Central Wyoming College

General considerations for interviewing:

An interviewer learns more from listening than talking

• Determine information you wish to obtain from the interview
• Determine appropriate place for interview - comfortable, neutral environment where you will be free from interruptions
• Determine who and how you will do the interviewing. You may wish to schedule multiple interviews, have a committee screen and interview, schedule interviews with various departments or with multi-level interviewers, etc.
• Develop questions. For fairness, all candidates should be asked the same or similar questions.
• Allow sufficient time for each interview
• Review information immediately following each interview and make appropriate notes. Weigh hiring decisions
• Ask general, open-ended questions that do not suggest a particular answer
• Use short questions
• Listen carefully to each response; then decide on your next question
• Probe the candidate's range of expertise
• Stimulate value judgment
• Be on time
• Avoid interruptions during the interview
• Treat all applicants the same
• Establish rapport
• Be sincere
• Show respect for the individual
• Provide information
• Explain the placement process

Sample Questions

• Would you tell me about your present (last) position?
• How would you describe a typical work day?
• What activities did you enjoy most at your last job?
• What do you consider the most critical elements in the successful performance of your present (last) position?
• What do you feel you do the best? Why?
• What job functions are the most difficult for you? Why?
• What problems do you encounter on the job? Which frustrate you the most? Why? How do you deal with them?
• What was your greatest contribution in your present (past) position?
• How have you improved your position from the one that you originally accepted?
• How have your previous jobs prepared you for more responsibility?
• What are the reasons you left your last job?
• To what extent do you feel your job progress in the past has been in keeping with your ability?
• Under what conditions do you do your best work?
• What can your boss do to help you deliver your best work?
• What's the one thing your current job doesn't have that you wish it did?
• What's the best work-related compliment you ever received?
• What's a work environment that you would be really uncomfortable in? (Seek both physical and cultural answers.)
• What was the "best mistake" you ever made on the job?
• Every person has a full range of emotions. What's something that really "pushes your buttons," that makes you so angry in an instant that you're ready to blow?
• How would you describe your supervisor?
• What do you feel are your supervisor's greatest strengths? Why? Weaknesses? Why?
• In what ways has your supervisor supported your performance?
• For what kinds of things have you been praised? Criticized?
• How would you characterize your coworkers?
• What disagreements have you had with coworkers?
• How would you describe your relationships with people in other departments?
• What kind of people do you enjoy working with? What kind do you find difficult?
• What do you consider essential in the management of people?
• What type of committees have you worked on? What did you contribute?
• Did you receive adequate credit for your efforts?
• What is important to you in a job?
• What would you like to avoid?
• What do you want from this job that is lacking in your present (past) one?
• What position do you expect to hold five years from now?
• What are you doing to achieve your career goals?
• What are your salary expectations? On what do you base them?
• As an employee, what do you consider your greatest strength?
• In what areas would you most like to improve? Why?
• What motivates you?
• Why did you select this particular field of work?
• What attracts you to the job for which you are applying?
• What do you believe qualifies you for this position?
• What elements of this job would be new to you?
• What additional training do you feel is required to achieve full proficiency?
• When was a time when you....?
• Can you give me an example of when you....?
• Could you tell me about a time when you...?
• Tell me more about when you....?
• Have you ever had to...? What was the situation, and what did you do?
• Describe a situation where you....?
• Let's go back to that situation you just mentioned. Can you elaborate a little more about how you....?
• When (this) happens, what do you do? Can you explain in detail a specific instance of that?
• Your resume/application indicates that you....How exactly did you do that?
• I hear what you're saying, but I need a few more details to really understand what happened. Can you take me back to the point when you...?
• You said you always/never... But what about a time when you...?
• Have you ever had the experience of..(or occasion do...)? Can you tell me about that?
• This is a most impressive accomplishment. To help me understand it better, could you walk me through the process starting with...
• Interesting. Fascinating. Hmmm. No kidding? Wow. Tell me more.
• Cutting expenses 94 percent while increasing revenues 212 percent is most impressive. How did you do that?
• I see. (Silence) Go on.
• I'm a little confused about what exactly you did in that situation. Can you help me to understand by describing it the way you would describe a scene in a movie, so that I can see the action taking place?
• What were you doing while all this was happening?
• What was your role in that?
• Walk me through, in such fine detail that you think it might annoy me, a typical operation/job/phone call/meeting...
• Recall a time when you grasped the concept and didn't need any more examples.
• What would you do in...(specific situation)?

The most powerful interview questions is: Why? This goes beyond the superficial and reveals the candidate's judgment, understanding, decision-making process, values, biases, etc.

Key points to remember when using questions

Questions should be directed to determine work-related skills. Questions that could be construed to be discriminatory such as questions on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or handicap should be avoided.