 100 kg put over you. After that, even if you pit a mountain, it will not make a difference,” he has said.

Dhoni keep his head when all around him people are losing theirs, and here’s what you can learn from him:

#1 Stay calm in the face of criticism
These lines of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If, may well have been written for leaders: “If you can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” It’s not easy to stay unruffled when you and your decisions are gathering flak but maintaining your composure and having the ability to transform a crisis into positive action is a major determinant of success as a leader. Before the 2007 T20 World Cup, cricket analyst Ravi Shastri referred to Team India as the “underdogs”. As he picked up the trophy, Dhoni responded to that label: “I remember you called us underdogs and so we have won the cup for you.”

Lesson: Don’t let people’s remarks get to you. Stay cool and focus on your work. Let your work speak for you.

#2 Always think out of the box
In the 2011 World Cup, Mahi, sorely out-of-form, decided that he would come in to bat at No 5 before Yuvraj Singh, the man in form. He went on to hit the winning runs and was declared man of the match. In the 2007 T20 World Cup, he chose to give inexperienced pacer Joginder Sharma the ball in the last over. In the 2013 Champions Trophy Final, which India won, he gave Ravichandran Ashwin the ball in the last over. He keeps everyone guessing amidst pressure, an ability that’s game-changing.

Lesson: Think on your feet and be a quick decision maker. A good leader should always have a Plan B in mind.

#3 Don’t let emotions get in the way
Dhoni is called Captain Cool for a reason. No matter what the situation may be, he isn’t perturbed. Sledging? He takes it easy and won’t resort to getting into a war of words. He never gets involved in heated arguments and chooses to keep his emotions to himself. Once, abused by a bowler on field, he chose to get the umpire to intervene instead of hitting back. This calm demeanour has helped him win matches, but it’s also ensured that he can cope with losses better.

Lesson: Set an example by staying cool, calm and collected. This helps you think about and handle the googlies being thrown at you better.

#4 Look towards the future
Like all great leaders, Dhoni owns up and takes the fall for his mistakes. He never hesitates to take responsibility for India’s poor performance but he doesn’t dwell on the past. He chooses to tackle things head on and come up with a new game plan and another and another. When asked halfway through a series if India were beaten, he famously said: “Till the full stop doesn't come, the sentence isn't complete.”

Lesson: Take responsisbilty of your actions and then work on a plan to solve the problem.

#5 Win the battle in your head
The actual battleground isn’t a geographic location or a cricket ground; it’s in the minds that the fiercest battles take place. As he says: “Nobody has seen form. It is a state of mind where you are confident and you think very positively.” The cricketer maintains a positive attitude, through ups and downs. His composure and poise rub off on the rest of the team, helping them focus on the matter – or match – at hand.

Lesson: Work on building strengths – your own and the teams – and keep a positive attitude at all times.

To be the best, you need to #LoveWhatYouDo. Find a job that you love here.