Ten Job Interview Questions and Ten Great Answers

Guess the questions for the following answers from a job interview. (The responses are not there for you to lift from
the page and insert into your next interview. They are meant to be used as the basic structure for formulating
your own answers)

1. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____ I
can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself . . .

2. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other
college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an
additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for excellence. Not just
giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In _____ and
_____I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following …

3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to
develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your company has. In
fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in the _____ industry. I
will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully
prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term.

4. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
As you will note on my resume, I've taken not only the required core classes in the _____ field, I've
also gone above and beyond. I've taken every class the college has to offer in the field and also
completed an independent study project specifically in this area. But it's not just taking the classes to
gain academic knowledge--I've taken each class, both inside and outside of my major, with this
profession in mind. So when we're studying _____ in _____, I've viewed it from the perspective of
_____. In addition, I've always tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to
my job. Not just theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course project in my final
semester involved developing a real-world model of _____, which is very similar to what might be
used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . . .

5. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
Very much so. In fact, I've had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as
a team player. I was involved in _____, including leading my team in matches during the past year--I
always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I've worked on several team projects,
serving as both a member and team leader. I've seen the value of working together as a team to
achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an example . . .
6. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations
where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it's
because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to give me
their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully explain my perspective. At that
point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would
submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit
yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you're in full agreement or not. An example of
this was when . . .

7. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I would
overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I would
like. However, since I've come to recognize that weakness, I've taken steps to correct it. For example,
I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my appointments and "to do"
items. Here, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . .

8. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to
it that it's accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I
was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say
that I always took a keen interest in the subjects I was studying and always sought ways to apply the
knowledge in real world settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these things? No, in fact,
I'm quite certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of
recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. Let me show you . . .

9. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
The key quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working
under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A manager should
also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring
others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a person who I consider to be a
true leader . . .

10. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
That's a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that things
had been different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be changed, that only
things in the future can be changed. That's why I continually strive to improve myself each and every
day and that's why I'm working hard to continually increase my knowledge in the _____ field. That's
also the reason why I want to become the very best _____ your company has ever had. To make
positive change. And all of that is still in the future. So in answer to your question, there isn't
anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.