1. How would your references describe you?
Think of three major characteristics that demonstrate your best qualities related to work and then have quick stories to describe why.
2. What are the goals you've set for yourself?
You could discuss your goals with regards to these categories: Career goals, impact you want to leave on society, financial goals, academic goals, charitable goals.
3. What is your personal mission statement?
Is it to conquer the world? Is it to become a CEO? Is it to give back to the community? Is it to inspire others? Define your statement by stating a clear vision of how you want to make an impact on the world with your work.
In this question the interviewer is basically looking for a real life example of how you used creativity to solve a problem.
5. What would you like to avoid completely in your next job In IST Management?
Bad business ethics, teammates / managers that are disrespectful / inconsiderate. But of course, this job wouldn't have things like this right?
6. Your coworker highlights your mistakes in front of everyone, how do you handle the situation?
Admit to the mistake without being emotional, but then discuss how you are being proactive in getting it fixed. Lastly, pull the co-worker aside later on to tell them that you'd appreciate it if they gave you the feedback 1:1 first before throwing you under the bus.
7. What do you think about Teamwork?
I enjoy teamwork and am used to shift work. I think I would adapt well to the role. I am looking for new challenges In IST Management and I know I would learn a lot as cabin crew, not just about people and places, but skills like first aid too, how can I help others with in my limits.
8. If you had enough money to retire would you?
Just be honest. If you would retire then say so. But since you can't retire, and the interviewer already knows this, simply answer that since you can't this is type of work you prefer doing. However, if you wouldn't retire if you had the money then explain why. Work is an important element of happiness for most people and many won't retire even when they can.
9. Are you willing to work overtime or odd hours?
Be completely honest. You don't want to lie to get the job if you're not going to work the hours required.
10. Why are you leaving last job?
Although this would seem like a simple question, it can easily become tricky. You shouldn't mention salary being a factor at this point In IST Management. If you're currently employed, your response can focus on developing and expanding your career and even yourself. If you're current employer is downsizing, remain positive and brief. If your employer fired you, prepare a solid reason. Under no circumstance should you discuss any drama or negativity, always remain positive.
11. What do you expect from this job In IST Management?
Talk about the potential career development, your career aspirations, your work relationships and the learning you'll receive.
12. How did you become interested in this field/industry?
Describe how you've come to develop a passion or interest in this industry and use variables like "culture, people, vision, career development, and the work itself" to define your choice
13. Why do you want to work for this company?
Again be honest. The interviewer will be able to sense very quickly if you're be disingenuous. Your answer should be base on your person reasons, career aspirations as well as research you've performed on the company. The most important thing you should do is make sure to relate your answer to your long-term career goals.
14. Do you know anyone that works with our company?
Sometimes companies have policies relating to the hiring of individuals related to current company employees. If you are related to anyone working for the company make sure you're aware of company policies before you enter the interview. If you have a friend or acquaintance working for the company make sure have good relationship with this individual before mentioning them.
Discuss your work experiences. The key is to show you're calm under pressure and can handle sensitive situations with a clear train of thought.
16. What do you ultimately want to become?
Do you want to be an entry level worker In IST Management? Do you want to be a leader? Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to be a philanthropist? Do you want to be in middle management? Ask yourself these questions to figure it out.
17. Are you currently looking at other job opportunities?
Just answer this question honestly. Sometime an employer wants to know if there are other companies you're considering so that they can determine how serious you are about the industry, they're company and find out if you're in demand. Don't spend a lot of time on this question; just try to stay focused on the job you're interviewing for.
Discuss your passions In IST Management. Ideally if it's work related that's fantastic! If not, talk about your academic / extracurricular passions and WHY you enjoy them. For example: I love playing sports because of the team work aspect - it's fun winning together! (This example shows you're a team player)
19. Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision?
Not every decision is popular. In fact, almost every decision is bound to make someone unhappy at some point. The key is to demonstrate how it impacted others positively and why you chose it.
20. What experience do you have In IST Management?
The employer would want to know that not only you can do the job but you can make the difference and bring significant contribution – Simple as that.
No doubt that this is your time to perform and present yourself – You have to introduce/sell yourself to the interviewer. Prepare your answer based on your qualification, professional experience and what you've already achieved in your previous jobs. This is your time to express why you think that your professional abilities fit into the job and its requirements.
Top 10 employment experience you'd want to review:
☛ Companies you worked for with dates
☛ The positions you've held
☛ Key projects and responsibilities
☛ Achievements
☛ Coursework & continues education
☛ Expertise
☛ Tools you used (software, hardware)
☛ Knowledge of languages
☛ Engagement with customers and key industry leaders
☛ Team work you were involved (and your contribution)
21. What motivates you the most?
Is it money? Is it career development? Is it recognition? Is it a sense of achievement? Is it to impress your peers? Is it for fame?
22. What type of salary are you looking for?
This can be a very tricky question as the individual asking it is probably digging for something other than a simple answer to the question. We recommend that you don't immediately respond to the question directly. Instead, say something like, “That a difficult question. What is range for this position?” More often than not the interviewer will tell you. If the interviewer insists on direct answer you may want say that it depends on the details of the job - then give a wide salary range.
23. What did you like least about your last (or current) job In IST Management?
Don't vent or focus on the negative with brutally honest answers such as "My boss was a jerk," or "The company culture was too politically correct," or "They just weren't giving me the opportunity to take my career to the next level." Instead, keep the emphasis on the positive, even though there are sure to be things you weren't happy about.
24. Your client is upset with you for a mistake you made, how do you react?
Acknowledge their pain - empathize with them. Then apologize and offer a solution to fix the mistake.
25. What is your biggest regret to date and why?
Describe honestly the regretful action / situation you were in but then discuss how you proactively fixed / improved it and how that helped you to improve as a person/worker.
26. Describe a time when you had to help a coworker out that did not directly benefit you?
There should be many times where you've assisted others In IST Management. If you haven't, think of how you would in the future. You can discuss charitable causes, how you mentored someone, and so on.
This depends on the job role. Make sure you break it down into
28. What are your thoughts on social media for this role?
Without a doubt, social media is becoming more and more pervasive in our jobs. You should stress that social media is not appropriate for personal use at work. However, if the company embraces social media in certain departments (for example marketing), then you may want to discuss how you could use it for work (as long as it applies to your role).
29. If hired, how do you intend on making a difference with our company?
Dedicate myself to learn everything about the new company that I can, look for ways and ideas that could improve, processes, safety, removing obstacles from the associates, I want to advance within the company.
30. Did the salary we offer attract you to this job?
The interviewer could be asking you this question for a number of reasons. Obviously, the salary is an important factor to your interest in this job, but it should not be the overriding reason for your interest. A good answer to this question is, “The salary was very attractive, but the job itself is what was most attractive to me.”
31. Why do you want to work in this industry In IST Management?
Make sure you research the industry first. Then find at least 3 core things about that industry that you're passionate about (for example: how their solutions impact clients, their culture, the leadership, etc)
32. What do you like to do outside of work?
Interviewers ask personal questions in an interview to “see if candidates will fit in with the culture [and] give them the opportunity to open up and display their personality, too,”. In other words, if someone asks about your hobbies outside of work, it's totally OK to open up and share what really makes you tick. (Do keep it semi-professional, though: Saying you like to have a few beers at the local hot spot on Saturday night is fine. Telling them that Monday is usually a rough day for you because you're always hungover is not.)
33. What other companies are you interviewing with?
Companies ask this for a number of reasons, from wanting to see what the competition is for you to sniffing out whether you're serious about the industry. “Often the best approach is to mention that you are exploring a number of other similar options in the company's industry,”. It can be helpful to mention that a common characteristic of all the jobs you are applying to is the opportunity to apply some critical abilities and skills that you possess. For example, you might say 'I am applying for several positions with IT consulting firms where I can analyze client needs and translate them to development teams in order to find solutions to technology problems.'
34. Do you have good manners? What types of people need to be treated with good manners?
You should have good manners. Everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect.
35. What classes did you enjoy most in college and why?
Think back to the classes that either resonated with your passion or truly helped you to develop skills that you believe will help you in your career. Talk about those.
36. How do you feel about giving back to the community?
Describe your charitable activities to showcase that community work is important to you. If you haven't done one yet, go to www.globalguideline.com - charitable work is a great way to learn about other people and it's an important part of society - GET INVOLVED!
37. What are three positive character traits you don't have?
List three attributes that you aspire to attain / build in the next few years - and then explain how you would develop those.
38. What qualities do you believe are important to have as a manager?
Great managers tend to empower their employees to be successful through strong coaching. They understand how to manage relationships - this is commonly referred to emotional intelligence. They have to be able to handle both client and staff situations that require them to be calm under pressure to clearly think of solutions to complex problems. Most importantly they must be able to articulate the vision to the team and inspire them to work together to collectively achieve that goal
39. Can you perform Internet research? Please describe to me your steps in doing so?
Internet research can entail Google searches, industry sites, news articles, social networks and company websites.
40. How do you handle your anger?
I don't get angry very easily but in the rare occasion that I do, I hold it in and act as though nothing is wrong.
41. Do you have the ability to articulate a vision and to get others involved to carry it out?
If yes, then share an example of how you've done so at work or college. If not, then discuss how you would do so. Example: "I would first understand the goals of the staff members and then I would align those to the goals of the project / company. Then I would articulate the vision of that alignment and ask them to participate. From there, we would delegate tasks among the team and then follow up on a date and time to ensure follow through on the tasks. Lastly, we would review the results together."
42. What is your greatest failure In IST Management, and what did you learn from it?
When I was in college, I took an art class to supplement my curriculum. I didn't take it very seriously, and assumed that, compared to my Engineering classes, it would be a walk in the park. My failing grades at midterm showed me otherwise. I'd even jeopardized my scholarship status. I knew I had to get my act together. I spent the rest of the semester making up for it, ended up getting a decent grade in the class. I learned that no matter what I'm doing, I should strive to do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, it's not worth doing at all.
43. Give me a few examples of how you're results oriented?
Make you give an example where you discuss details and metrics. For example, I was a tutor in my last job and mentored 5 students on their SAT test taking skills and raised their scores by 15% on average after a 3 month teaching stint.
44. What does your professional network look like?
If you have a professional network, discuss it detail (# of contacts, people you know, their positions and what you've learned from them or how you've worked with them). If you don't have one, discuss how you would develop one (career fairs, networking events for that industry, through your existing friends, etc)
45. What is your biggest fear?
Don't try to sugarcoat the answer by listing something ambitious as a fear, unless you truly mean it (for example: I fear being a great leader) - Share your real fears but discuss how you would overcome them.
46. Where do you see yourself in 5 years with your career?
Be sure to paint a clear picture of your career vision that demonstrates your aspirations and goals that are realistic. This could emphasize increased responsibility, the ability to manage people and so forth
47. What did you major in and why?
Tell them your major and the motivations behind why you chose it and how it's helped to prep your of this potential job.
48. Why did you choose your major in college or tech school?
People usually choose their major based on their passions or the career path they want to head towards.
49. What problems have you encountered at work?
Wow, do we have problems! Where do I begin? Well, most of the problems are internal, just people not working well with each other. I have one person on our team who is a real problem, but it seems like management is afraid to do anything about it. So we all end up having to do extra work to cover for this person, who just doesn't work. We all say that he's retired in place. I think he's just holding on until retirement in a couple years. But he's a real problem. I complain about it--a lot--but nothing ever seems to get done. I've even written negative reviews about the person, hoping he will get canned, but it doesn't happen. I can't wait for him to retire.
50. How have you changed in the last five years?
All in a nutshell. But I think I've attained a level of personal comfort in many ways and although I will change even more in the next 5-6 years I'm content with the past 6 and what has come of them.
51. What would you do if our competitor offered you a position In IST Management?
I would weigh the offer and consider it, however, this company and this role is my first choice.
52. Give me an example of an emergency situation that you faced. How did you handle it?
There was a time when one of my employers faced the quitting of a manager in another country. I was asked to go fill in for him while they found a replacement and stay to train that person. I would be at least 30 days. I quickly accepted because I knew that my department couldn't function without me.
53. How do you evaluate your ability to handle conflict?
I pride myself on being a good problem solver. Through my previous job and management positions I have faced numerous conflicts in different situations, and my experiences have helped me to hone my issue resolution skills. I believe that it is important to get to and address the root of the issue, in a respectable manner.
54. What is your greatest weakness In IST Management? What are you doing to improve it?
I believe my biggest weakness In IST Management is wanting to help anyone I can help. What I mean is I am willing to take on task that are not my job. I want to learn all I can. However, that has helped me get promoted or even asked to help in times of need in other department. I have been know as the "go to person" when help is needed.
55. What's the most rewarding work you've ever done and why?
Companies love it when you discuss how you've made an impact on your teammates, clients, or partners in the business or in school. It should be rewarding because of the hard work and creative process that you've put into it.
56. How do you act when you encounter competition?
This question is designed to see if you can rise the occasion. You want to discuss how you are the type to battle competition strongly and then you need to cite an example if possible of your past work experience where you were able to do so.
57. Give me an example of when you competed hard and won?
You can reference many different areas here when discussing a story of where you won in competition: Work experience (ideal), sports, clubs, classes, projects.
58. Tell me the difference between good and exceptional?
Good gets the job done on time and is high quality. Exceptional is a game changer - it stands out, it's creative, it's above and beyond expectations. Tell the interviewer a story about how you were exceptional.
59. How would you observe the level of motivation of your subordinates?
Choosing the right metrics and comparing productivity of everyone on daily basis is a good answer, doesn't matter in which company you apply for a supervisory role.
60. What schedule do you hope to work? Are you willing to work extra hours?
Be honest. If you really want the job and are willing to work any schedule needed, say so. If, however, you have no intention of working late hours or weekends, simply let the interviewer know the hours that you are available to work. The same applies to extra hours. You are more likely to be hired if you are willing to work any time you are needed. However, saying that you are willing and then complaining about the hours once you start working is a recipe for disaster.
61. How would you define success?
Success is defined differently for everybody. Just make sure the parameters are defined by you with regards to work life balance, financial gain, career growth, achievements, creating meaningful work / products and so forth. If you can clearly articulate what it means to you that is a strong answer.
Just be honest about where you'd like to be - you never know - you may end up bonding with the interviewer with the location. However, you want to stress that you want to work out of the location that you're interviewing for.
63. What's your salary history?
When you are interviewing for a new job, it is common practice for the company to ask you about your salary history. I typically want to know what the candidate's base salary is, if they receive any bonus, the average bonus amount, and any additional compensation or perks, such as 500k matching, stock grants or stock options, paid time off and how much they are required to pay towards their medical premiums.
64. Explain an idea that you have had and have then implemented in practice?
Often an interview guide will outline the so-called ‘STAR' approach for answering such questions; Structure the answer as a situation, task, action, and result: what the context was, what you needed to achieve, what you did, and what the outcome was as a result of your actions.
65. What do you know about this department?
One good way to find out about the department is to try to "informally" interview the existing employees over coffee (outside of the office) if possible. It's hard if you don't have any connections there, but if you do a great way to learn about it. Other than that, it's often hard to learn about the department so you can turn the table back on them by asking questions to learn about it.
66. What features of your previous jobs have you disliked?
It's easy to talk about what you liked about your job in an interview, but you need to be careful when responding to questions about the downsides of your last position. When you're asked at a job interview about what you didn't like about your previous job, try not to be too negative. You don't want the interviewer to think that you'll speak negatively about this job or the company should you eventually decide to move on after they have hired you.
67. Give an example of a time you successfully worked In IST Management on a team?
On the whole I prefer to stick to doing what I'm told rather than setting myself up to fail by doing things off my own bat. But there was this one time when I suggested to my boss at the pizza parlor that she try offering an ‘all you can eat' deal to students to boost trade on Mondays. She thought it was an interesting idea but nothing ever came of it.
68. What kind of salary do you need In IST Management?
This is a loaded question and a nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, that's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
69. How do you think I rate as an interviewer?
I think you did fine. I'm sure you've conducted a lot of interviews, and it's probably second nature for you now. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today. I'm sure you have a lot of things you have to juggle every day.
I'd say you rate at least ten out of ten. The questions you asked seemed spot on. I can tell you guys are working hard to find the perfect applicant for the job. I'm glad I could meet with you.
70. What would you like to have accomplished by the end of your career?
Think of 3 major achievements that you'd like to accomplish in your job when all is said and done - and think BIG. You want to show you expect to be a major contributor at the company. It could be creating a revolutionary new product, it could be implementing a new effective way of marketing, etc.
71. Have you got any questions?
This is your final opportunity to persuade the interviewer that you are the right candidate for the job. Now is not the time to ask questions about holidays, pay or pensions – all these things can be asked later when you get an offer of employment. Now is the time to ask about any reservations that the interviewer may have about your suitability for the role. You will then give yourself one last chance to persuade the interviewer that you are the right candidate for the job.
Example Thank you. I think we have covered everything. Before we finish the interview I would like to take the opportunity to ask if you have any reservations about my suitability for this role?
72. What do you know about the company?
Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company's “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they aren't necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission-they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the company's goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “I'm personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.
73. Explain me about a time when you reached a goal within a tight deadline?
I work well under pressure to meet deadlines without jeopardizing the quality of my work. I have always worked in a fast pace environment where we are constantly under pressure to achieve best results within a time frame.
74. What were the responsibilities of your last position In IST Management?
If you want to show your ambition, you can discuss how you haven't reached all of your goals yet and in that sense aren't satisfied. However, if you want to discuss satisfaction from your job discuss an experience in which you achieved something.
