1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Do you know anyone working with this organization?
It would be great if you did - then you could potentially use them as a referral if they thought highly of you.
4. 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.
5. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
Bad Answer: A generic or uninspired answer. Also, answers that show that this career/company is just a temporary stop for them.
Good answer: One that shows the candidate has thought about this question, has plans, and that those plans align with the job and a career path that is possible in the company. You want to see that this candidate is a good long term investment.
This is where the interviewer tries to turn the tables on you. Answer confidently by stating 3 specific traits that are applicable to that job role. For example, a consulting job would likely look for someone who can think outside of the box.
After answering, ask them, "Am I spot on here and if not, what traits would you look for?"
7. What do you do in your spare time?
If you want to show your fun side, discuss your extracurricular activities. If you want to show your ambition, discuss the work / school projects you do in your spare time.
8. 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.
9. What is more important to you money or success?
First ask yourself that question before the interview - what are your priorities? Are money and success actual one in the same goal for you? If not, what's more important based on how do you define success?
10. What have you done to improve yourself in the last year As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
Discuss how you've improved yourself through work experiences, books you've read, classes, club(s) / extracurricular activities and describe the process on how it's happened. For example: I've improved my presentation skills tremendously because I've had to do 2 presentations this year for my communications class.
11. If you were given more initiatives than you could handle, what would you do?
First prioritize the important activities that impact the business most. Then discuss the issue of having too many initiatives with the boss so that it can be offloaded. Work harder to get the initiatives done.
12. What are your weaknesses for Mechanical Maintenance Instructor position?
Try not to be too critical when answering this question. Instead, pick one of your weaknesses and try to turn it into a positive.
For example, you could be a perfectionist, which means that you sometimes take longer on tasks, but you make sure that they are completed to a high quality. It is important to make a negative into a positive as it doesn't make you appear overly critical and shows you can reflect on your own performance.
13. Tell us something about yourself?
Bad Answer: Candidates who ramble on about themselves without regard for information that will actually help the interviewer make a decision, or candidates who actually provide information showing they are unfit for the job.
Good answer: An answer that gives the interviewer a glimpse of the candidate's personality, without veering away from providing information that relates to the job. Answers should be positive, and not generic.
14. Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures?
The key here is to show that you were proactive. How did you find out about the potential problems? How did you address it quickly?
Discuss your passions As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor. 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)
16. Do you have any blind spots?
This question is often meant to trick candidates since acknowledgment of blind spots would indicate they were aware of them. Also, do not disclose bad habits or other personal concerns. Let the interviewer find out about your personal flaws through the course of the interview without directly stating these flaws.
17. Think about the changes you have seen and tell me how you handle change?
You can cite personal life changes, work place changes, career changes, technology change, industry change. The key is to discuss how seeing or experiencing that change has helped your development. For example, the recent changes in social media has broadened my horizons and helped me learn new forms of efficient marketing.
Along similar lines, the interviewer wants to uncover whether this position As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor is really in line with your ultimate career goals. While “an GGL star” might get you a few laughs, a better bet is to talk about your goals and ambitions-and why this job will get you closer to them.
19. What do you ultimately want to become?
Do you want to be an entry level worker As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor? 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.
20. 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.
21. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example?
First, find out what the root of the problem is. Second, determine the best steps to remediation with the best possible outcome. Third, take action to put remediation plans in place.
22. How do you keep others informed on work issues?
Possible methods:
Talking to them, emailing them, sharing best practices in meetings
Talk about specific work related experience for the position you're interviewing for. Make sure the experience is relevant. Don't talk about previous experience that is not related to the position in question. If you don't have specific career related experience speak about prior experience that has helped you develop the specific knowledge and skills required for the position you are applying for.
24. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?
Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?
25. What's your management style?
The best managers are strong but flexible, and that's exactly what you want to show off in your answer. (Think something like, “While every situation and every team member requires a bit of a different strategy, I tend to approach my employee relationships as a coach...”) Then, share a couple of your best managerial moments, like when you grew your team from five to 15 or coached an underperforming employee to become the company's top employee.
Usually, if the answer to a brainteaser seems too easy, chances are the answer's wrong. And in this case, the answer is not zero degrees. The hour hand, remember, moves as well. That is, in addition to the minute hand. And so, at 3:15, the hour hand and the minute hand are not on top of each other. In fact, the hour hand has moved a quarter of the way between the 3 and 4. This means it's moved a quarter of 30 degrees (360 degrees divided by 12 equals 30). So the answer, to be exact, is seven and a half degrees (30 divided by four).
27. 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.
28. Why are you the best fit for this job As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
Analyze the job responsibilities and match those to your skills sets. Then discuss how your experience and skills sets can truly create the best impact to the company in that specific job role. Impact could mean marketing impressions, sales, cutting costs, making products more efficiently, creating better customer service, engineering new designs that create customer excitement, etc.
29. Who are your role models? Why?
If possible, cite role models you're truly passionate about - passion is contagious and will show you're being genuine. If the role model is in the same or similar industry as the company in an executive level position, even better.
30. What do you already know about our company?
Good reputation of a large home grown company that has various departments and product.
31. What have you done to prepare yourself to be a supervisor?
1. Learn from current supervisors (best practices)
2. Mentor others
3. Be exceptionally good at your current job so that it builds your credibility
4. Have a high emotional IQ
32. How have you achieved your success?
Discuss stories of how you've progressed over the years to achieve success. People relate best to stories.
33. Why do you want to work in this industry As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
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)
34. How do you stay up to date with industry?
Discuss how you stay up to date by reading industry specific sites, magazines, and Google / yahoo news. Also make sure you stay up to date by reading the current news on the company's website.
35. What do you know about our competition?
Make sure you do your research on their competitors. You can find this by going to yahoo finance and click on their competitors (if they are public). From there research the news on them and go to their websites to understand their positioning on solutions and vision. You can also research local regional companies that are their competition (if it's a smaller private company on a regional scale) by simply typing in similar product offerings in the Google search followed by the city. Make sure you know their competitor's vision, products, culture, and how they are differentiated against their competition (and if they're not, how they could be)
36. 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.)
37. What does success mean to you?
I am punctual, I always have excellent attendance on any job As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor, I have a keen eye for both large and small details, and I am always finding ways to improve a process and shorten the length of time it takes to complete a project.
38. Was there a person in your career who really made a difference?
If you can't think of one, you need to get a mentor QUICKLY! Mentors can come in the form of peers, family members, co-workers, management / leaders at a company and so on.
39. What are your lifelong dreams?
If your dreams don't relate to the job closely, make sure you highlight aspects of the job that will help develop the skills that will help you with your dreams. Ideally, you want your dreams to relate strongly to the career path you're interviewing for though.
40. Describe a time where you've failed and bounced back?
Share a story to describe this. For example: "I accidentally made the mistake of telling a customer I could deliver on a solution set on a certain date and then later found out our business partner couldn't do it on that time. I learned that I shouldn't rush into important decisions and promises like this and that I should always check with my counterparts first before committing to a statement of work."
41. Why do you feel you will excel at rhis job?
This question presents an excellent opportunity for you to discuss your education, qualifications and personal traits. You might say something like “I studied property management as well as behavior during my college years and I have two years' experience in real estate.
I can gauge the homes or apartments in which clients will be interested based solely upon the needs of their families. Finally, my organizational skills will allow me to schedule appointments or showings confidently and arrive for them punctually.” This shows your interviewer that you have all of the skills necessary to become successful not only for yourself, but also for your employer.
42. 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
43. If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
Seemingly random personality-test type questions like these come up in interviews generally because hiring managers want to see how you can think on your feet. There's no wrong answer here, but you'll immediately gain bonus points if your answer helps you share your strengths or personality or connect with the hiring manager. Pro tip: Come up with a stalling tactic to buy yourself some thinking time, such as saying, “Now, that is a great question. I think I would have to say… ”
44. What other jobs are you applying for As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
If you're applying with other similar companies in a similar or the same industry, it's actually okay to state that as it shows you're valued and wanted.
45. How many basketballs would fit in this room?
One. You did not ask what is the maximum number of basketballs you can fit in the room.
46. How have you shown yourself to be a leader?
Think about a time where you've rallied a group of people around a cause / idea / initiative and successfully implemented it. It could be a small or large project but the key is you want to demonstrate how you were able to lead others to work for a common cause.
47. What do you know about this company?
Research the company on Google by searching recent news (to remain current on them) and their website. Make sure you understand their products / services, vision, competitive differentiators, and work culture.
48. What are your presentation skills like As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
Make sure you share a story that demonstrates your presentation skills in front of many people. If you are really brave, offer to give a snippet of that presentation to the interviewer. This will definitely be different from what most people do.
49. What are ideas or initiatives you've led and what was the outcome?
Describe your most unique ideas and initiatives that had the best results for the company. Make sure you highlight your creativity, your results, your diligence and your ability to execute.
50. How long do you envision yourself staying with this company?
Understand that companies invest a lot of money into hiring the right staff. You want to emphasize that you are in it for the long run and you want to develop a career there and that it's not just a "5 month stepping stone" type of a job. You should be thinking how you're going to grow with that company. After all, don't you want to invest your energy and time with a company that is going to continue to be successful and one that will help you grow?
51. 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.
52. 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.
53. 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.
54. 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.
55. Explain me about your experience working in this field As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
I am dedicated, hardworking and great team player for the common goal of the company I work with. I am fast learner and quickly adopt to fast pace and dynamic area. I am well organized, detail oriented and punctual person.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. What is your desired salary As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
Bad Answer: Candidates who are unable to answer the question, or give an answer that is far above market. Shows that they have not done research on the market rate, or have unreasonable expectations.
Good answer: A number or range that falls within the market rate and matches their level of mastery of skills required to do the job.
59. 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.
60. How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
First define significant contribution - once you do that - lay out a timeline plan in which you think you can achieve that.
Start by explaining what you'd need to do to get ramped up. What information would you need? What parts of the company would you need to familiarize yourself with? What other employees would you want to sit down with? Next, choose a couple of areas where you think you can make meaningful contributions right away. (e.g., “I think a great starter project would be diving into your email marketing campaigns and setting up a tracking system for them.”) Sure, if you get the job, you (or your new employer) might decide there's a better starting place, but having an answer prepared will show the interviewer where you can add immediate impact-and that you're excited to get started.
62. What were the responsibilities of your last position As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
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.
These are important for support workers. But they differ from the communication skills of a CEO or a desktop support technician. Communication must be adapted to the special ways and needs of the clients. Workers must be able to not only understand and help their clients, but must project empathy and be a warm, humane presence in their lives.
64. What was the most important task you ever had?
There are two common answers to this question that do little to impress recruiters:
☛ ‘I got a 2.1'
☛ ‘I passed my driving test'
No matter how proud you are of these achievements, they don't say anything exciting about you. When you're going for a graduate job, having a degree is hardly going to make you stand out from the crowd and neither is having a driving licence, which is a requirement of many jobs.
65. What are your salary expectations As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
This question is like a loaded gun, tricky and dangerous if you're not sure what you are doing. It's not uncommon for people to end up talking salary before really selling their skills, but knowledge is power as this is a negotiation after all. Again, this is an area where doing your research will be helpful as you will have an understanding of average salary.
One approach is asking the interviewer about the salary range, but to avoid the question entirely, you can respond that money isn't a key factor and you're goal is to advance in your career. However, if you have a minimum figure in mind and you believe you're able to get it, you may find it worth trying.
66. Explain an occasion when you had to adapt in the face of a difficult situation?
One of the most useful interview tactics is to remain positive about your work and achievements. This question lets the candidate draw on their own personal history to show how they have been positive and successful in the face of difficulties. Choose a specific occasion to describe, rather than dealing with generic platitudes.
67. What types of personalities do you work with best?
In the past, I have found it difficult to work with others who see themselves as better than others, who can take criticism, and who refuse to work with others. I have found it challenging to work with them b/c I am a team oriented person who feels the importance of working together over the needs of the individual especially in a learning environment.
68. When was the last time something upset you at work? What did you do?
Almost everyone has an emotional moment related to work at some point - you're not alone. The key is to learn why you reacted that way and to focus not on the problem but HOW to resolve it. Another key component is to be aware of your emotional response so that you can learn to control it in the future in a calm way.
69. What aspect of supervision do you find the most difficult?
Managing different personalities and keeping them focused on the goal at hand.
70. Do you have any questions for me?
Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.
71. What do you think is your greatest weakness?
Don't say anything that could eliminate you from consideration for the job. For instance, "I'm slow in adapting to change" is not a wise answer, since change is par for the course in most work environments. Avoid calling attention to any weakness that's one of the critical qualities the hiring manager is looking for. And don't try the old "I'm a workaholic," or "I'm a perfectionist.
72. What do you think we could do better or differently?
This is a common one at startups. Hiring managers want to know that you not only have some background on the company, but that you're able to think critically about it and come to the table with new ideas. So, come with new ideas! What new features would you love to see? How could the company increase conversions? How could customer service be improved? You don't need to have the company's four-year strategy figured out, but do share your thoughts, and more importantly, show how your interests and expertise would lend themselves to the job.
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.
74. 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.
75. Why are you leaving your current job?
This is a toughie, but one you can be sure you'll be asked. Definitely keep things positive-you have nothing to gain by being negative about your past employers. Instead, frame things in a way that shows that you're eager to take on new opportunities and that the role you're interviewing for is a better fit for you than your current or last position. For example, “I'd really love to be part of product development from beginning to end, and I know I'd have that opportunity here.” And if you were let go? Keep it simple: “Unfortunately, I was let go,” is a totally OK answer.
76. What kind of salary do you need As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
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.
77. Describe a typical work week for this position As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor?
Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to discuss what they do while they are working in detail. Before you answer, consider the position As Mechanical Maintenance Instructor you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the more successful you will be at answering the questions.
