When preparing for an interview, it is often best to know what the good interview questions are so you can be prepared and have a great answer. The most widely used interview questions are the obvious questions that you would ask someone if you just met them at a meeting or on the street. Possibly knowing the questions that you will be asked beforehand will allow you to practice in the mirror along with a tape recorder, and ultimately come up the most inspiring and motivated answers that will give you priority in the candidate selection process.
Good interview questions can range from questions that are common to very unique critical thinking questions. This is why understanding which type of question that is being asked of you is very important.
The main question that is asked by almost anyone that is interviewing candidates is the famous:
While the “tell me about yourself” question may be the most general or broad question that is asked, it is often the most important. The reason is because this question allows the interviewer to really get a comprehensive feel about how well you can present yourself on the spot and within a window of about 30 seconds. Most people know this pitch as an “elevator speech”. If you are able to deliver a great 30 second answer to a very broad question, the interviewer will be highly impressed and eager to ask you more questions. Essentially the “tell me about yourself question” opens the door for other questions to be asked. Often you will be able to tell if you did a good job answering the “tell me about yourself” question by judging the facial expression and tone of voice of the interviewer. If the employer or interviewer felt like you did a good job answering this questions, usually you will be able to hear a sense of eagerness in replies to your answer.
Questions related to a job for school
If you are having an interview that is related to school, some good interview questions are:
- What do you like to do in your free time?
- Describe your greatest accomplishment throughout your academic career?
- What type of school are you interested in attending?
- Give us an example of a type where you had to apply leadership abilities?
- What courses in (middle school, high school, or college) did you enjoy the most?
- Will you please explain to us your involvement in (extracurricular activities, research, community service, etc.) and how did that involvement help you?
- If you are accepted into our school or program, how do you think this will help you in your future?
- Conflict is something that everyone experiences throughout life. Can you explain a time when you experienced conflict and how did you work to solve that particular situation?
Questions related to a job for a company
If you are having an interview that is related to work or finding a position within a company, some good interview questions are:
- What is the biggest challenge that you have had at your previous job? How did you deal with it?
- Do you consider yourself a critical thinker and when was a time that you have had to use your critical thinking skills during your previous work experiences?
- Are you used to having to meet deadlines for certain tasks and projects?
- Do you consider yourself to be good a decision maker? When was a time where you had to make important decisions concerning your job?
- What type of salary are you expecting to receive for this position?
- Do you have any strengths and weaknesses? What are your strongest strengths and weakness?
- Do you feel that your weaknesses will hinder you from doing a job to the best of your ability?
