Interview Questions Library

This question library supplements our Student Employee Interview Guide

  • Why are you applying for this job?
  • Why is this job the next step in your college experience?
  • How would this job prepare you for your future career?
  • Describe a time when you had to think “outside the box” and how did you go about it?
  • Can you give me an example of a situation where you used creative or innovative thinking to eliminate frustration with a product or process.
  • Tell me about a time when you have had to develop a creative approach to problem solving in order to get the job done.
  • What is the most creative idea or project you have generated in your current role? How was it received?
  • Tell me about a problem that you had to solve in a unique or innovative way. What was the outcome?
  • Give an example of a time you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.
  • How do you weigh the pros and cons before making a decision?
  • When you are faced with a problem, what do you do?
  • What online resources do you use to help you do your job?
  • How do you keep your technology skills current?
  • Which operating software systems are you familiar with?
  • How have you incorporated the viewpoints and perspectives of underrepresented groups into your work? Please provide a specific example.
  • Describe any awareness, knowledge, or skills you have gained from working with someone of a different background or identity than your own.
  • What steps have you taken to reduce bias and champion diversity understanding in your classes (or in your current job)? Please provide a specific example.
  • Tell us about a time when you changed your style to work more effectively with a person from a different background.
  • What is your approach to dealing with discussions about potentially difficult topics.  Please provide a specific example.
  • Please describe how you work to create a campus environment that is welcoming and inclusive? Please provide a specific example.
  • Describe the most difficult colleague, classmate, student you’ve ever had to deal with at work / class. Why were they challenging? What did you do?
  • How do you adapt your working style to meet the different culture and learning styles?
  • Tell us about a time when you showed empathy toward another individual or group. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome.
  • What is the “best” team you were a part of?  What made this team great to be a part of?
  • Describe where you had to provide constructive feedback to someone.  What was your approach?  What was the outcome?
  • In what ways have you encouraged your work team to be more creative and innovative?
  • How would your colleagues describe you?
  • What are the qualities of a successful team?
  • How do you like to be supervised?
  • Provide an example of a challenge you faced.  How did you address it?  And what was the outcome?
  • Who is someone that you look up to?  Why do you look up to them?
  • Describe a time when you faced an unexpected challenge at work.
  • Recall a time you successfully used crisis-management skills.
  • How do you know when to solve a problem on your own or to ask for help?
  • How do you prioritize your work?  How do you stay organized?
  • Do you consider yourself coachable?  Provide an example that demonstrates why.
  • Describe a time where you received constructive feedback?  What was the feedback and how did you respond?
  • What motivates you?
  • What is the best piece of advice you received at work?  How did you apply this to your work approach?
  • What is your greatest failure?  Why makes it your “greatest failure”?
  • Give me an example of when someone presented an innovative new idea you you that was a bit unusual. How did you react? What did you do?
  • Describe a time when you had to solve a problem, but didn’t have all the necessary information about it beforehand. What did you do?
  • Tell us about the last presentation you gave.

Our interview question library is a growing document!
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