Top Recommended Interview Questions
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and attributes?
What motivates you to do your best work?
Which one of our company values do you identify with most and why?
Why are you an ideal candidate for this position? What unique skills and experience do you bring to this role?
How do you manage navigating a new task if there aren’t specific instructions or guidance on how to handle it?
What questions do you have for us?
Behavioral Questions
About the Candidate
Please tell us about yourself.
How do you live your personal core values?
What are you passionate about?
Tell us about one of your biggest career accomplishments so far.
In one sentence, describe yourself.
List three traits that you feel best describe you.
What motivates you to do your best work?
Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
What are your hobbies?
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Who has influenced you significantly in your life? How?
How do you continue to develop your skills? Are you enrolled in any courses or programs?
Career Path
Why do you want to leave (or have left) your last role?
What are your future career goals?
When looking for or considering a new job, what factors are most important to you?
Where do you see yourself in (two, five, ten) years?
What are you most proud of?
Work Style
Tell us about your work style.
How would your colleagues describe you and your work style?
What kind of work environment do you prefer?
How do you prioritize tasks and projects?
How would you describe your communication style?
How would you describe your leadership style?
How do you handle stress?
What work situations do you find stressful?
How do you switch off from work?
Do you work better in a structured or laid-back environment?
Strengths and Weaknesses
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and attributes?
What do you bring to a team?
If we were to reach out to everyone you’ve worked with and ask them what your greatest opportunity for improvement is, what do you think most of them would say?
Tell us about a time you made a mistake.
Tell us about a time you failed at something. How did you handle it? What did you learn?
What feedback have you received that was difficult to hear? Why?
Describe a time when you received critical feedback. How did you handle it?
Teamwork and Conflict Management
What do you do to get along with people with different personalities, backgrounds or perspectives?
If a coworker is being culturally insensitive, racist, or homophobic, what would you do?
How do you deal with conflict?
What kinds of people do you have difficulty working with or being around?
Can you Give us an example of a time that you needed to persuade someone to do something they didn’t want to do? What was the outcome?
Do you prefer to communicate through email, video, phone or face-to-face?
Can you give an example of a time that you had to sell an idea to your supervisor or their boss? What was the end result?
How do you deal with setbacks at work?
If one of your colleagues is underperforming and not meeting their goals or deliverables, and this is impacting your work, how would you handle this situation?
Can you give an example of a time when you placed the needs of a coworker(s) (or anyone else in your life) above your own?
If you noticed a coworker doing something unethical, such as violating a company policy, how would you handle this situation?
Accountability
Describe a situation when your work did not meet your coworkers’ or supervisor’s expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
Tell us about a time when you had to deliver on a commitment that was difficult for you. What did you do to motivate yourself?
Have you ever been in a situation where your role or responsibilities haven’t been clearly defined? What did you do?
Tell us about a time when you had to conform to a policy or procedure you did not agree with.
Tell us of a time when you disagreed with a customer, supervisor, or coworker. What did you do to resolve the conflict? What was the outcome?
Assertiveness or Self-confidence
Tell us about a situation when you had to speak up (be assertive) in order to get a point across that was important to you or crucial to your customer.
Tell us about a time when you felt compelled to immediately address a difficult situation with your boss or supervisor when others wouldn’t. (You had to do the right thing). What happened? What was the outcome?
Calmness
Tell us about a time when you were under extreme pressure and remained calm and focused at work.
Tell us about a time when events collided or you were expected to accomplish much in a short time, but you were able to keep your composure. What was the situation and result?
Tell us about a time when you had to make a split-second decision. What skill did you use to keep your composure? What was the outcome?
Tell us about a time when you had to deal with an uncomfortable situation at work. How did you manage it?
Describe a time when you were proud of your ability to withhold your comments until you had all the facts. What was the result?
Tell us about a time when you had to let go of your need to control a situation. What was the issue? Why was it necessary for you to let go?
Describe a situation where you had to deal with someone who didn't like you (or whom you didn’t like). How did you handle it?
Tell us about a time that you had to use coping strategies when dealing with a high pressure situation.?
Tell us about a time when you found yourself in unfamiliar territory or: a new situation. How did you adapt to this situation? What was the eventual outcome?
Occasionally, our work is sometimes judged or criticized unfairly or our intent is misunderstood. Can you Tell us about a recent situation that fits this description? How did you react?
Tell us about a recent threatening or difficult work situation. How did you approach this situation? What was the outcome?
Tell us about a time in the past year when your patience was tested with coworkers, customers, or supervisors. How did you handle the situation? What was the result?
We all get angry or frustrated from time to time. Give us an example of how you reacted in a recent situation.
Communication Skills
Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off. Perhaps a situation when others missed a key idea or issue.
Describe your most successful experience in delivering a presentation or giving a speech. When did this happen?
Describe a complex writing assignment (longer than 10 pages) you had to complete. Tell us how you organized the document and what help you had (if applicable) finishing it.
Some situations require us to express ideas or opinions in a very tactful and careful way. Tell us about a time when you were successful with this particular skill.
Cultural Humility
What does cultural humility mean to you?
How do you define cultural competence, and how does it relate to cultural humility?
Can you share an example of a time when you demonstrated cultural humility in a professional setting?
How do you approach working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds?
How do you stay informed about different cultures and avoid making assumptions or stereotypes?
Can you provide an example of a situation where you had to adapt your communication style to effectively connect with someone from a different cultural background?
How do you handle situations where your own cultural values or beliefs may clash with those of a colleague or client?
What strategies do you employ to create an inclusive and culturally responsive environment?
How do you address biases or prejudices that may arise during your interactions with individuals from different cultures?
Can you describe a time when you actively sought feedback or input from individuals representing diverse cultural perspectives?
How do you navigate cultural differences when making decisions or resolving conflicts within a team?
Can you share an experience where you made a mistake due to a lack of cultural understanding, and how did you handle it?
In what ways do you promote cultural humility and awareness among your colleagues or team members?
How do you ensure that cultural humility is integrated into your organization's policies, practices, and services?
How do you demonstrate self-reflection and ongoing learning to improve your cultural humility skills?
Can you provide an example of a time when you engaged in cultural humility outside of your professional life?
How do you ensure that cultural humility extends beyond surface-level understanding and into meaningful action and advocacy?
Can you describe a situation where you challenged your own biases or preconceived notions about a particular culture?
How do you respond to feedback or criticism regarding your cultural humility practices?
What steps do you take to create a safe space for individuals to express their cultural identities and experiences?
Customer-focus
Tell us about a time when your success depended on your prior working relationship with a customer. Describe the situation and the outcome.
Tell us about a time when you went the extra mile to meet the needs of a customer.
Tell us about a time in your previous job when you accommodated the client or customer even though it was more work for you or went against your instincts. What was the result?
Tell us about a situation where you had to remain quiet when dealing with a hostile customer. How did you handle the situation?
Attention to detail
Describe a situation when you coordinated several events or people at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
Tell us about a recent job situation that required great precision to complete a task. How did you handle the situation?
Tell us about a task that was tedious or boring to you—but had to be done. How did you approach and tackle the task?
Tell us how you manage your daily work schedule.
When have you found it valuable to use a detailed checklist or procedure list to reduce potential errors on the job? What was the outcome? What would you do differently today?
Give us an example of a situation where you needed to pay attention to small but important details? When was this? How did it turn out?
Tell us about a time when you had to manage large amounts of paperwork. How did you keep things organized to maintain order and accuracy?
Flexibility
Tell of a situation where you had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
Tell us about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to take into account new information or changing priorities.
Describe an example of a time when you had to approach people with different perspectives for support or cooperation. How did you appeal to each person? What was the result?
Describe a situation in which your first attempt to sell an idea failed. How did you react to this? What other approaches did you try?
Tell us about a time when your work effort didn’t go as planned (e.g., blocked by obstacles). How did you resolve this issue? What was the outcome?
Tell us about a time when you had to accommodate unplanned activities or demands.
Tell us about a time when you had to adapt quickly to changing conditions to accurately complete your job. What were the circumstances?
Tell us about a time when you had to work in a chaotic or noisy environment. How did you deal with this situation? How did you ensure your productivity and accuracy in this environment?
Mentorship
In a supervisory or group leader role, Tell us about a time when you had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take?
Tell us about a time when you coached a coworker to help them improve their skills or job performance. What did you do?
Describe a situation where you helped motivate someone to improve their performance. What was the outcome?
Proactivity
We can sometimes recognize a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example of how you acted to prevent a larger problem from occurring.
Tell us about a time when you thought through the consequences of a specific action in planning a project. What obstacles or barriers did you discover?
Describe a situation in which you forecasted a problem and prepared a strategy for handling it. How did it turn out?
Problem-solving
What was the most difficult work problem you ever faced? How did you address the problem? What were the results?
Tell us about a time when you used fact-finding skills to solve a problem. What was the situation? What was the outcome?
Tell us about a time when you had to step away from traditional methods to solve a difficult or complex problem. Can you describe your approach? What was the outcome?
Tell us about a time when you had to respond quickly to a crisis situation. What were the circumstances? What was the final outcome?
Give us an example of a project you personally planned, implemented, measured, and evaluated. What problems did you solve along the way?
Give us an example of how you solved a problem in a unique way within the past 18 months.
Quality
Tell us about a project that you were completely responsible for completing. How did you stay on task to complete it even though no one was checking your progress?
Tell us about a time when you felt it would benefit the situation to disregard structure or formal processes to achieve a better outcome. What were the circumstances? How did it turn out?
Give us an example of a time when you recognized an opportunity for process improvement in your department or group. What did you do?
Tell us about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem. What was the outcome?
Risk-taking
We all learn through our mistakes. Tell us about a time when you confronted a coworker or supervisor because you knew they were making a mistake. What was the issue and how did it turn out?
Tell us about a time when you had to collaborate with someone to resolve a conflict that initially felt uncomfortable, but actually turned out better than you anticipated.
Tell us about a time when you perceived friction or resistance from a coworker, supervisor, or customer and you immediately addressed this issue to enhance your working relationship. What happened? How is your relationship today?
Tell us about a time when you felt compelled to express an unpopular viewpoint to maintain your integrity. What did you say and how did you say it?
Teamwork
Tell us about a time when someone else neglected or failed to deliver on their work commitments—and it had a negative impact on your productivity. How did you react? What was the outcome?
Collaborative work relationships often ease tension and facilitate productive relationships. Can you Give us a recent example where you intentionally enhanced a relationship to get a job done?
Tell us about a time when you needed additional information from other people or references to make an informed decision. What did you do? How did your actions influence the outcome?
Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a coworker understand a task. How did you assist them? What was the result?
Tell us about a time when you improved a process by creating a cross-functional team. What was the issue and how did it turn out?
Can you Give us a recent example of how you displayed loyalty or commitment to your current work group? Why was this act important to you? What was at stake?
When were you part of a great team? What were the circumstances? How did you contribute?
Tell us about a time when you disagreed with your team’s agreed course of action. What did you do?
Company and Role-Specific Questions
Why this Company?
Why are you interested in working for this company?
Why are you interested in this industry?
Which one of our company values do you identify with most and why?
Tell us about your knowledge of and experience with [relevant, opportunity-related topic].
Why this Role?
Why do you want this job?
How does this role fit into your career goals?
Why are you an ideal candidate for this position? What unique skills and experience do you bring to this role?
Why should we hire you?
How did you find this job opportunity?
Based on what you know about our organization, is there anything that would discourage you from working here?
Benefits and Compensation
Does the listed compensation range align with your desired salary expectations?
Remote Work Questions
Please describe your experience working remotely and/or independently.
Have you worked with a distributed team? How did it go? You can include examples of moving a project forward while traveling, or doing so while your classmates, peers, or colleagues were in a different physical location.
Have you ever worked independently without direct supervision on a daily basis?
What excites you about working remotely over working in a traditional office environment?
Why do you want to work from home or a third space (e.g. coworking space, external office, Codi, etc.)?
What have you struggled with or do you think you will struggle with as a result of working remotely? How have you or will you overcome those challenges?
To ensure you're communicating effectively in a remote environment, what methods or practices could you use?
Tell us about a time you recognized an opportunity for process improvement and how you brought that up to leadership.
What strategies, tools, routines, or workflows do you use to ensure your day-to-day goals are met?
What would you do if you have work that requires help from someone who lives in a different time zone who is not available?
In your experience, have you experienced management practices or processes that do not work well in a remote work environment? If so, what were they?
Startup-Specific Questions
Have you ever worked for a startup or small organization before? If yes, please describe your experience.
Do you like working autonomously?
Do you consider yourself a “self-starter”?
How do you manage navigating a new task if there aren’t specific instructions or guidance on how to handle it?
What can you do for our organization? What do you uniquely bring?
Pivots at startup companies are common, both big and small. How do you manage change and transition?
What’s the biggest or most challenging problem you’ve ever solved?
Give us an example of a time you’ve taken initiative at work.
How do you go about researching solutions to problems?
Difficult conversations
Can you describe a time when you had to have a difficult conversation with a colleague or team member? What was the nature of the conversation and how did you handle it?
How do you approach preparing for a difficult conversation with someone? What steps do you take to ensure it goes smoothly?
In your opinion, what are some of the key components of a successful difficult conversation?
Can you give an example of a challenging conversation you had where emotions were running high? How did you manage the emotions and ensure a productive discussion?
How do you handle resistance or defensiveness from others during a difficult conversation? Can you share a specific technique or strategy you employ?
What strategies do you use to create a safe and supportive environment during a difficult conversation so that both parties feel heard and respected?
How do you balance being assertive and direct while still maintaining empathy and understanding during a difficult conversation?
Have you ever had to deliver difficult feedback to a team member? How did you approach it, and what steps did you take to ensure the feedback was well-received and constructive?
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to address a conflict between two team members? How did you approach the conversation, and what were the outcomes?
How do you handle situations where a difficult conversation doesn't go as planned or becomes more challenging than anticipated?
Other questions
What would you need to figure out before accepting this position?
