Operational Urban Planning Interview Questions & Answers:
1. Tell me why do you want this job In Urban Planning?
Bad Answer: No solid answer, answers that don't align with what the job actually offers, or uninspired answers that show your position is just another of the many jobs they're applying for.
Good answer: The candidate has clear reasons for wanting the job that show enthusiasm for the work and the position, and knowledge about the company and job.
2. If the company you worked for was doing something unethical or illegal, what would you do?
Report it to the leaders within the company. True leaders understand business ethics are important to the company's longevity
3. What attracted you to this company In Urban Planning?
You could discuss the company's vision, culture and solutions/services as reasons for wanting to join it.
4. What is your greatest strength In Urban Planning?
This is your time to shine. Just remember the interviewer is looking for work related strengths In Urban Planning. Mention a number of them such as being a good motivator, problem solver, performing well under pressure, being loyal, having a positive attitude, eager to learn, taking initiative, and attention to detail. Whichever you go for, be prepared to give examples that illustrate this particular skill.
5. 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.
6. How much are you willing to sacrifice to be successful at work In Urban Planning?
With anything comes sacrifice. The questions is how much of it are you willing to sacrifice with regards to work life balance, stress, etc?
Do not show your fear or uneasiness in handling pressure. Everyone likes to have a worker who can handle pressure calmly and with a clear train of thought. Show how you would logically come to a conclusion in a pressure filled situation.
8. Can you describe your ideal boss/supervisor?
During the interview In Urban Planning process employers will want to find out how you respond to supervision. They want to know whether you have any problems with authority, If you can work well as part of a group (see previous question) and if you take instructions well etc.
Never ever ever, criticize a past supervisor or boss. This is a red flag for airlines and your prospective employer will likely assume you are a difficult employee, unable to work in a team or take intruction and side with your former employer.
9. What have you done to improve yourself in the last year In Urban Planning?
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.
10. 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?
11. 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?
12. Why did you select the University _______?
Discuss the academic program, the extracurricular program(s), the school spirit, the quality of your peers, and the professors.
13. If you have multiple projects on your plate, how do you handle completing them on time?
Prioritize based on business importance. Set clear timelines for each so that you know which ones to knock out first. Get your teammates to help if necessary.
14. Explain what are your weaknesses In Urban Planning?
Red flags: This is the peanut butter to the previous question's jelly. Again, everyone should expect it, so it's a bad sign if someone seems totally unprepared, or gives a stock answer like, "I'm a perfectionist." Also, of course, candidates crazy enough to blurt out some horrible personality trait should go in the red flagged pile.
Good answer: Candidates should talk about a real weakness they've been working on improving. For instance, they're not good at public speaking, but they've been taking a course to help them improve. Or maybe they feel that they're easily distracted when working online, but have installed software that helps them stay on task. Answers like these show a desire for improvement, self awareness and discipline.
15. Top 17 Behavioral Interview Questions In Urban Planning:
Behavioral interviews In Urban Planning where popularized by industrial psychologists in the 1970s, and have been used at big companies like AT&T. The idea behind them is that past responses to situations are the best predictor of how candidates will respond in the future.
1. Tell me about a time you faced a conflict while working as part of a team.
2. Talk about a goal you set for yourself. What did you do to make sure you met the goal?
3. Give an example of a time when you had to work with someone with a very different personality from yours.
4. Talk about an instance where you wish you'd handled a situation differently with a team member.
5. What's the most difficult problem you have had to solve In Urban Planning?
6. Give an example of how you handled a situation where you needed information from a colleague who wasn't responsive.
7. Talk about a time when you had problems building a relationship with a key team member. What did you do?
8. Tell me about an instance when it was important to make a great impression on a client. What did you do?
9. Tell me about a situation where you had to work with a difficult client.
10. Tell me about a situation where you disappointed a client, and how you tried to fix it.
11. Talk about a time when you had to strategize to meet all your obligations.
12. Talk about a time when you failed at something. How did you react?
13. Talk about a time you took on a leadership role.
14. Tell me about a long-term project you oversaw. How did you keep it focused and on schedule?
15. Talk about a time when you were under a lot of stress. What caused it, and how did you manage?
16. Do you prefer to work alone or with others In Urban Planning?
17. Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed by the amount of work on your agenda. How did you handle it?
16. What would you like to avoid completely in your next job In Urban Planning?
Bad business ethics, teammates / managers that are disrespectful / inconsiderate. But of course, this job wouldn't have things like this right?
17. What is your philosophy towards work?
This is typically a straightforward question that merits a straightforward answer. Do you have strong worth ethic? Will you do whatever it takes to make sure the job gets done? Just say so in your response. Keep it short, direct and positive.
18. 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.
19. Name five characteristics that describe you?
Here are a few you could choose from:
Hard working, strong willed, persistent, intelligent, adept, amicable, friendly, collaborative, eager, humble.
20. Explain me about a problem or disagreement you had with previous supervisor?
This question is trap. It is meant to see whether or not you'll speak poorly of an employer. No one wants to hire someone who's going to speak poorly of them down the road. Stay upbeat and positive - and most of all don't say anything negative about a previous employer.
21. 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.
22. 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
23. Would you describe yourself as more analytical or interpersonal?
If you answer either, just make sure you explain why. For example, "I would consider myself to be more analytical because I'm good at examining a data set and then understanding how to interpret it in a business environment." or "I'm more of interpersonal person because I enjoy working and collaborating with my teammates and clients"
24. What's been your biggest failure to date?
Describe your biggest failure and discuss what you've learned from it and ideally how you've been successful since because of that lesson.
25. How do you take "No" for an answer?
You want to be persistent enough to understand why someone is saying no so that you could potentially convince them otherwise with a sound reason. However, if they are still saying "no" to you, then you need to humbly accept their position and move on.
26. How do you handle conflicts with people you supervise?
At first place, you try to avoid conflicts if you can. But once it happens and there's no way to avoid it, you try to understand the point of view of the other person and find the solution good for everyone. But you always keep the authority of your position.
27. How do you feel about this company's vision?
First find out where the company envisions itself in 3-5 years. If you can't find the vision of the company, that's probably a big question mark on the company itself. Once you do, identify how those company's visions align to your personal values and goals and then articulate how tightly correlated that is to the interviewer. For example - this company wants to be the #1 provider of green technology in the world and I feel strongly about that vision because we've got a chance to collectively impact the world to become a greener society and save our clients at the same time!
28. What are three positive characteristics you wish you had?
The key here is to be honest about your wish list but then to describe how you plan on developing or growing those characteristics so that it becomes a reality. For example, I wish I had a stronger work ethic and I am reading a book right now about how to instill a better discipline around getting work done efficiently.
29. Describe to me a time where you had to make a hard decision In Urban Planning?
Hard decisions are hard for a reason. It could dramatically effect the company. It could affect other workers. So if you have a story about how you made a hard decision and had a good outcome, share that. If you have one where the outcome wasn't great, explain how you would have changed the way you approached the decision to show you learned how to improve.
30. What motivates you to succeed?
Your interviewer will likely want to know the reasons why you will remain motivated to do your best during your employment with the company In Urban Planning. Perhaps you are interested in being challenged, but you may also have interest in being recognized for your hard work in the form of the number of sales you can attain. A great example answer for this question is “I always do my best in everything, including my job. I take pride in my success, and I also want the company for which I work to be successful. Being affiliated with a company that is known for its excellence is very important to me.”
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