Interview Questions

Why should we hire you?

• Point to the ways in which you can contribute to the success of the project/group you would be assigned to.  Mention your unique skills and/or good-for-teamwork personality traits.

What do you know about our company?

• Be prepared - Research the company ahead of time.  Review their products, services, reputation, and recent history. 


• If you don't know very much, state that you want to know more.

What will you do for us that someone else cannot?

• Describe past successes.


• Clearly draw the connection between your past performance and their future needs.


• Differentiate yourself from your competition. Point out special skills, training, or experiences that you feel are hard to duplicate.


• Do not forget that soft skills are very valuable traits.

Why are you leaving your present job?

• You want to be as honest as possible, and at the same time, you do not want to slam your current employers, or come across as whiny or hard to get along with. 


• Talk about the things you have enjoyed in your current job, and why it is no longer meeting your long-term goals and your need to contribute and grow.

What are your strong points?

Present at least 3. Connect them to the organization's goals and the job role.

What are your weak points?

• Don't say that you have no weak points… because everyone has them.


• Don’t try to twist them into assets – “I am too much of a perfectionist,” or “I work too hard,” – it sounds contrived and fake. 


• Describe weaknesses which are modest and manageable.  Present weaknesses which are unlikely to cause major personal conflict, or harm to the project you’re working on. 


• Immediately after describing your weaknesses, describe how you are working to improve them, or how you have learned to work around them.

Tell me about yourself:

• Stick to material that has to do with why you are a good candidate for the job.


• Connect your responses about yourself to the job and the organization.


• Don't ramble. Any personal information you introduce should take up 1 - 2 minutes at most.


• To guide yourself, pretend that they have asked what path has led you to their door.  Describe your education, your career goals, your experiences so far, a bit about your personality, your decision to apply for this job.  Then stop.

Describe your personality.

As you talk, keep in mind that the interviewer will be putting everything you say in the frame of what you will be like to work with. 

• Stick to the positive. Avoid the negative!


• Keep your answers brief.

What are your short and long term goals?

• Speak honestly about what excites you about the present opportunity.Give short descriptions of your career and personal goals as they relate to the position in question.

Describe a situation where you showed leadership/good problem-solving/conflict resolution/etc. skills.

• Don’t panic.  You can take a few seconds to think this one over.


• Do prepare ahead of time by thinking about challenging situations you have encountered over your career, and achievements you are proud of.