Sample Questions Asked by Employers During Interviews with College Seniors

1. What are your short- and long-range goals and objectives?  When and why did you establish these goals? How are you preparing yourself to achieve them?  

2. What specific goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you established for yourself for the next five years?  

3. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?  

4. What do you really want to accomplish in life?  

5. What are the most important rewards you expect in your (i.e. business) career?  

6. What do you expect to be earning in five years?  

7. Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?  

8. Which is more important to you, the money or the type of job?  

9. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?  

10. How would you describe yourself?  

11. How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?  

12. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?  

13. How has your college experience prepared you for a (i.e. social work) career?  

14. Why should I hire you?  

15. What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in (i.e. nursing)?  

16. How do you determine or evaluate success?  

17. What do you think it takes to be successful in a organization like ours?  

18. In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization? What qualities should a successful leader or manager possess?  

19. Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those reporting to him/her.  

20. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?  Why?  

21. Describe your most rewarding college experience.  

22. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for?  

23. Why did you select your college or university?  

24. What led you to choose your field of major study?  

25. What college subjects did you like best?  Why?  

26. What college subjects did you like least?  Why?  

27. If you could do so, how would you plan your academic study differently?  Why?  

28. What changes would you make in your college or university?  Why?  

29. Do you have plans for continued study?  An advanced degree?  

30. Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement?

31. What have you learned from participation in extracurricular activities?  

32. In what kind of a work environment are you most comfortable?  

33. How do you work under pressure?  

34. In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested?  Why? 

35. How would you describe the ideal job for you following graduation?

36. Why did you decide to seek a position with this organization?  

37. What do you know about our organization?  

38. What two or three things are most important to you in your job?  

39. Are you seeking employment in an organization of a certain size?  Why?  

40. What criteria are you using to evaluate the organization for which you hope to work?  

41. Do you have a geographical preference?  Why?  

42. Will you relocate?  Does relocation bother you?  

43. Are you willing to travel?  

44. Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our organization is located?

45. What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?

46. What have you learned from your mistakes?  

47. Tell me about yourself.

Sample Questions to Ask The Employer

These are examples of the types of questions you might ask in an interview.  You will want to develop your own questions.  Each employer is different, and what is appropriate at one organization may be inappropriate at another.

1. What future changes do you see for this organization?

2. What are the normal avenues for advancement within the organization?

3. How much contact will I have with supervisors and others in the upper management levels?

4. Where are the people who formerly held this position?

5. How would you describe the most successful employees in your organization?

6. What significant changes have the company experienced in the past year?

7. What are the organization's goals for the future?

8. How will I be evaluated in my job?

9. What can I do within the next several months to help ensure my success within the organization?

10. What is the greatest challenge, from your perspective, that the organization faces during the next year?

Potential Knockout Factors

Reasons why candidates may receive rejection replies:

1. Lack of proper career planning, purposes and goals ill-defined, needs direction.

2. Lack of knowledge concerning field of specialization, not well qualified, lacks depth.

3. Inability to express thoughts clearly and concisely, rambles.

4. Insufficient evidence of achievement or capacity to excite action in others.

5. Not prepared for the interview, no research on organization, no presentation.

6. No real interest in the organization or the industry, merely shopping around.

7. Narrow location interest, unwilling to relocate later, inflexible.

8. Little interest and enthusiasm, indifferent, bland personality.

9. Overbearing, overaggressive, conceited, cocky, aloof, assuming, cynical.

10. Interested only in best dollar offer, too money conscious.

11. Asks no or poor questions about the job, little depth and meaning to questions.

12. Unwilling to start at the bottom, expects too much too soon, unrealistic.

13. Makes excuses, evasive, hedges on unfavorable factors in history.

14. Lack of confidence and poise, nervousness, ill at ease.

15. Failure to participate in activities.

16. Low GPA, just got by.

17. Lack of maturity.

18. Lack of courtesy and tact, ill mannered.

19. Condemnation of past employers.

20. Marked dislike for coursework.

21. Sloppy application form.

22. Wants job only for short time.

23. Little or no sense of humor.

24. Emphasis on whom he/she knows.

25. Low moral standards.

26. Lazy.

27. No interest in community activities.

28. Inability to take criticism.

29. Lack of appreciation for the value of experience.

30. Late to interview.

31. Failure to express appreciation for interviewer's time.

32. Asks no or few questions about the job or organization.

33. Indefinite response to questions.

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