Top 25 Interview Questions

TOP INTERVIEW
25Q A &
ENTRY LEVEL & PROFESSIONAL JOBS
Teststreams.com
Appreciations
I'd love to thank Robin Ryan (Author of 60 seconds and you're hired), admin at collegegrad
for providing useful resources that helped in putting together this work.
Also a big thumbs up to the entire teststreams.com team in Nigeria for a Great job done.
Samuel-O-Johnson
Founder-TestStreams
TOP 25 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ENTRY & PRO JOBS
TABLE OF CONTENTS :
1. Tell me about yourself?

2. Why should I hire you?
3. What is your long-range objective?
4. What is your greatest accomplishment?
5. How has your education prepared you for your career?
6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?
7. What is your greatest strength?
8. What is your greatest weakness?
9. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?
10. What would your past manager say about you?
11. Why is your GPA not higher?
12. Do you handle pressure well?
13. How much training do you think you'll need to become a productive employee?
14. Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
15. What do you know about our company?
16. Why are you interested in our company?
17. Do you have any location preferences?
18. How familiar are you with the community where we are located?
19. Are you a team player?
20. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
21. How do you personally define success?
22. Would you rather work with information or with people?
23. Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.
24. Are you a goal-oriented person?
25. Do you have any plans for further education?
www.teststreams.com 02
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
1. Tell me about yourself?
What does this question try to uncover?

This is an open-ended question, usually used by an unprepared interviewer as a "delay tactic
while he/she quickly skims through your resume. For some strange reason, nearly every
interviewer can agree that giving a good answer to the question Tell Me About Yourself
during a job interview can be one of the toughest and most stressful things to do.
What you should say -

Talking about yourself should be the easiest thing to do. After all, who knows you better than
you. The easiest way to do this is to use an example from your background and experience.
Use the S-T-A-R approach to make the answer a STAR: talk about a Situation or Task (S-T),
the Action you took (A) and the Results achieved (R). This is what makes your interview
answer uniquely yours and will make your answer a star!
The sample responses on the next page gives insight into how you can best approach this.
What you should not say -

The interviewer does not want to know all the details about you from birth forward. So as
much as possible, you should structure your answer and tailor it to suit the position you're
applying to. Also you should never say Well, what do you want to know? Because an
answer like this tells an interviewer that you're unprepared. Keep your answer short, within
60-90seconds at most. There are going to be a lot more questions coming down the pipe
that will allow you to elaborate on your various experiences, skills and accomplishments.
What should you highlight in your answer?

The best approach is to focus on what most interests the interviewer, how your experience
aligns with where they would like to see you in the company. Talk first about your
preparation for the role and then focus in tightly on what makes you the best candidate for
the role. Also, be prepared for potential interruptions along the way, as many interviewers
use this question as a way to bring in areas of interest where they can drill down further.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
Experienced candidates
"I've worked hard in my education and career to prepare myself to become a world class
accountant. I received my BSc. in Accounting from the University of Ibadan and then went to
work for KPMG after graduation. I passed the ICAN exam on my first try and have progressed
well in my career. I was recently promoted from Staff Auditor to Senior Auditor and was
selected to train new hires in our region on recent GAAP accounting changes"
Entry level candidates
"I've worked hard in my education and my internships to prepare myself to become a world
class accountant. I will be receiving my BSc. in Accounting from the University of Ibadan and
have already completed two internships with large public accounting firms the past two
years. I worked for KPMG last year in tax accounting and Ernst and Young the year before in
audit. I have already taken the prep exams for ICAN and am ready to sit for the ICAN exam in
this October. I earned the Intern of the Year Award for the Ikeja branch of KPMG last year"
WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T SAY -
"Wow, well let's see Where Should I even start from. I was born in 1992 in Ikotun, Lagos State.
I am the second boy in a family of four boys. We got along OK, except for my older brother,
especially when he got older and joined a gang. My parents were Catholic, so it was a pretty
strict upbringing. I made my first communion in second grade and was confirmed in Primary
Six. I was even an altar boy, can you believe that! I had a pretty rough childhood and I spent
some time attending Sunday school"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
2. Why should I hire you?

The interviewer is asking you directly to come up with points of differentiation in your
background. S/he is seeking giving you the open opportunity to sell yourself. Yet doing it
in a way that puts you into the hot seat of talking about yourself in a very open and direct
manner. So s/he wants to know what you consider to be the defining aspects of your
background that sets you apart. Yet it is open-ended, so you can go in multiple directions.

This is an opportunity to sell yourself properly. So focus on what makes you different from
others, your strengths, and your USP (Unique Selling Point). Tell them why they should take
a chance on you. Above all, this is an opportunity to harp on your personal brand.
Keep in mind that whatever you say should somehow be linked with the objective of the
interviewer, which is to find the most suitable person for that role.
The sample responses on the next page gives insight into how you can best approach this.

Dont say anything negative about yourself here. It's 'bad marketing'. True, no one is perfect,
but don't wash your dirty linen here. Just focus on your good, ignore the rest. This is not a
time to bring up your past mistakes. They are looking for an overall review of what you did,
and that is where you need to direct most of your efforts. Nor should your answer be wordy
and vague. Dont muddle through the answer trying to find the right angle. This is another
question that you need to have a prepared focus for before the interview begins.

Focus on your education, work experience, skills, aptitudes and abilities which differentiate
you from your competition. Make no mistake about it, this is a competitive posturing
question. So any statements you might make need to be backed up with examples that show
how you try are the best person for the position. Your answer should be geared toward
meeting the employer's needs, not your personal needs.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Because I'm the best person for the job. Here's why: I have all of the required qualifications
that you are asking for in this job. The education, the experience, the industry experience. But
I also bring a passion to the job that makes me the best person for the job. Why? Because
that passion translates into results. I really love what I do. Let me give you an example"
"Because I'm the best person for the job. I know you are interviewing other students with
similar qualifications in terms of my degree and my internship. Yet I was awarded the
Employee of the Month award as an intern this past year and was the first intern ever to
receive that award. I was given that award over all other nominations of their full-time staff.
That award was given due to my delivery on a project that no one else had been able to
successfully complete. I not only delivered the project, but I did it while also working on two
other projects, both of which were completed during job one year as an intern. Let me tell you
about the project where I won the award"
"Well, I really need this job and it would be awesome to work here! I've been unemployed for a
while and my Mom is starting to get on my case about it. And, y'know, I really don't like living in
the basement anymore. I want to get out on my own and be independent. So if you hire me, I
would be able to get out of the house and be off on my own. Life would be good."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
3. What is your long-range objective?

The interviewer is asking to align expectations for the role with your long-term expectations.
While interviewers typically want solid alignment on near term (i.e. under 5 years)
expectations, more latitude can and will be given for longer term goals. However, this
question is often asked to explore whether the candidate has long-term goals which cannot
be met by the employer. It is also used as a reality check to see if the candidate has realistic
goals. Finally, it is also used as a measure of the ambition of the candidate. How much
ambition is wanted/needed is dependent upon the role.

Keep in mind that your answer should reflect any of these question variants.
What are your long-term goals?
Where would you like to be in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
What is your end goal in your career?
Where do you see yourself progressing in your job?
What do you think will be your last job before retirement?
In answering these, you should show some enthusiasm and excitement sharing your goals.

The worst thing a candidate can do is to go round and round without specifically answering
the question. It only goes to show that such candidate has no future plans or career
objectives. Such is a dangerous employee to work with.
Every employer agrees that a great candidate is one who can set goals, and creatively
fashion-out strategies in reaching those goals.

If the short-term/near-term question has not yet been asked, start by briefly addressing
the near-term goals. Then focus on your career direction and trajectory based upon being
successful in the role during that period of time, yet showing flexibility for taking on a
variety of roles over the course of your career to broaden your knowledge and exposure.
You want to be ambitious, yet not overly ambitious.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"In the near term, I am focused on becoming a subject matter expert in my field. I do want to
prepare myself for future promotional opportunities, if they come about. I am working to
prepare myself for managerial opportunities in the future by taking on the lead role on
project teams such as my current network integration project. Yet I am also flexible to take
on roles which will broaden my exposure, which is why I have become involved in two cross-
functional team projects, one with the finance group and one with the marketing group. This
not only strengthens my relationships with other teams, but also broadens my knowledge
base for interacting at a higher level."
"In the near term, I am focused on coming up to speed quickly in my new role. My longer range
goal is to become a subject matter expert in my field. I want to become the person others seek
out for the answers to their most difficult problems. As an example of this, in my recent
internship I took over management of the internal collaboration site for the project managers.
The site had not been updated in over a year, so I took responsibility for making the updates
and incorporating current material that would be of benefit to everyone. My work in this area
won a departmental award, would you like to see a copy?"
"My long term goal is to have your job. Actually, that's more my mid-term goal. My long term
goal is to become the CEO. So I want to put myself on that path and continue to make course
corrections along the way until I finally achieve that goal. So I'm pretty ambitious in what I want
to do, I guess the real question is whether you can provide me with the road-map for getting to
the corner office? Lastly, I want to make money, I mean, why do we all work anyway?"
If you answer Like This? Well, Congrats! YOU JUST LOST A JOB OFFER.
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
4. What is your greatest accomplishment?

This is perhaps the best interview question of all time. Why? Because it provides a behavioral
foundation for focusing specifically on the #1 result of the candidate's career. And it allows
the interviewer to drill into detail about each of the behavioral S-T-A-R components: the
Situation or Task, the Action you took and the Results achieved. While many candidates
answer this question backward (starting with the achievement and/or result and working
backward to explain how it was achieved), it allows the interviewer to dig deep into how
much of that accomplishment was actually due to the actions of the candidate and how much
was from the actions of others.

This is another time where honesty is the best answer. Since most companies are looking for
ways candidates who possess integrity and are trust worthy. Let your answer reflect what is
the single most important result in your life? At your retirement party, what will you look
back on as being the most important project or deliverable of your career?

If a company is asking this question, that means they want to have an idea of what where you
have excelled in the past. Do not try to paint false pictures. That may be very harmful to your
future career. Just be plain and sincere. You've done something you are sure proud of.

The best approach is to think about your top three accomplishments. Two reasons for this:
1) it will help you to compare your top accomplishments to decide which is the best to
present; and 2) a practiced interviewer may follow this question with: "What is your second
greatest accomplishment?" and "What is your third greatest accomplishment?" So having
three significant accomplishments will help you answer following questions, even if they
aren't specifically about accomplishments (since these make the best examples for all
interview questions).
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I have several notable accomplishments in my career. Probably the most notable
accomplishment was the delivery of the most recent version update to one of our core
products for customer payments. This was a 12-month project and I was one of 8 team
members. What made it notable for me was that my role expanded from being one of the
tech team members to taking the lead on building the mobile components of the product. In
order to deliver this aspect of the product, I pulled in three new project resources with
specific skills in each of the mobile technology platforms we targeted and cross-trained all
project resources to support each platform. In the end, we delivered the product on time and
have received numerous accolades, both internal and external. The mobile component was
specifically identified to be world class and distinguished the product at its release. Our CEO
spent time showing the mobile components to the press and industry and it has since met
with excellent reviews. Would you like to see the Android version of the product?"
"I have several notable accomplishments in both my education and my work experience.
Probably the most notable accomplishment was delivery of the mobile apps project during my
internship this past summer. I joined the tech development team at a time when they were in
the process of losing a team member due to relocation. That team member was the lead for
the iOS version of the mobile app under development. Since I had already developed two iOS
apps and no one else on the team had worked with iOS, I was asked to take the lead for the
iOS development and deployment, effectively half of the project. This was outside the original
scope of my internship, but definitely mission critical. I was able to deliver the app on time
before completion of my internship and have deployed it to the iTunes store. It has already
received over 100 positive reviews from customers. Would you like to see it?"
"Hmmmgreatest accomplishment? I'm not sure I have a greatest accomplishment. Most of the
projects I have been working with have been canceled, but no fault of my own. We usually get
ready to deliver something and then the project funding gets pulled and we are never able to
actually deliver. So then we all scramble to get moved to another project before we get
targeted for layoffs. Some people at our company aren't as good at that as me and they've
ended up being laid off. But I'm a survivor and I've been able to avoid the layoff ax all these
years. So that's probably my greatest accomplishment is that I haven't been laid off in spite of
all of the projects being canceled. I'm pretty good at laying low and staying out of the
spotlight."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
5. How has your education prepared you for your career?

The interviewer is probing for both why you attended school at _____ as well as whether
you made practical, real world connections between your academic studies and the world of
work. If the interviewer is not familiar with your school, it may be a way to better understand
the academic programs. The interviewer may also want to know why you attended one
school over another.

Why did you choose to attend _____?
Why did you select _____ major?
Why didn't you attend _____?
Where were you accepted for college?

Do not divert from the concerned subject, just focus on answering the question. No need to
fret over what you did not answer correctly. This is another opportunity to show that you
are well prepared for this job opportunity.

Essentially, focus on the real world applications of your education. If you had classroom
projects that tied to real world examples, use them. If you had any type of case studies class,
this is usually a good example to use. If you have had work experience and/or internships, this
is an opportunity to talk specifically about what you learned in the classroom that helped you
in your work.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Several of my capstone courses for my major tied directly into the work I've been doing on
the job. For example, my Algorithms class has tied in directly into my current project, as
we're seeking to optimize the code for presenting user results. I was able to apply a unique
algorithm that greatly increased the user interaction with the results on that particular page.
Would you like me to show it to you?"
"Several of my classes have tied into real world examples for my career. A recent example is
with our case study class, where we reviewed a recent case of the merger between a large
national bank and a smaller regional bank. Even though the case was interesting and highly
relevant, it was two years old by the time we reviewed it in class. With guidance from our
professor, I reached out to one of the Vice Presidents at the regional bank to assess the impact
of the merger. It provided valuable insight not only into the financial models used for making
the merger at the time, but also how they played out in the merger itself. My final paper ended
up winning an award within my department. Would you like me to show it to you?"
"Well, I learned how to hold my beer, that's for sure. When I arrived on campus as a Fresher, I
was a real lightweight. But over time, I learned to drink with the best of them. I know it's
important to be able to hold your liquor in a work setting so that you don't do or say something
stupid when you're out drinking with your co-workers. Most of my classes weren't really tied to
work and the ones that were tied to my career were just plain boring. So I've been working just
to get my degree and get out of here so that I can start doing real work. The partying has been
fun, but it's time to get on with my life."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor?

How was it resolved?

The interviewer is looking for information that normally would not be offered on the
resume or as part of the standard interview response--how the candidate deals with
conflict. Many otherwise excellent employees have seen their downfall in how they
handled (or didn't handle) conflict. The interviewer knows that most candidates will not
offer up true conflict situations, so the practiced interviewer will continue to drill until a
real example is provided.

This can be answered with a relatively short list.
How are you at dealing with conflict?
What do you do when you disagree with others?
Do you open up or close down in conflict situations?
How do you handle disagreements?

Don't try to appear as someone who loves and boast of conflicts, that'll hurt your
interpersonal skills. Don't try to appear to be a saint either, conflicts are normal in any
relationship. What is important is how you handle conflicts and still keep your head up.

Talk briefly about the conflict, but focus on the resolution of the conflict. Give an actual
example of a resolved conflict, walking through the situation which brought up the conflict,
what actions you took to resolve the conflict and the end result.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I recently had a conflict with an employee in another department who had a project which
was dependent on work being done by myself and two other members of our team. He had
sent a rather urgent e-mail acusing us of derailing his project. I had never met him before, so I
asked to get together with him for coffee. I asked him to walk me through his project and the
interdependency of his project with our project. I then walked him through our project and
timelines. Once we had the opportunity to communicate our independent priorities, we could
begin talking about our shared priorities. We agreed to a timeline that would help us both
meet our goals and the conflict was resolved before it became a major incident."
"I recently had a disagreement with one of my professors over the wording of a question on
one of the key exams, which was missed by several members of the class due to the
ambiguity. I brought it up to the professor privately and personally, but he was dismissive of
my request. After discussing it with several classmates, we went to him together to discuss it
further. At that point, he agreed that there was a level of ambiguity in the question, but still
would not change the grade of the test. However, he did appreciate us bringing it to his
attention and gave us the opportunity to work on a separate project for extra credit to make
up for the shortfall on the test. We completed the extra credit and we were all happy with the
end result. It wasn't necessarily the solution we were seeking, but it was a compromise that
was acceptable."
"I've always found that I need to show the other person, in detail, the error of their ways, then
they will eventually come around to seeing my way being the best way to do things. Do I have
conflict? Sure. But having conflict is a healthy thing. I actually welcome conflict. In fact, I grew
up in a family where conflict was a way of life. I got battered and bruised growing up that way,
but I learned how to come out swinging and make my way in the world."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
7. What is your greatest strength?

The interviewer is attempting to identify your core competencies and whether they align
with the needs of the role. The interviewer is also attempting to find out if you have an
accurate view of self in relation to what is truly your greatest strength. Most practiced
interviewers are aware that candidates often present false strengths in hopes of falsely
aligning with the position, so a typical behavioral follow-on question is: "Can you give me an
example of how you've used that strength in your job?" Or an even tougher question is to
time-bound the behavioral question: "Can you give me an example of how you've used that
strength in your job in the past week?" So don't try to fake your way through the answer.
Another experienced interviewer method to get past your practiced answer is to ask: "What
is your second greatest strength?" and "What is your third greatest strength?"

What do you do best?
What is an area where you are considered to be an expert?
Is there an area where you are the go-to person on your team?

Don't be afraid to blow your own trumpet. This is an express permission to do that. Be proud
of your own achievements. But ensure that your response is in line with the company's goal.

We all have multiple areas of strength, so the key is to select behavioral traits which align
with the needs of the role and have examples to show these traits as strengths. Do your
research in advance of the interview to know what the core competencies are for the role.
Give an example of applying your strength in your current role.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
WHAT YOU COULD SAY -
"I have quite a few strengths(pause to think)probably my greatest strength is my

reliability. Part of my reliability is consistently being there, I have a 100% on time record at
work and have had it for the last three years. But it's more than that. People know that they
can trust me to do what I say I will do, they trust me to deliver. For example, my boss had a
difficult project that needed to be completed in a short amount of time. He asked me in a
meeting with the rest of our team to take on this project. After the meeting, he told me that
he gave me the project because he knows that I will deliver on time. He's right. I just
delivered the project yesterday, a day ahead of schedule. And it was right the first time, no
corrections needed."
"Well, I think I'm pretty much awesome in any and every area you can think of. You name it, I
have it covered. In fact, I really don't have any weaknesses, pretty much everything is my
strength. So if you were going to ask that question about what is my greatest weakness, don't,
because I don't really have any. That really bugs me when people ask that question, because it
assumes that I have a weakness of some sort and I don't. If you look up "awesome" in the
dictionary, my name will be there."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
8. What is your greatest weakness?

The interviewer is exploring three things: 1) whether you are self-aware; 2) whether you are
honest; and 3) whether you seek to improve. This is the question where many interviewees
somehow think it is permissible to lie, yet an experienced interviewer can nail someone in
their lie pretty quickly. Most interview books say to give a strength, but present it as a
weakness, such as: "I work too much. I just work and work and work and don't know when to
stop." Here's how a practiced interviewer will pierce through that lie: "So you think working
too much is a weakness? So you want to be working less?" There is no good response when
you are caught in a lie.

What areas are your weakest?
What are the areas where you need to improve your skills?
Are there areas where you need to develop your skills further?
What would your boss say is the area where you need improvement?

The adage If it isnt broken, dont fix it does not apply. If you indicate this in your answer,
you stand a very good chance of being dismissed before you even walk out of the interview.

Be truthful. That doesn't mean you need to present your greatest life weakness or something
personal about you. Keep the interview focused on your education and experience. Choose a
true weakness, yet choose one which you are actively working to change and improve.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I have had problems in the past with taking on too much work and then not delivering a
quality and timely product because I was stretched too thin in too many areas. I know it's a
weakness, because it reflects negatively on my end deliverables. I want to deliver quality in
everything I do, but I have not always been able to do so when multiple priorities stack up.
Part of the difficulty is that work was coming from outside groups and my boss did not have
visibility into the requests being made. So I developed a project prioritization spreadsheet
that I would review with my boss whenever a new request came in for additional work. My
boss would review and approve moving projects up and down in priority based on the new
requests. That way it allowed me to focus on completing what is most important to my boss
with the highest quality, while moving the less important projects off to the side until time is
available for completion. This is still a work in progress for me and I still need to get better at
this, but it's an area where I am focused on continuously improving."
"I have had problems in the past with taking on too many projects and then not delivering
quality and, in some cases, not delivering on time. I was simply stretched too thin in too many
areas with not enough time to deliver in a quality manner. I think that's the opportunity that is
there as a new college student, you want to do everything and be involved in everything.
However, I've learned that I'm not at my best when I have too many conflicting priorities. I've
had to cut back on some of the less important extracurricular activities to focus on delivering
my academic projects with the highest quality. This prioritization of my work has carried over
to my work life with my recent internship. I had several key deliverables that were due the
same week, so I met with my boss to prioritize the delivery schedule. She helped me focus on
both the timing and the quality of the delivery. In the end, all three projects were delivered
with high quality results. Would you like me to tell you more about them?"
"My greatest weakness is that I'm a workaholic. I don't have any balance in my life and tend to
stay late at work to complete all of my projects, often until 3 in the morning. I'm usually the first
one in and the last one to leave. I know I should probably address my workaholic tendencies,
but I know they help me to get everything completed. So I just keep on working, even when I'm
not at work. As a result, my personal life has suffered, I'm recently divorced, my kids say they
never get to see me, which is true. My life is a wreck due to working all of these crazy hours. I
just keep working and working."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
9. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

The interviewer is looking for two things: 1) an honest self-assessment and reflection on your
potential shortcomings in your life; and 2) whether you have a history of adjusting to reach
your goals. A by-product of this question is a fishing expedition to see if there may be any
sideline passions in your life that may prove to be a distraction in your job.

Do you have any regrets in your life? Tell it briefly
a part of your life that didn't work out as you had planned.
If you died tomorrow, what would you feel was left unaccomplished in your life?

Don't focus on the mistakes you made, rather emphasize on the lessons.
Don't be overly remorseful, sound like it's part of a learning curve.
Don't appear as a victim of your past. No one cares about that. Show that you've moved on.

No one has completed all of their goals or, for that matter, no regrets. However, be wise in
how you pick out which regret or shortcoming in your life you choose to expose to the
interviewer. It should be one that was truly a shortcoming, but has not had a significant
impact on your preparation for your career (or at least a work in progress for correcting).
And do not, under any circumstances, select a personal regret. Keep it professional. Focus
on education and experience. Then talk about what you are doing to make up for the
shortcoming.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Probably my biggest regret has been not focusing on my chosen career earlier. As you can
see from my resume, my Bachelor's degree is in English. At that point in my life, I didn't have
a clear idea of what I wanted to do in my career. However, in my final year of college I met a
woman who became an early mentor in my career. She helped me in both my career selection
and in focusing my last year of college taking electives which would better help me in
preparing for my future career in the insurance industry"
"Probably my biggest regret was not settling on my major early enough in college. I took a
large number of classes in general fields when I would have been better prepared by taking
accounting-specific coursework. So to make up for that lack of focus in my first two years, I
have spent the last two years of college taking as many accounting and business courses as
possible, actually taking more than required for my major. And I feel I made up for my late
start by getting work experience through both voluntary work my Junior year and then my
internship last summer. As a result, I was one of the top students in my major. It's been a
tough road which I could have made easier by selecting my major earlier."
"Well, I've always wanted to be a movie star. All the way through high school and college,
everyone kept telling me I should go to Nollywood, that I would make it big. I still keep going to
auditions, hoping that someday my number will be called. But in the meantime, I need to make
a living. And this job is better than waiting on tables, right?"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
10. What would your past manager say about you?

The interviewer is effectively asking for how you were rated or reviewed in your performance
by your past manager. This is a TORC (Threat of Reference Check) question.

What would your professor say about you as a student?
How were you rated at your most recent performance appraisal?
What will your reference say about you when they're called?
What feedback did you get for improvement in your last performance review?

The question is not looking to find out if you have been able to work well for/with your
past manager. So, don't stress on those points. Rather, focus on your achievements and
your past appraisal.

If you have done your homework in advance, you have already asked for letters of
recommendation by past managers and/or professors. This provides you with the show me
validation of your response. Use the information in the letter of recommendation as the lead
in to your answer, then show them the actual letter of recommendation.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"My last manager said that I was one of the best hires he had made in his career. He said that
I was the go to person to get things accomplished and delivered on our team. I know that he
would say I was one of the best professionals he has worked for in his career. How do I know
this? Because that is what he said in the letter of recommendation he wrote for me. Would
you like a copy?"
"My manager for my internship last summer said that I was the best intern she had managed
during her tenure as a manager. She said that I got far more accomplished and delivered than
any other intern she had worked with previously. I know that she would say she would love to
work again with me in the future. How do I know this? Because that is what she said in the
letter or recommendation she wrote for me. Would you like a copy?"
"Well, I didnt really like my last boss that much. We didnt really get along. Thats the reason
Im looking for a new job is because of my last boss."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
11. Why is your GPA not higher?

Because your grade point average (GPA) matters. Many employers use the combination of
major, school and GPA as their initial gating and screening criteria for whom they will
interview. So in some cases you wont even be asked the question, you will be screened out
before any interviews take place. But even when you do clear the minimum requirements, you
may still be lower than some (or possibly even most) of your competition. The interviewer
wants to know if there is a reason other than sheer brainpower for why your GPA is lower
than others.

What is your GPA?
What is your GPA in your major?
Why is your GPA so low?
Is there a reason your grade point average is not as high as your peers?

Don't try to give excuses. Just demonstrate that your GPA is not totally indicative of your
Job performance. Show that you could do better.

Be very careful in how you answer this question. There are very few acceptable responses.
The fact that the question is being asked means that you are already at a disadvantage to
other candidates. Dig deep to understand and then communicate the specific reasons why
your GPA is less than ideal. The best answer would include working while going to school, if
that applies to your personal situation. Another lesser approach is that you pulled up your
GPA after a slow start the first year or two.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I do understand that my overall GPA was less than ideal. While other students were full-time
students and could focus exclusively on their classes, I was also working two different part-
time jobs to help pay my way through school. This made my schedule very difficult and, at
times, it negatively impacted my grades. However, I am extremely proud of what I was able
to accomplish on my own during college and ended up getting As in all of my capstone
classes, due at least in part to what I learned in my work. In the end, I feel that my concurrent
work experience helped me to better prepare for the world of work after college."
"My first year of college did not go well for me in terms of grades. I was not yet clear on my
major nor my career aspirations and struggled with some of the general classes. However,
once I entered my major curriculum, I was able to bring up my overall GPA considerably and
my GPA within my major is a solid 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. So while the classes got tougher as I
went through college, my grades also got higher."
"I guess I was in over my head when I went to college, probably too immature to be away from
home that young. I failed a couple of classes my Fresher year and I really didnt want to retake
them, so my overall GPA has suffered because of that. I guess grades have never really been
that important to me. Im really not a very good at academics. Im the guy who sits in the back
of class just doing what he needs to get by"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
12. Do you handle pressure well?

Most jobs involve some amount of pressure or stress. However, by the interviewer asking
this question, it is an indicator that the job has some level of pressure or stress. It may have
been why a past person has not performed well in the role, so it is being used now as a
gating question for potential candidates. The interviewer is looking for your personal
assessment of how well you respond to pressure and stress in delivering in your role.

How do you react when under pressure?
How are you with making deadlines?
How do you respond when you need to deliver something without having enough time
to do the job correctly?
How do you respond to stress?

Don't give an impression that you are a super-human. Demonstrate that you are goal
oriented.

Use a specific example of when you successfully delivered under a deadline or under
pressure to deliver. Use an example where you not only delivered on time, but also exceeded
expectations.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I do handle pressure well, in fact, let me give you example. We recently had a request for a
new feature to be added to our product. We had already mapped out the release schedule
without this feature, then management decided to add the feature and keep the release cycle.
As the lead for the team, it was my responsibility to deliver a bug-free product on time. Let
me tell you what we did to meet this new schedule"
"I do handle pressure well, in fact, let me give you example. In my recent internship, I was
asked to add a new feature halfway through the product development cycle. This was not part
of the original scope and it meant that it would take extra work on my part to deliver it by the
end of the internship. Here is what I did to deliver this expanded request by the end of my
internship"
"There are lots of times that there is pressure to deliver in my job and most of the time it is due
to management not knowing what I actually do and how long it takes to deliver. So I have
started wearing ear buds and just ignoring people when they stop by my cube. If they try to
interrupt me, I just point at my screen to tell them I am busy. That has reduced a lot of the
stress and pressure in my work"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
13. How much training do you think you'll need to become

a productive employee?

The interviewer wants to know what you see as your needs for becoming a productive
employee. In the case of some roles, the employer is expecting the new hire to be productive
day one (this is often the case with experienced roles). For other roles, there will be a planned
series of training events before the individual is expected to be productive (this is often the
case with entry level roles). So the question is designed to make sure that expectations are
aligned for the role.

How quickly do you think you will come up to speed in this role?
Do you think you will need lots of supervision as you start out in this role?
What gaps are there between your education and becoming effective in this job?
How well does your education prepare you for this job?

The right answer will not defer the communication to someone else. Don't appear to know
it all already. Do your research!

Its important to know in advance what the employer standard will be for the role. Some of
this can be understood from the job posting itself, but you may need to dig deeper by
researching the company website (including the careers section, if there is one) and/or
employer reviews. Once you have an indicator of expectations, do your own personal gap
analysis to make sure you are prepared for the role requirements and reflect that in your
answer.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Given my background and experience, Im confident that I will be productive immediately. I

will need to take time to familiarize myself with your internal systems, which I would be
happy to do off hours before the start date. I understand your need to fill this role as quickly
as possible and I will be ready to be productive on day one"
"My education and internship experience has prepared me well for this role. I understand that
you also provide internal training for new hires related to the role and your company. Given
this training, combined with my education and experience, Im confident that I will come up to
speed quickly in this role"
"Well, Ive never really done this type of work before, so Im going to need a lot of training and
hand holding to get started. Will you be sending me away to classes or do you do the training
internally?"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
14. Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?

This question is asked by employers in specific industries such as tech, finance, insurance,
retail, manufacturing, etc. to gauge whether the candidate is specifically interested in the
industry or is simply seeking a job in any industry. It is a question normally asked of
someone who has not yet worked in the specific industry of the employer.

What attracts you to that industry?
Are you more interested the role you perform or the industry in which you work?
Are you comfortable working your way up in our industry?
What do you know about that industry?

Giving a vague answer is not what the interviewers want to hear. The question is mainly
asking what your key motivations are.

Know the industry well before the interview. You should understand what makes the
industry attractive as a place to work and reflect that in your answer. This is a due diligence
question to measure whether you have done your employer and industry research in
advance.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I have worked in the financial services industry for most of my career and my experience is
well aligned with the needs of the insurance industry. I have specifically supported the
insurance sector during my last role, so I have a solid understanding of the business drivers
for the insurance industry"
"I worked in the technology department for an insurance company as my internship last
semester. That experience has focused my desire to be fully committed to working in tech
specifically within the tech industry. The tools we used in my internship were first class, but
tech was always a sideline department, rather than being the primary focus. So Im looking to
be all in with tech in my future career."
"Well, I dont really know much about the industry. I just applied for this job because I thought
the job was a match for my background. What can you tell me about your industry?"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
15. What do you know about our company?

The interviewer wants to know if you: a) have done your research about their company; b)
can describe the company well as an informed outsider; and c) can translate what you know
about the company into expressing interest. The question is, in effect, a reverse sell. It may
be the setup question for the interviewer selling you on the company, with the question
acting as the baseline for what additional information they may need to tell you about. It is
usually a good indicator that the interviewer is interested in you if they go into sell mode.

Do you understand the different parts of the company?
When did you first learn about the company?
What can you tell about the company?
Do you understand the companys market positioning?

It will be tempting to blow off this question, but doing so will work against you. Don't show
that you have no interest in the company. A little early research into the company's workings
would help you answer more confidently.

Do your research. Know the employer well enough to be able to succinctly describe it in 30-60
seconds. Dont just take it for granted that you know the employer, do actual in-depth
research. For example, I was previously involved in hiring an intern for the front office at Total
downstream Nigeria, and this question was answered something like this: Well, my father is
one of Total Cards best customers Thats good to have a customer perspective, but just
understanding the customer view is only one part of a much larger company perspective.
Then, after your 30-60 second recap, turn the question into a why are you interested
response.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Goldman Sachs is the leading investment bank and provides a wide variety of financial
services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Your Institutional
Client Services group, where this position is based, works in equity, fixed income, currency
and commodity markets. My experience in fixed income is well aligned with this role in your
fixed income group, which is what generated my interest in speaking with your firm"
"Im an Konga customer and have been for many years. But I know that Konga is much more
than the consumer retail side and the focus on price, selection and convenience. The company
also includes Konga pay for online payments on Konga, Konga Express the official dispatch
mechanism, Konga Marketplace, more like ebay, and many of the Prime-related activities in
entertainment. There are many different parts of Konga that I find to be fascinating and would
love the opportunity to be part of the organization"
"Well, I know that GE makes light bulbs and Ive certainly bought my share of light bulbs over
the years. And I think you make refrigerators as well, or at least you used to make them. My
parents have a really old GE fridge in their kitchen and its still working."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
16. Why are you interested in our company?

This is a reverse sell question. The interviewer is getting ready to sell you on why the
company is a great place to work, but before doing so, gives you the opportunity to take that
sell as far as you can on your own. Asking this question is usually a good sign, since the
interviewer is ready to go into sell mode. However, this question can sometimes be asked as
a standard part of the entry level interview slate, so its not always a final indicator.

What is it about the company that you find interesting or attractive?
Is there a specific part of the company where you have interest in working?
Are you interested in the company specifically or just in the job?
Why do you want to work for the company?

Do not be indifferent or sound like you don't really care.

This is one step beyond the What do you know about our company? question by asking
you specifically why you are interested. So it may be a follow-up to the What do you
know question or may be asked as a combo question. Either way, you need to have
completed your detailed employer research in advance and be able to make the sell to the
interviewer on why you are a great fit for the companys needs.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Im interested in Google at a high level, but also specifically for whats being done in the
department for this role. My electrical engineering experience has been heavily software
focused and my recent background working with Uber directly aligns with Googles needs for
this role within the Self-Driving Car Project"
"I have read about your companys reputation for building and growing your leadership talent
from within. There are not many companies who can say that their current CEO was a college
grad hire, yours is one. So it is your companys commitment to not only that first entry level
job, but also the commitment to career development at each subsequent stage of my career
that interests me the most. I want to work for a company where I do not have to change
employers to advance in my career"
"My uncle worked for Coscharis Motors and it seemed to be a solid employer for him until he
got laid off in a downsizing. I dont think that was his fault. But everyone knows Coscharis and
even though this recession has really hit them bad, it is probably one of the better Nigerian
auto dealers..."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
17. Do you have any location preferences?

Most jobs (with the exception of virtual location roles) have a set physical location. If youre
not already in that location, it would require a move to get you there. Some candidates are
willing to move while others are not. If the candidate is not willing to consider that location, it
will be a very short interview. This question is often asked as a screening question before
considering the candidate for a more in-depth interview. Some candidates will have absolutes
when it comes to location (which is often the case when there is a spouse or other family
involved) while others can be very flexible.

Where is your hometown? Do you want to return there eventually?
What parts of the country are you open to considering for work?
Is there a specific place you would like to live after graduation?
What would be your ideal place to live?

They want to know if you have an established plan for residency. Your answer should not
focus on how inevitable it is. Being flexible is an advantage.

If you have set limitations on where you will live, state them. But be aware that this may be a
limiting factor in your job search so, if you are open to considering, keep things open. Do not
focus on specific preferences unless you know your preferred location is the location (or one
of the locations) being offered by this employer. Many employers will have multiple roles in
multiple locations so you should be as open and as flexible as possible. The more open you
are to multiple locations, the more attractive you will be not only as a candidate, but also as a
future internal candidate, since future promotions may involve internal corporate relocation.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"While I like the area where I currently live, I am open to considering other parts of the
country for the right opportunity. I am early enough in my career to be mobile and flexible in
what I will consider in terms of my work location. The work itself is what is most important for
me."
"Im very flexible about where I will work after graduation. It would be relatively easy for me to
relocate to other parts of the country and Im open to exploring new opportunities."
"I wanted to move back home after graduation to be closer to my Mom, but I cant find a job
there right now. So I would be open to considering another area just to get started, but my
long-term goal will be to move back to my hometown if and when a job opens up there."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
18. How familiar are you with the community where we

are located?

This question is most often asked by employers based in smaller towns. Many large
corporations have either their headquarters or subsidiary locations in smaller towns, which
can be surprising to potential candidates. So the interviewer is probing to find out if you are
truly familiar with the town or city in which the job is located and, if so, what your
impressions are of that town/city. However, this doesnt just apply to small towns, it can
apply for any job where a relocation to a new area may be involved.

What do you know about ______ (location)?
What have you heard of ______ (location)?
Have you done any research about ______ (location)?
Do you prefer living and working in small towns or large cities?

This is another time when you can demonstrate that the job is perfect for you. Your answer
should demonstrate this.

Know the town/city and do research on that location independent of the employer. Is it a
great place to live? If yes, why? Be ready to answer with a reverse sell on why it is a great
place to live and work.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Ive been reading a lot of information about Victoria Island Lagos and was pleased to see it
rated as one of the best areas in Lagos to live and work. The combination of professional
opportunities with the major employers in the city along with the quality of life make it a
great place to consider for relocation."
"Ive been to Victoria Island several times before, since I have family and friends who live in the
area. I love the combination of work and recreational opportunities in the Ikoyi area and have
already explored with my friends some of the available options for apartments in the area."
"Well, Ive heard the slogan to Eko Oni Baje, but Im not really sure what that means. If that
means there are a lot of weirdos walking around, I guess I would just have to stay in at night to
avoid them."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
19. Are you a team player?

The interviewer wants to know how well you will perform in a team environment. This is a
closed-end question which could be answered yes/no, but the interviewer will typically probe
further for specifics. This can be a difficult question for an interviewer to probe, since almost
everyone answers yes to the question and then tries to back it up with team results. One of
the most difficult aspects of interviewing is understanding what the candidate accomplished
vs. what the candidate's team accomplished. And did the team accomplish the results
because of the candidate or in spite of the candidate. It's common for a high performing team
to have one (or two or three) team members who are not producing like the other members
of the team. So a good interviewer will seek to probe into your specific role, interaction within
the team and contributions to the results.

Do you like working in a team?
Are you better on a team or working by yourself?
Talk about a team project and your contribution.

Giving an open-ended answer is the wrong way to answer this question. Nor should
candidates be asking questions in response to the question. You should must have worked
previously in a team, sharing your experience working in the team is a better strategy

Give an example of how you have worked in a positive way with your team. For managers,
this can take on a second dimension of managing a team. For most, however, it should be
focused on how we interact with and communicate with others at a peer level on a work
team and the results achieved, making note of outstanding contributions to the team. Final
note: in spite of the temptation, do not answer with sports analogies or sports cliches
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Yes I am. An example of this is my current team, the Global Standards Project, where we are
all working together with a variety of background and skills to produce a result which none of
us could have achieved individually. So it's important that we all communicate well with each
other on an ongoing basis. Some of this takes place in our weekly status meeting, where we
get together to update on our progress toward the goal. But I think the most important
aspect is the ad hoc meetings that take place during the week between different team
members. One of the members of our team taught us how to scrum on problems and now we
are all using it as a way to both communicate and involve others to move the project forward.
These scrum sessions are usually impromptu and might only last for 10-15 minutes, but they
help to get team members unstuck on problems they are facing so that they don't have to
wait until the Friday status meeting to discuss. So we are all staying in constant
communication with each other to not only reach our own goals, but also to help others in
reaching their project goals. Net result is that we already have four distinct deliverables and
have already recorded more than N350,000 in cost savings in just the past two months. And,
based on my interaction with the team, I am currently being trained as a Scrum Master to lead
future scrum sessions."
"Yes I am. An example of this was with my summer internship team, the Global Standards
Project, where we were all working together with a variety of background and skills to produce
a result which none of us could have achieved individually. It's important to note that I joined
an already established team, so it was important to me to communicate with others and make
sure I was on track for delivering my part of the project. Although my deliverable was a small
part of the overall project, there were several team dependencies based on my ability to
deliver. So I not only kept everyone current during the weekly meetings, I also worked closely
with several key team members throughout the week to make sure I kept my portion of the
project on track. The end result is that I delivered on time and within budget. The entire
project met its deliverables and they are now on to the next phase of the project."
"You bet I am! That is, if I'm on the right team. If I'm not on the right team, and that's happened
to me, I will work to get moved to a different team. Just like Lionel Messi had to make the move
to Spain, I've had to move around teams to get on the right one. Although I guess
wouldn't move back to Abuja, but you get the idea. If someone can get me the ball when I'm
hot, hey I'm smoking hot. Surround me with other superstars and I'll be a superstar, too! So now
I'm looking to get off my team and join another team so that I can be my best. My current team
was good for a while, but now they kinda suck and I'm doing all the work. I want to move to a
team where everyone plays their best and we can win a championship."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
20. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

The interviewer is probing your work style. And, if the question is being asked by your
potential future manager, the question is probing further into how you have responded,
both positively and negatively, to managers and management input in the past. Managers
are wary of potential employees who may present work style issues and this question is
designed to probe for potential future problem employees.

Talk about your best boss.
Did you have a boss you liked working with in the past?
What is the best way to manage you as an employee?

Do not fill in the time by saying things like Thats a hard one or indicate that you have a
lot of instances you can talk about. This emphasizes that there are a lot of problems your
boss will have to handle, working with you. There should always be a boss that stands out, so take
a deep breath and be open-minded about it.

Focus on what you have done in the past to make your manager look good (or great). Even
though you may want to answer the question focusing on your past manager, you should
focus on what you have done in working with that manager. Even though this may seem like
a subtle difference, it makes a huge difference in how your answer is presented. Focus on
vision and leadership qualities as they translate into delivered results. And even though the
answer is not specifically behavioral, you should answer with a behavioral example, if
possible. If you had a successful manager, reference that person personally. Also, it's
important to pause at the beginning of this question to give it some thought before
answering.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
(pause) "I believe that a successful manager should provide the team with the big picture, a
view and a vision of where we are going and how our work specifically fits into the overall
direction of the company. Yet focused on delivering results. As an example, I had a recent
manager who was excellent at keeping our team focused on delivering results which were in
full alignment with a recent change in corporate direction. Let me tell you more about it"
(pause) "I have had two direct managers as well as a team lead in my past internships. It was
actually the team lead in my last internship who had the qualities of a successful manager
that I admired the most. While my overall manager was there to provide the team with
overall direction, which was important, it was the team lead who translated that overall
direction into how we could have a specific impact on a day-to-day basis. Many internships
do not produce deliverable results, but what impressed me about my team lead is how she
kept me focused on delivering results on a weekly basis. The net result is that I delivered my
component of a critical project within the timeframe of my internship."
"A successful manager is one who leaves me alone and let's me just get my job done. One who
doesn't ask me to report on anything. And doesn't ask me to attend the stupid, endless, boring
meetings. I just like to come in, put on my earphones and block out the rest of the world. That's
how I get the most work done. Everything else is just an interruption to my day."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
21. How do you personally define success?

The interviewer is looking for both your motivation and your measurement system. In a
way, this is a work ethic question, since it is asking about how you define success. But it is
more than that. The interviewer is looking beyond the definition for success and actually
looking for how you plan to achieve that success. Or if you have a plan at all.

What does success look like to you?
What do you want to accomplish in your first year on the job?
How will you know you are successful in your role?
What will your first performance review say about your results?

The interviewer who asks it may be serious, but it does not require a lengthy discussion.
Avoid getting bogged down by this answer. Be brief and clear about sharing your success
philosophy.

Use specific examples of successes you have achieved to date and then walk the interviewer
through the steps (situation or task, action and results) you personally took to acheieve that
success. Ideally, you should talk about a goal that was set for you where you exceeded
expectations.
www..teststreams.com 42
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"I define success as delivering more than is expected of me. Let me give you an example. My
primary goal for this past year has been the delivery of the new accounting system. While the
main driving force behind the delivery of this new system has been to update our systems to
reflect current accounting practices, I also identified several process steps which could be
automated as part of this system upgrade. After consultation with the team, I integrated
these process steps into the system, which how saves our accounting team a total of 30 to 40
hours each month during month-end closing..."
"I define success as delivering more than is expected of me. Let me give you an example.
During my internship last summer, I was given a main goal to deliver research on selection of
new collaboration tools for our business unit. I went beyond that initial research and actually
implemented several test tools for the team to work with as a trial. Those tools are now being
rolled out throughout the company based on my initial work..."
"I'm pretty money motivated, so money is my measuring stick. I know if I'm successful based on
how much money I have been earning. If I'm doing well, I would expect to be paid more money.
At the end of the day, the only real measure that crosses all professions is money. So show me
the money and I'll show you the motivation." "
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
22. Would you rather work with information or with people?

Most jobs have a combination of three different elements: people, data and/or things.
Different jobs have different levels of combination of these elements. So the interviewer is
trying to understand your preferred balance. And trying to find out if you are unbalanced in
your preference (especially in relation to the specific position for which you are interviewing).

Are you a people person?
Do you enjoy working with things or with people?
Would you rather be heads-down in the data or meeting with people all day?
What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Dont answer this by saying you're not really sure. It is understood that the situation will
affect what you and the team do; they dont need to be told that. It is an evasive answer to
the question that does not provide any real information.

Although you may prefer one element over another, the reality is that most jobs require a
balance of two or three elements. Most professional-level jobs are focused primarily on
people and/or data. So while it's acceptable to state a preference for one over the other, the
best answer provides an example of working with both (or all three) elements.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"My job is primarily focused on information, but there is also a strong people element to it. I
have found that as I progress in my career, the emphasis has gradually moved away from
information and toward people. There are quite a few people in my profession who are
excellent in dealing with information, but lacking in dealing with people. It's important to
excel at both. My recent promotion was due to my ability to work well with both information
and people"
"My schoolwork has focused on the information element, yet my recent internship focused
both on information and people. While most of schooling focuses on individual
accomplishments, my internship focused on getting results as a part of the team. I'm equally
comfortable working with either element and I have seen through my internship how the
people element will continue to grow in importance as I move forward in my career"
"Definitely information. Some of my co-workers even refer to me as a closet coder. You know,
lock me in a closet and let me code. Occasionally slide some pizza under the door and I'm good.
I don't deal well with interruptions and usually keep ear buds in with loud music so that people
won't interrupt me during the day."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
23. Tell me about some of your recent goals and what

you did to achieve them.

The interviewer is asking about goals you have already achieved. So it has a dual purpose in
asking whether you set goals and, if yes, whether you have actually achieved your goals
(and how).

What have you most recently accomplished?
Tell me about a recent project start to finish.
What objectives do you have in your work and did you complete them?
What plans have you recently completed?

If this question comes up in an interview, it is clearly something that the interview uses to
measure your performance as well as discipline, so avoid talking about how you failed in
achieving the goals. If you have had bad experiences in the past, dont use them as a way to
prove your honesty. If you do bring them up, make sure to talk about how it eventually
turned out to help you achieve the goals.

Listen closely to the question. This is not asking about your future goals. The question is
asking about recent goals you have completed and how you achieved them. It is a behavioral
question that you should answer using the STAR (situation or task, action, results) approach.
Keep it professional, not personal. .
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"As part of my annual performance planning, I have a series of measurable goals to

accomplish over the course of the following year. This past year I set three major goals to
achieve during the course of the year. They included , , and . I achieved all three.
Which of the three goals would you like me to tell you more about?"
"In my recent internship, I set a personal goal to not only accomplish my set objectives for my
internship, but also to develop proficiency in a new tool or technology. My objectives for my
internship were both completed and I was also able to develop proficiency in Java, which I had
previously only used in my classes at school. Let me tell you about the objectives achieved and
where I was able to use Java to complete the project"
"Well, I've been a gamer since I was a kid and one of my goals was to achieve one of the top
ten scores in Minecraft. This past year I was able to score #10 on the global list. I was totally
stoked."
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
24. Are you a goal-oriented person?

The question is asked for two reasons:
1) to find out if you set (and achieve) goals in your work; and
2) what your primary motivators are in your work and your life in general.

What are your career goals?
What are your lift goals?
Tell me about a goal you have accomplished.
What is the most important goal you have accomplished in your life to date?

This is an area of particular concern because companies do not want their staff to be
inconsistent in their approach to work. It is another time when you should not answer that
you are not sure, because in this case you should be affirmative. Ensuring new hires are
goal-oriented is one of the qualities that an interviewer looks for.

If you have a goal (or, ideally, several goals) which you recently accomplished and are related
to the role for which you are interviewing, these are the ideal goals to reference in answering
the question. The question technically only requires a yes/no, but you should answer it
affirmatively (Yes), then follow with an example of a recent goal you have achieved.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"Yes I am. I have several key goals set for my role that I am seeking to accomplish over the
course of the coming year. Let me tell you about one that I recently accomplished ahead of
schedule"
"Yes I am. I have quite a few goals that I have set for myself in my education and career
preparation. An example of achieving one of my recent goals was securing an internship this
past summer"
"I guess so. Although my life has been so busy, Ive kinda given up on trying to complete my
goals, so I have a lot of goals that are in half-finished stage. I never seem to be able to complete
them, since there always seems to be something else more important getting in the way"
INTERVIEW QUESTION:
25. Do you have any plans for further education?

This is a double-edged sword question. On the one hand, the employer will typically want
you to pursue further training and education that will help you to succeed in the role. On
the other hand, the employer is typically not interested in candidates who are only using
the role as a stepping stone to higher education and potentially going on to other
employers.

What is your view on training?
Are you finished with going to college after you graduate?
Do you have an interest in pursuing a higher degree?
If the company offers tuition assistance plan. Do you plan to use this type of assistance?

Your answer should not indicate that you will leave the job immediately after the education is
obtained. Remember to direct the purpose of your education towards becoming better on the
job.

You need to fully understand the further education needs of the role. In most cases, the role
for which you are being hired requires only the education you will be completing by
graduation. However, there are some roles where firms expect you to go back for further
education at some point in the future, even to the point of financing your advanced degree.
So know the role and know the requirements before you answer the question. Then answer
the question in a way which shows that you are committed to both learning the role and
preparing yourself for potential future advancement.
www.teststreams..com 50
SAMPLE RESPONSES
"While I dont have any plans at this time to complete an advanced degree, I am always open
to further education in terms of either internal or external training. Since technology changes
rapidly in our field, I do my best to stay on top of these changes through my own personal
research. In the past, my employer has also sent me to industry training on a periodic basis to
make sure that my skills are being kept current. What further training and education do you
recommend for your employees in this role?"
"I view learning as a lifelong process. Even though I will be graduating in the spring, I want to
continue to learn as much as I can to be an effective _____. So if that is a combination of
internal and external training, I am ready and prepared to continue to learn in the role"
"Ive been in school for almost 16 years and Im ready to put on the grad cap and then call it
quits, at least for a while. Its time to earn the big bucks. Although maybe in a few years, I might
use your tuition assistance plan to go back to school to get a law degree. I understand thats
where the really big bucks are made."
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TOP INTERVIEW

1. Tell me about yourself?

1. Tell me about yourself?

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What you should say -

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2. Why should I hire you?

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3. What is your long-range objective?

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4. What is your greatest accomplishment?

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5. How has your education prepared you for your career?

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6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor?

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7. What is your greatest strength?

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"I have quite a few strengths(pause to think)probably my greatest strength is my

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8. What is your greatest weakness?

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What does this question try to uncover?

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