Interview questions for all fields and roles

Adaptable

Flexible; able to incorporate different views

✓ Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before. How did you react? What did you learn?

✓ Describe a situation in which you embraced a new system, process, technology, or idea at work that was a major departure from the old way of doing things.

✓ Recall a time when you were assigned a task outside of your job description. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?

✓ Tell me about the biggest change that you had to deal with. How did you adapt to that change?

✓ Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a colleague's working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives.

✓ Can you tell me about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone at work?

Culture add

Brings a new voice to the team

✓ What are the three things that are most important to you in a job?

✓ Tell me about a time in the last week when you've been satisfied, energized, and productive at work. What were you doing?

✓ What's the most interesting thing about you that's not on your resume?

✓ What would make you choose our company over others?

✓ What's the biggest misconception your coworkers have about you and why do they think that?

✓ What are 3 words your manager would use to describe you? Your best friend? Your parents?

Collaborator

Open-minded, affable, and organized

✓ Give me an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle interactions with that person?

✓ Tell me about a time when you were communicating with someone and they did not understand you. What did you do?

✓ Tell me about one of your favorite experiences working with a team. What was your contribution?

✓ Can you share an experience where a project dramatically shifted directions at the last minute? What did you do?

✓ Describe the best partner or supervisor with whom you've worked. What part of their managing style appealed to you?

Leader

Influential, supportive, and guides change

✓ Tell me about the last time something significant didn't go according to plan at work. What was your role? What was the outcome?

✓ Tell me about a time when you needed to make a firm decision without firm data to back up the decision. How did you handle it?

✓ Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone to see things your way. What steps did you take? What were the results?

✓ Give me an example of a time when you felt you led by example. What did you do and how did others react?

✓ Tell me about the toughest decision you had to make in the last six months.

✓ Can you give an example of an idea you had at work that you were able to bring to life?

Growth mindset

Open to feedback and new ways of thinking

✓ Recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a problem arose. How did you handle the situation? With whom did you consult?

✓ Describe a time when you volunteered to expand your knowledge at work, as opposed to being directed to do so.

✓ What would motivate you to make a move from your current role?

✓ Tell me about a time when your manager or a team member gave you critical or constructive feedback. How did you address the feedback? How did you react?

✓ What's the biggest career goal you've ever achieved?

Time management

Organized and can prioritize well

✓ Tell me about a time when you had to juggle several projects at once. How did you organize your time? What was the result?

✓ Tell me about a project you planned. How did you organize and schedule the tasks?

✓ Describe a time when you felt stressed or overwhelmed. How did you handle it?

✓ Give an example of a time when you delegated an important task successfully.

✓ How do you determine what amount of time is reasonable for a task?

✓ There is a phrase that says, "Let's not let perfect kill good." What does this statement mean to you? Do you have an example of when you applied this principle in the past?

✓ Tell me about a time when you simplified a process or streamlined operations at work?

Communication

Articulate and a great listener

✓ Tell me about a time when you had to communicate an uncomfortable message to your manager or your client. How do you handle it?

✓ Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to your coworkers or group? How did you do it? What were the results?

✓ How have you been effective at explaining complicated technical challenges with someone who doesn't have a technical background?

✓ Tell me about a time when your active listening skills really paid off.

✓ Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the situation?

✓ Tell me about a recent experience presenting a new project, preparing a speech, or pitching an idea. How did you prepare? What obstacles did you face? How did you handle them?

Problem solver

Synthesizes information to find solutions

✓ Tell me about a customer or stakeholder who made unreasonable demands of you or your team. How did you resolve it?

✓ Tell me about the toughest work problem you had a hand in solving. How did you do it? What was the proposed solution?

✓ Have you ever had anyone who worked with you do or say something that was inaccurate or misleading? How did you handle it?

✓ Tell me about a time when you anticipated a challenge and what did you do to prevent it.

✓ Tell me about a time when you had a negative experience with a coworker, client or customer who complained about you. How did you fix the issue to improve the relationship and resolve the situation?

Creative thinker

Innovative risk-taker; thinks outside the box

✓ Tell me about a time in a professional setting where you took a big chance to achieve your goals.

✓ Can you tell me about a time when you needed to break organizational boundaries to help your team win? Tell me about the situation.

✓ Can you give an example of a new process or product you have implemented at work recently?

✓ Tell me about an innovation that you weren't involved in at your company that you were impressed with recently.

✓ What is the most innovative project, program, etc. that you've been a part of? What was your role, the impact, etc.?

✓ If you had $100,000 to promote/sell/create a new business of your choice, what would it be? How would you do it?

Results driven

Focused on success; uses data to optimize

✓ Tell me about a time when you implemented a project from strategy to execution. What were the results?

✓ Describe a situation where you had to lean on data to inform a decision.

✓ What have you contributed to your company that led to increased revenues, reduced costs or time savings?

✓ Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond a specific project ask/scope.

✓ How would you define "success" for someone in your chosen career?

✓ Tell me about an important goal that you set in the past. How did you achieve it? Why did you choose this goal?