64 HR Interview Questions

About the 64 questions...
General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your greatest strengths?
3. What are your greatest weaknesses?
4. Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of.
5. Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?
6. The “Silent Treatment”
7. Why should I hire you?
8. Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
9. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
10. Describe your ideal company, location and job.
11. Why do you want to work at our company?
12. What are your career options right now?
13. Why have you been out of work so long?
14. Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, management team, etc.)…
15. What good books have you read lately?
16. Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
17. What are your outside interest?
18. The “Fatal Flaw” question
19. How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)?
20. On confidential matters…
21. Would you lie for the company?
22. Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?
23. Could you have done better in your last job?
24. Can you work under pressure?
25. What makes you angry?
26. Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career?
27. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
28. What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
29. Tell me about the most boring job you’ve ever had.
30. Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position?
31. What changes would you make if you came on board?
32. I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we’d like in…
33. How do you feel about working nights and weekends?
34. Are you willing to relocate or travel?
35. Do you have the stomach to fire people?  Have you had experience firing many people?
36. Why have you had so many jobs?
37. What do you see as the proper role/mission of… …a good (job title you’re seeking); …a good manager; …an executive in serving the community; …a leading company in our industry; etc.
38. What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks?
39. How could you have improved your career progress?
40. What would you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn’t pulling his/her weight…and this was hurting your department?
41. You’ve been with your firm a long time.  Won’t it be hard switching to a new company?
42. May I contact your present employer for a reference?
43. Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill…managing ability, etc.)
44. Where could you use some improvement?
45. What do you worry about?
46. How many hours a week do you normally work?
47. What’s the most difficult part of being a (job title)?
48. The “Hypothetical Problem”
49. What was the toughest challenge you’ve ever faced?
50. Have you consider starting your own business?
51. What are your goals?
52. What do you for when you hire people?
53. Sell me this stapler…(this pencil…this clock…or some other object on interviewer’s desk).
54. “The Salary Question” – How much money do you want?
55. The Illegal Question
56. The “Secret” Illegal Question
57. What was the toughest part of your last job?
58. How do you define success…and how do you measure up to your own definition?.
59. “The Opinion Question” – What do you think about …Abortion…The President…The Death Penalty…(or any other controversial subject)?
60. If you won $ million lottery, would you still work?
61. Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work?
62. Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?
63. Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company…
64. On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.

General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions

Everyone is nervous on interviews. If you simply allow yourself to feel nervous, you'll do much better. Remember also that it's difficult for the interviewer as well.
In general, be upbeat and positive. Never be negative.
Rehearse your answers and time them. Never talk for more than 2 minutes straight.
Don't try to memorize answers word for word. Use the answers shown here as a guide only, and don't be afraid to include your own thoughts and words. To help you remember key concepts, jot down and review a few key words for each answer. Rehearse your answers frequently, and they will come to you naturally in interviews.
As you will read in the accompanying report, the single most important strategy in interviewing, as in all phases of your job search, is what we call: "The Greatest Executive Job Finding Secret."  And that is...
Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it.
Find out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate, then show how you meet those qualifications.
In other words, you must match your abilities, with the needs of the employer. You must sell what the buyer is buying. To do that, before you know what to emphasize in your answers, you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is looking for. And the best way to do that is to ask a few questions yourself.
You will see how to bring this off skillfully as you read the first two questions of this report. But regardless of how you accomplish it, you must remember this strategy above all: before blurting out your qualifications, you must get some idea of what the employer wants most. Once you know what he wants, you can then present your qualifications as the perfect “key” that fits the “lock” of that position.

·        Other important interview strategies:

·        Turn weaknesses into strengths (You'll see how to do this in a few moments.)

·        Think before you answer. A pause to collect your thoughts is a hallmark of a thoughtful person.

As a daily exercise, practice being more optimistic. For example, try putting a positive spin on events and situations you would normally regard as negative. This is not meant to turn you into a Pollyanna, but to sharpen your selling skills. The best salespeople, as well as the best liked interview candidates, come off as being naturally optimistic, "can do" people. You will dramatically raise your level of attractiveness by daily practicing to be more optimistic.
Be honest...never lie.
Keep an interview diary. Right after each interview note what you did right, what could have gone a little better, and what steps you should take next with this contact. Then take those steps. Don't be like the 95% of humanity who say they will follow up on something, but never do.

About the 64 questions...

You might feel that the answers to the following questions are “canned”, and that they will seldom match up with the exact way you are asked the questions in actual interviews. The questions and answers are designed to be as specific and realistic as possible. But no preparation can anticipate thousands of possible variations on these questions. What's important is that you thoroughly familiarize yourself with the main strategies behind each answer. And it will be invaluable to you if you commit to memory a few key words that let you instantly call to mind your best answer to the various questions. If you do this, and follow the principles of successful interviewing presented here, you're going to do very well.

Good luck...and good job-hunting!

Question 1# Tell me about yourself.

TRAPS:  Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.

BEST ANSWER:  Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.

So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.
To do so, make you take these two steps:

1.      Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)

2.      As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails.  You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position?  All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”

 Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.
You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:
This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.
After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.

Question 2# What are your greatest strengths?

TRAPS:  This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

BEST ANSWER:  You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.
You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.
Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.
As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:

1.                  A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.

2.                  Intelligence...management "savvy".

3.                  Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.

4.                  Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.

5.                  Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.

6.                  Good communication skills.

7.                  Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.

8.                  Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.

9.                  Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.

10.             Confident...healthy...a leader.