Appendix A: Competent Interviewing

Anticipating Common Questions

Much as you would practice a speech out loud before officially giving it to a group (Chapter 14), practicing common interview questions aloud (either to yourself or to a willing friend) is a surefire way to increase your confidence in the moment. You may even consider taping yourself in order to get a sense of both your verbal and nonverbal behavior when answering interviewing questions.

To discover whether there is a potential match between an applicant and a position, an interviewer typically explores five areas of information as they relate to the specific job:

Ability. First, based on the résumé and the interview, questions will assess your experience, education, training, intelligence, and ability to do what the job requires.
Desire. Second, questions will focus on your desire or motivation to use your abilities to do a good job by exploring such things as your record of changes in jobs, schools, and majors; reasons for wanting this job; knowledge of the company; and concrete examples of prior success that indicate your drive to achieve.
Personality. The third area involves an assessment of your personality and how well you are likely to fit into the position and the organization. Questions are designed to discover your personal goals, degree of independence and self-reliance, imagination and creativity, and ability to manage or lead.
Character. A fourth area of judgment is that of character, learning about your personal behavior, honesty, responsibility, and accuracy and objectivity in reports.
Health. This is a sensitive topic in interviews; certain questions about your health and medical background are illegal. But if a health issue directly affects your ability to do the job in question, the interviewer may ask. For example, if you are applying for a position at a candy factory, the interviewer may ask if you have a peanut allergy because you would be unable to work in a plant where peanuts are processed.

Some examples of frequently asked interview questions are offered in Table A.5.

Table :

TABLE A.5 COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Source: Adapted from Greco (1977).

Tell me about what led you to choose your particular field/your academic major. How satisfied have you been with your choice?
Describe what you understand is required in the position you are applying for. Summarize your qualifications in light of this description.
Why do you want to/did you leave your current employer?
What do you know about our organization that caused you to become interested in us?
Describe something important that you learned from a previous work experience.
Describe a time when you demonstrated initiative in your employment/volunteer position.
Describe a recent project that didn’t turn out the way you wanted. How would you make it work if you had another chance at it?
Describe a time when you worked through a difficult coworker situation.
If I gave you this job, what would you accomplish in the first three months?
Are there any questions that you want to ask?