PROBING SELECTION INTERVIEWING QUESTIONS
BOTH STANDARD AND COMPETENCY BASED.
STANDARD TYPE.
Following is a list of sample questions arranged around the six major job related topics in the employment interview. The questions in no way exhaust all the possible questions that can be asked in the employment interview. You will want to modify the questions and develop a list of your own as you become more proficient in employment interviewing.
A.EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1.What subjects did you enjoy the most? Why?
2.What subjects did you enjoy the least? Why?
3.In what subjects did you get your best grades?
4.In what subjects did you do least well? Why?
5. Why did you go to college?
6. What prompted you to choose as your major?
7.What special certificates or awards have you received?
8.How well do you think you have been prepared for the world of work? Why?
9.What courses do you think are directly transferable to the job?
10.What kinds of training have you received?
11.What kinds of skills were acquired as a result of that training?
12.Will you need additional training to do the job here?
13.What do you know about computer languages?
14.What do you know about (theories, ideas, concepts)?
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B. WORKEXPERIENCE AND SPECIAL SKILLS
1.Tell me about your work history?
2.What are your special job strengths?
3.What did you like most about your last job?
4.What did you like least about your last job?
5.How have your previous work experiences prepared you for this position?
6.What was the major accomplishment on your last job?
7.Explain your job duties in your present (or past) job.
8.What did you do on your last job?
9.What did you find most frustrating on your last job?
10.How satisfied are you with the job progress you have made so far?
11.What did you like about your boss? What did you dislike?
12. Why did you leave your last employer?
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C. JOB PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
1.How well did you perform on your last job?
2.What kinds of evaluations did you receive on your last job?
3.What were some of the positive aspects of your evaluations?
4.What were some of the negative aspects of your evaluations?
5.How effectively did your boss handle evaluations?
6.Do you think the evaluations you got were accurate? Why? Why not?
7.What is your attendance record?
8.How well do you work under pressure of deadlines?
9.What evidence can you provide that you can work effectively under pressure?
10.How well did you get along with your boss?
11.How well did you get along with your co workers?
12.Do you prefer working alone or with groups?
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D. CAREER INTERESTS AND WORK GOALS
1.What are your short and long term objectives or goals?
2.What would it take to be successful in such a job?
3.What kinds of things would you want to avoid in future jobs?
4.Do you prefer a large or small company? Why?
5.What other types of jobs have you considered?
6.What kinds of developmental experiences might be necessary to reach your goals?
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E.INTEREST IN SPECIFIC JOB AND COMPANY
1.What is it about this job that appeals to you?
2.How do you feel about travelling, relocating, working overtime, alternating shifts, working weekends?
3.What do you know about this job?
4.What do you know about our company? Organization? Products? Services? Locations?
5.Why do you want to work for us?
6.What interests you about our product or service?
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F.SALARY AND BENEFITS
1.What are your salary goals?
2.What kind of starting salary are you looking for?
3.What fringe benefits are most important to you?
4.How much are you worth to our company? Why?
5.What kind of annual increases are you expecting?
6.What kind of salary do you expect to be earning in five years?
7.What was the salary on your last job?
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G.SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1.What do you think has accounted for the success you have had so far in your career?
2. What would you say are some of the basic factors that motivate you in your work?
3.How have you grown in your job ove,r the last few year
4.Describe a difficult obstacle that you overcame in your last job. How did you handle it? What did you learn from the experience?
5.How would you describe your management style?
6.What kinds of things frustrate you most on a job? How do you cope with them?
7.What would you consider to be your greatest job achievements to date? Why?
8.How would you assess your ability to handle details? Evidence?
9.How successful are you at persuading others? Evidence?
10.How successful are you at handling employee problems?
11.How did you handle your biggest career disappointment?
The questions you ask should be aimed at getting facts that go beyond the application form but stay away from those factors that are not related to the job. You should be concerned with determining whether the applicant has the necessary qualifications to do the job and make certain that the questions are applied uniformly during the interview.
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COMPETENCY BASED SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The process of developing questions is based on employee competences,to sample questions which tie together tasks and employee competence. These questions can be asked of any applicant. If the question does not yield information related to the employee competence factor, it can be repeated or a probe can be used. The interviewer can modify these questions as needed. For example, if behavior descriptions are sought from applicants, they may be asked to identify a specific situation before these questions are asked. Applicants are then asked to describe their behavior in the situation and the outcome.
Competence Factor: Achievement Motivation
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•Name two of your best accomplishments, including where the assignments came from, your plans in carrying them out, how you eventually did carry them out, and any obstacles you overcame.
•What do you consider your greatest accomplishments in your present position?
•Describe your accomplishments in community related activities.
PROBES:
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* What sparked your interest in this activity?
*What did you gain from this activity?
*What would be your greatest success to date?
•What was the most difficult task or assignment you confronted in these jobs, and how did you deal with it?
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Competence Factor: Attention to Detail
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Describe a course, project, or work experience which was complex.
Probes:
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• What kind of follow up did you undertake?
• How much time was spent on unexpected difficulties?
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Competence Factor: Career Interest
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What led to your choice of the career you are planning?
Why did or did you not attend college (or graduate school, trade school, and so forth)? Why did you choose to major in this particular field?
How did you select your college or university?
Have you devised a career plan? If so, what is it, and how did you arrive at it?
Do you have long and short range work goals or objectives? When and why did you establish them, and how are you going to attain them?
How does this job work into your overall career plan?
What factors have been most important in your development to date?
*What accomplishments would you like to make in the next five years?
*Where do you see yourself five years from now, with regard to a career?
*What is your vision of yourself ten years from now?
*Have there been any obstacles hindering your ability to move ahead faster? If so, what?
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Competence Factor: Creativity
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Can you think of a situation where innovation was required at work?
Probe:
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What did you do in this situation?
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Competence Factor: Decision Making
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Discuss an important decision you have made regarding work or school.
Probe:
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What factors influenced your decision?
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Competence Factor: Educational Background
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*What college subjects did you like best? Why?
*What college subjects did you like least? Why?
*What aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job?
*How has your college experience prepared you for your working career?
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Competence Factor: Human Relations Skill
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Tell me about a course, work experience, or extracurricular activity where you had to work closely with others.
Probes:
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• How did it go?
• How did you overcome any difficulties?
*Tell me about a work experience where you had to work with the public.
Probe:
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*How did you handle irate customers?
*When was the last time you worked with someone to accomplish a task? Can you tell me about it?
Probes:
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* How were the tasks divided between both of you?
*Who did you find the most difficult person you had to deal with? Describe an interaction which illustrates that difficulty.
Probes:
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• Tell me about the last time you dealt with him/her?
• What was the situation?
• What did the two of you have to say?
• How did you resolve the situation?
• How do you manage subordinates who report to you?
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Competence Factor: Independent Work / initiative
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*Have you taken an independent study course?
*Describe it. Describe some work responsibilities which you had to accomplish on your own.
*Describe a project you started on your own.
Probes:
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• What did you do?
• Why did you do it?
*Can you think of a company policy that needed changing? What did you do in order to effect the change?
*What have you done on your present job that goes beyond what was required?
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Competence Factor: Leadership
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*Discuss a work situation in which you felt you successfully directed the work of others or marshalled resources.
*Give an example of your ability to manage or supervise others.
*What are the most important performance expectations in your area? How have you monitored the work in this area?
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Competence Factor: Learning Ability
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*Tell me about a job you had which required you to learn new things.
*Tell me about a recent job or experience which you would describe as a real learning experience.
Probe:
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* What did you learn from the job or the experience?
*Discuss the highlights of your most recent educational experience.
Probes:
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* What led you to the choice of your majo
•Subjects liked most? Liked least?
• Do you feel your grades reflected your efforts?
• Any special achievements?
• Most difficult problems?
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Competence Factor: Motivation
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*Can you tell me why you are interested in this particular job?
*What are your long and shortrange goals at this point?
*Are you satisfied with this line of work?
*What are the pros and cons of this line of work in your opinion?
*Name a few things most important to you in your job.
*If you had to pick a favorite job, which one you would you choose?
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Competence Factor: Organization Commitment
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*Can you think of some examples where you did work above and beyond the norm?
Probes:
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• What did you do?
• Why were you chosen for it?
• How did you feel about this?
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Competence Factor: Planning and Organizing
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*Describe a project you had to control.
Probe:
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* What did you do?
*Of all the assignments which you have been given, which do you consider to have required the greatest amount of effort? How did you go about accomplishing this assignment?
Probes:
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• Discuss the assignment.
• Tell me how you handled it.
• Was the assignment completed on time?
*Can you describe something you have implemented at work?
Probe:
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* Ask about planning issues.
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Competence Factor: Problem Analysis
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*When you have been made aware of, or have discovered yourself, a problem in your work performance, what was your course of action?
Probe:
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* Can you give me an example?
*In some aspects of work it is important to be free of error. Can you describe a situation where you have tried to prevent errors?
Probes:
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• What did you do?
• Outcome?
*Can you think of a situation where you had to solve a problem at work? What did you do in this situation?
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Competence Factor: Stress Tolerance
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*Describe a situation where you had to work under pressure.
Probes:
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• What kind of pressure?
• How did you cope?
*When was the last time you felt pressure on a job?
Probes:
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• How did the situation come about?
• How did you react?
• What made you decide to handle it that way?
• What effect, if any, did this have on your other responsibilities?
*Discuss the last time you made a decision when your instructions about what to do were ambiguous or contradictory.
Probes:
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• What was the source of confusion?
*Did you seek clarification or counsel?
• What were the reactions of others to your decision?
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Competence Factor: Technical Ability
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*Tell me about your work in mathematics.
Probes:
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• What grades did you receive?
• What was most difficult? Easy?
*I noticed on your resume that you attended training program. Can you de
scribe the training program?
Probe.
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• How did you do?
• How have you made use of the course at work?
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Competence Factor: Turnover Risk
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*Did you help finance your own education? How and why?
*Do you plan to continue your education? Why or why not?
*Why are you leaving your present job (why did you leave your last job)?
*Do you have plans for continued study? An advanced degree?
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Competence Factor: Written Communications
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*Tell me about your experience in preparing written materials
A LIST OF TESTED QUESTIONS
· WARM-UP QUESTIONS
· WORK HISTORY
· JOB PERFORMANCE
· EDUCATION
· CAREER GOALS
· SELF-ASSESSMENT
· CREATIVITY
· DECISIVENESS
· RANGE OF INTERESTS
· MOTIVATION
· WORK STANDARDS
· LEADERSHIP
· ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS
· WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
· FLEXIBILITY
· STRESS TOLERANCE
· STABILITY & MATURITY
· INTEREST IN SELF DEVELOPMENT
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
· What made you apply for this position?
· How did you hear about this job opening?
· Briefly, would you summarize your work history & education for me?
WORK HISTORY
· What special aspects of your work experience have prepared you for this job?
· Can you describe for me one or two of your most important accomplishments?
· How much supervision have you typically received in your previous job?
· Describe for me one or two of the biggest disappointments in your work history?
· Why are you leaving your present job? (or, Why did you leave your last job?)
· What is important to you in a company? What things do you look for in an organization?
JOB PERFORMANCE
· Everyone has strengths & weaknesses as workers. What are your strong points for this job?
· What would you say are areas needing improvement?
· How did your supervisor on your most recent job evaluate your job performance? What were some of the good points & bad points of that rating?
· When you have been told , or discovered for yourself , a problem in your job performance, what have you typically done? Can you give me an example?
· Do you prefer working alone or in groups?
· What kind of people do you find it most difficult to work with? Why?
· Starting with your last job, tell me about any of your achievements that were recognized by your superiors.
· Can you give me an example of your ability to manage or supervise others?
· What are some things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?
· In your previous job what kind of pressures did you encounter?
· What would you say is the most important thing you are looking for in a job?
· What are some of the things on your job you feel you have done particularly well or in which you have achieved the greatest success? Why do you feel this way?
· What were some of the things about your last job that you found most difficult to do?
· What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job? Which one frustrates you the most? What do you usually do about it?
· What are some things you particularly liked about your last job?
· Do you consider your progress on the job representative of your ability? Why?
· How do you feel about the way you & others in the department were managed by your supervisor?
· If I were to ask your present (most recent) employer about your ability as a____________________, what would he/she say?
EDUCATION
· What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job?
· What courses in school have been of most help in doing your job?
CAREER- GOALS
· What is your long-term employment or career objective?
· What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?
· What do you feel you need to develop in terms of skill & knowledge in order to be ready for that opportunity?
· Why might you be successful in such a job?
· How does this job fit in with your overall career goals?
· Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most with your career objectives?
· Can you pinpoint any specific things in your past experience that affected your present career objectives?
· What would you most like to accomplish if you had this job?
· What might make you leave this job?
SELF-ASSESSMENT
· What kind of things do you feel most confident in doing?
· Can you describe for me a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome? How did you handle it? How do you feel this experience affected your personality or ability?
· How would you describe yourself as a person?
· What do you think are the most important characteristics & abilities a person must possess to become a successful ( )? How do you rate yourself in these areas?
· Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why ( and give examples)
· What do you consider to be your greatest achievements to date? Why?
· What things give you the greatest satisfaction at work?
· What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope with them?
CREATIVITY
· In your work experience, what have you done that you consider truly creative?
· Can you think of a problem you have encountered when the old solutions didn't work & when you came up with new solutions?
· Of your creative accomplishments big or small , at work or home, what gave you the most satisfaction?
· What kind of problems have people recently called on you to solve? Tell me what you have devised.
DECISIVENESS
· Do you consider yourself to be thoughtful, analytical or do you usually make up your mind fast? Give an example. (Watch time taken to respond)
· What was your most difficult decision in the last six months? What made it difficult?
· The last time you did not know what decision to make, what did you do?
· How do you go about making an important decision affecting your career?
· What was the last major problem that you were confronted with? What action did you take on it?
RANGE OF INTERESTS
· What organizations do you belong to?
· Tell me specifically what you do in the civic activities in which you participate. (Leading questions in selected areas. i.e. sports, economics, current events, finance.)
· How do you keep up with what's going on in your company / your industry/ your profession?
MOTIVATION
· What is your professional goal?
· Can you give me examples of experience on the job that you felt were satisfying?
· Do you have a long & short-term plan for your department? Is it realistic?
· Did you achieve it last year?
· Describe how you determine what constitutes top priorities in the performance of your job.
WORK STANDARDS
· What are your standards of success in your job?
· In your position, how would you define doing a good job? On what basis was your definition determined?
· When judging the performance of your subordinate, what factors or characteristics are most important to you?
LEADERSHIP
· In your present job what approach do you take to get your people together to establish a common approach to a problem?
· What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or department goals?
· What specifically do you do to set an example for your employees?
· How frequently do you meet with your immediate subordinates as a group?
· What sort of leader do your people feel you are? Are you satisfied?
· How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common approach to a problem?
· If you do not have much time & they hold seriously differing views, what would be your approach?
· How would you describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of how you practice this?
· Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group situation?
· Have you ever led a task force or committee or any group who doesn't report to you, but from whom you have to get work? How did you do it? What were the satisfactions & disappointments? How would you handle the job differently?
ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS
· Have you ever done any public or group speaking? Recently? Why? How did it go?
· Have you made any individual presentations recently? How did you prepare?
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
· Would you rather write a report or give a verbal report? Why?
· What kind of writing have you done? For a group? For an individual?
· What is the extent of your participation in major reports that have to be written?
FLEXIBILITY
· What was the most important idea or suggestion you received recently from your employees? What happened as a result?
· What do you think about the continuous changes in company operating policies & procedures?
· How effective has your company been in adapting its policies to fit a changing environment?
· What was the most significant change made in your company in the last six months which directly affected you, & how successfully do you think you implemented this change?
STRESS TOLERANCE
· Do you feel pressure in your job? Tell me about it.
· What has been the highest pressure situation you have been under in recent years? How did you cope with it?
STABILITY & MATURITY[/b
· Describe your most significant success & failure in the last two years.
· What do you like to do best?
· What do you like to do least?
· What in your last review did your supervisor suggest needed improvement?
· What have you done about it?
[b]INTEREST IN SELF DEVELOPMENT
· What has been the most important person or event in your own self development?
· How much of your education did you earn?
· What kind of books & other publications do you read?
· Have you taken a management development course?
· How are you helping your subordinates develop themselves?
SOME QUESTIONS RECURITMENT OF HR PROFESSIONNALS
· What can you tell me about the position?
· What type of person you are seeking?
· What can you tell me more about the department?
· Who is the manager I would be working for and what is their management style?
· May I have a copy of the written job description?
· What would a typical working day be in this position?
· How would you describe your company culture?
· What is your company’s mission statement?
· Why is this position open?
· Is this job opening due to growth or replacement? (if replacement) What happened to the previous person in the position?
· How much does the position pay?
· What is the compensation range for this position?
· What benefits are provided to your employees?
· Do you have a tuition reimbursement plan?
· Do you have an employee stock purchase plan? Do you participate?
· What is the typical career path for this position?
· What type of internal and external training do you provide?
· How are performance appraisals conducted within your organization?
· How are promotions evaluated within your organization?
· What is your organization’s commitment to diversity?
· How diverse is your executive management team?
· What is your retention rate within the company? Within the hiring department?
· Has your company had any layoffs in the past two years? What was the criteria for deciding who would be laid off? Do you foresee any additional layoffs in the near future?
· What is the next step for consideration?
· When will you be making a decision on this position?
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK:
How many children do you have at home?
Are you pregnant?
Are you married with children?
Are you single (or married)?
How old are you?
Do you have any disabilities?
What is your sexual orientation?
What is your religious affiliation?
What is your ethnic background?
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