Preparing for an Interview

Interviewing for a job or internship can be very intimidating. To make a good impression, you need to be prepared, confident and dressed appropriately.

Check out the resources below for common interview questions and how to dress professionally. Also, plan to attend an upcoming interviewing workshop, or schedule a mock interview with Career Development staff!

Frequently Asked Interview Questions

• Tell me something about yourself.
• Tell me about a time when you had to overcome an obstacle to achieve a goal.
• Describe a time when you had to work with someone who you didn’t personally like (or who didn’t like you).
• Tell me about a time when you were balancing multiple projects and had to prioritize.
• Talk about a time when you were part of a team that had to achieve an objective goal. Include what you did specifically as part of the team and what your team role was.
• What do you know about our company?
• What can you do for my company?
• Why should we hire you? (Promote your unique selling point.)
• What can you do for us that someone else can’t?
• Describe a situation in which you had several tasks to complete. How did you set your priorities?
• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation and had to utilize your coping skills.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you didn’t agree.
• Tell me about a difficult decision you have had to make in the past year.
• Describe a time when you failed to come up with a solution or meet a goal.
• Tell me about a situation in which you had to deal with a very upset client, customer, or coworker.
• Why have you left your previous employer(s)?
• Describe an ideal supervisor.
• How would co-workers describe you?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• What type of hours are you used to working?
• Do you have questions for us?

Watch out for illegal questions. Don’t respond hostilely to inappropriate questions; it may have been an honest mistake. Make sure your answer relates back to the position. If questions continue to make you feel uncomfortable, it is a clue into the work culture there and may indicate you do not want to work for this company.