INTERVIEW

GUIDE
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
CENTRE
Interview Guide
Congratulations, You Got An Interview! Types of Interviews

If you get an interview, it’s because your One-on-one – a common format where you
resume and cover letter have clearly meet individually with the employer or
demonstrated that you are qualified for the job recruiter.
and you have impressed the recruiter. Now they
want to meet you to confirm your skills and Panel – consists of two or more interviewers
abilities, assess your “fit” and promote their who will usually take turns asking questions.
company to you. The interview will also be your
opportunity to sell yourself by expanding on Group – used by employers to screen multiple
your resume, learn more about the position and candidates at once and may include group
evaluate if the position and company are a good activities to solve a problem or complete a task.
“fit” for you.  View this as an opportunity to demonstrate
your teamwork skills, not a competition!
Top 10 Tips for a Successful Interview  Listen attentively to the others and be open
to their ideas.
1. Review the job posting and assess your
skills, abilities and what you have to offer Telephone – commonly used to pre-screen
applicants before an in-person interview is
the company as they relate to the job.
scheduled or when the candidate and employer
2. Research the company. How do your are not located in the same city.
personal and professional values align with  Smile and use hand gestures, it helps
the organization’s values? convey enthusiasm through the phone.
3. Prepare answers to possible questions by  Dress as you would for an in-person
knowing your stories (past experience). interview to get you in the right frame of
4. Practice, practice and then practice some mind.
more.  Ensure your phone is fully charged (or use a
landline) and you are in a quiet location.
5. Know where you are going and arrive early.
 Have your resume and “study notes” in
6. Dress for success. front of you.
7. Be professional and polite with everyone
you encounter. Video (Skype) – used when the candidate and
8. Be honest. employer are in different locations.
9. Always ask questions.  Test the program/equipment beforehand.
10. Follow up with a thank you email or card.  Adjust lighting, camera angle and
background for a clear non-distracting
image.
 Dress appropriately and use hand gestures
Remember, you can always contact a and smile as you normally would.
Career Consultant at the  Have your resume and “study notes” in
Career Development Centre front of you.
to conduct a mock interview with you!

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PREPARATION IS THE KEY!
Regardless of the type of interview, the first  Why am I interested in this
step to interview success is preparation. Good organization/position?
preparation enables you to:  What type of organizational culture will I be
the most successful in?
 reduce any interview anxiety
 appear confident and professional
 effectively market your qualifications Before the Interview
 positively impress the interviewer(s) Get Organized and Plan Ahead

So here is how you prepare… 1. Prepare and practice answers to common

and behavioral interview questions. This
Know Who The Organization Is step is extremely important, the more you
practice the more confidence you will have!
Find out as much as you can about the There is more information about interview
organization and their management through questions starting on page 6. Remember,
reading their website, following their social you can also attend a workshop or book an
media and connecting with people you may appointment for more help or to have a
know who work there. mock interview.

Here is what to look for: 2. Prepare your documents and portfolio

 What are the mission and values? with the following:
 What are their products and/or services and
how are they marketed?  Extra copies of your resume
 What is their history and what are their  Examples of your work
future plans?  List of your references
 How many people do they employ?  Reference letter(s)
 Are they international? Where are their  Transcripts
other offices?  Copy of the job posting
 What is their reputation?  List of questions to ask the employer
 How are they structured and who are the  Details including time, location and who
key personnel? you will be meeting with
 Blank paper and a pen for taking notes
Know Who They Are Looking For
3. Know where are you going and how you
are going to get there:
Review the job posting to identify key skills and
qualifications they are looking for. Now, for
 Confirm where you are going, especially
every skill and qualification they are looking for,
if they have multiple locations.
assess yourself to see how well you match. Ask
 Check the bus schedule or parking
yourself:
locations.
 What have I learned/gained from previous
 Take a trip prior to the interview so you
experience, academic courses and
know exactly where to go.
programs, and extracurricular activities?
 Plan your departure time so you arrive
 What can I offer the employer? at least 10-15 minutes early.

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4. Dress for Success! 5. Go with the flow and be prepared for
anything! You never know what might
 Appearance counts - it’s part of your happen at the interview so even with the
first impression! This includes your best planning, you still need to be flexible
clothing, hair and grooming. Dress and adaptable to go with the flow.
conservatively in clothes that fit well,
have been recently cleaned and 6. Don’t be late! If something happens, call
pressed. them ASAP. Never be a no-show. If you’ve
changed your mind about the position, be
 No cologne, perfume or aftershave. professional and call them, well in advance
Many companies have “scent free of the interview day.
polices” to accommodate allergies.

 If you need to purchase an outfit, At the Interview:

consider it a worthwhile investment in Make a Good First Impression
your future. You might be able to find a
great deal at a consignment or thrift Your interview starts before you have arrived.
store. Be kind, friendly and polite to everyone you
encounter, you never know who will end up in
 Clothing that is ill-fitted reflects poorly the interview room with you! A negative
on you as a professional. Save some of impression experienced by an employee will get
your shopping budget to have your back to the hiring manager.
outfit professionally tailored to fit you.
Turn your phone off and put it away! Take
 Bright colours and patterns can be notice of your surroundings, you can learn a lot
distracting, stick with natural colours for about a company by doing this and you might
jackets, pants or skirts such as black, want to ask questions about your
grey, blue, beige or brown with a observations… “I noticed a poster recruiting
coordinating light shirt, blouse, sweater volunteers for an upcoming fundraising event.
or tie. Can you tell me more about how you support
employee volunteerism?”
 Make sure you can sit, stand and walk
comfortably in what you are wearing. Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake. A
Fussing with your outfit will make you firm, but painless, palm-to-palm handshake
appear less confident and combined with a genuine smile, direct eye
unprofessional. contact and a clear “Thank you for seeing me” is
a great way to launch the interview. Be sure to
 If you are unsure or want feedback on introduce yourself and shake hands with
your interview attire come see us in everyone who is part of the interview. To help
room 254! you remember names, repeat their names back
to them and/or write them down on the blank
paper in your portfolio.

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 in this situation with a classmate on a group
project or a teammate in your sports team.

Good body language will help you feel and

appear confident. Wait to be asked to be “Do you have any questions for us?” The
seated then sit tall with your shoulders back answer is always “Yes”! Asking intelligent
and avoid fidgeting. Be yourself and use hand questions is a way to demonstrate your sincere
gestures, just avoid excessive movement. interest in the company and the position. It
Maintain good eye contact. When we are shows that you have put in the effort to
nervous we tend to look up, down and side-to- understand the company and that you want to
side, anywhere but at the interviewer, which learn more. This is also an opportunity for you
only makes us look more nervous. The more to gain insight on the company and the position
nervous you are, the more eye contact you to help you evaluate if it is a good fit for you.
should make!
Prepare four to six questions, assuming some
Speak clearly and pause for breath. 38% of a will be answered through the course of the
first impression isn’t what we say, it’s how we interview. Have your questions printed and with
say it or the tone of our voice. Be positive, you, it can be difficult to remember the
never say anything negative about a previous questions you wanted to ask at the end of the
employer. interview.

It’s okay to ask for clarification or for the See page 14 for a list of questions you may want
question to be repeated. Have a copy of your to ask.
resume in front of you to trigger your memory
and use your pen and paper to take notes on
the questions asked. If you are unclear about a After the Interview:
question, ask for clarification. If you need a The Hard Part is Over, But There is More To Do
moment to think of your answer, ask them to
repeat the question. If you get half way through Reflect on the interview, give yourself
and you are not happy with your answer but feedback and make notes of what you have
you have suddenly thought of the perfect learned. As soon as possible after the interview,
example, stop, apologize and ask them to start take a few moments to write down things that
over “I’m sorry, I just thought of a better were discussed in the interview and what
example that I would like to share with you. questions were asked. Evaluate what went well
May I start over?” Chances are they will say yes and what can be improved. Were there
and this is better than giving a bad or wrong questions you would have answered
answer. differently? Did you forget to mention
something important? Were you happy with
Provide an answer to all questions! If they ask your performance? Self-evaluation will help you
you a question that you have not experienced, prepare for future interviews.
do your very best to provide an example of a
similar situation. If you don’t provide an answer Follow-up with the interviewer(s). Many
they cannot evaluate or score you. Here’s an candidates don’t do this, which means they
example “Tell me about a time a co-worker have missed an opportunity to differentiate
wasn’t contributing to the team. What did you themselves, reiterate their skills and interest in
do?” Perhaps you have not been in this exact the job, show their appreciation and to mention
situation with a co-worker, but you have been anything they may have forgotten in the
interview. Don’t be this candidate!

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A typical follow-up is a thank you email sent
within 24 hours of the interview. A hand written
card is also nice, but should be dropped off in
person to ensure it is received in a timely
manner. Your email should include:

1. Thanking them for the interview

2. Why you are a good fit
3. Specifically why you want to work for them
4. Positive closing saying you look forward to
the opportunity to join their company

I haven’t heard back, what should I do? One

question you can ask at the end of the interview
is “When can I expect to hear back from you?”
or “What is the next step and what is your
timeline for this recruitment process?” Their
answer will help you know the appropriate time
to follow-up. If and when you follow-up
(through email or a phone call) simply ask if you
can have an update on where they are at in the
recruitment process.

Asking for feedback creates a positive

impression and you might learn something.
Showing that you are open to feedback and
want to learn and improve will add to your
overall positive impression and you might get
some great insight that will help you be
successful in future interviews. Some
companies have polices that don’t allow them
to provide feedback, or it might be very general,
but it can’t hurt to ask!

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Common Questions & How to Answer Them Sample Answer: “If I had to choose a weakness
it would be my public speaking skills, I wouldn’t
These questions are used to determine your describe myself as a natural born presenter. I
interests, motivations, goals, strengths recognized this and I have taken steps to
weaknesses and potential. You need to have improve by joining the Toastmasters Club at
well prepared and tailored answers to these school, making time to practice when I have to
questions. give a presentation in class as well as
researching presentation techniques. As a
Tell me about yourself. result, I’m more confident and don’t shy away
This question helps the conversation get from presenting. My professor commented on
started. Provide the interviewer with a high- my improvement and I got an A on my last in-
level overview of who you are and how you are class presentation."
qualified for the position including your
education, past relevant experience and What do you know about our company?
extracurricular activities. Add in something Why do you want to work for us?
unique about yourself to help them remember Why should we hire you?
you. These are very important questions that could
have a significant impact on your interview
Tip: don’t assume the person interviewing you results. Demonstrating that you have
has read your resume. researched and understand the company will
prove that you are sincerely interested in the
What are your strengths? company and position. These questions help the
Keeping the position in mind, tell them about interview determine your “fit” in the
your strengths and provide an examples. organization.

Tip: Prove it! People have a tendency to simply Tip: Tell the interviewer how your personal and
list a bunch of skills, which are meaningless professional values align with the company’s
without examples to prove it. and what is going to motivate you to represent
their company.
What is your weakness?
Select a weakness that is not a competency What are your salary expectations?
related to the job and use this formula to You need to research to be able to answer this
demonstrate how you have improved: question. Don’t just throw a figure out there of
what you’d like to make without having an idea
W (weakness) – tell them what it is, but don’t of what salary is suitable for the position and
spend too much time talking about it. for someone with your qualifications. When
A (actions) – explain the steps, ideally three, asked, you should give a range rather than a
you have taken to improve specific amount.
R (results) – provide at least three positive
results that have come from your action steps.

Tip: The recruiter cares more about your actions

and results than your actual weakness.

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Salary research tips: S = Situation
 Use the Career Development Centre’s Grad  Briefly describe the specific situation, draw
Survey found on our website from your volunteer, work, academic or
 Compare it to similar jobs extracurricular activities.
 Use the Government of Canada’s “Explore
Careers by Wages” website O = Opportunity/Obstacle
 Google it  Explain what you had to overcome or how
 Ask friends and family you made things better by articulating the
 Consider the industry i.e. government, non- issue or defining the problem.
profit, private sector, etc.
A = Action
Sample Answer: “I’m really excited about this  What did you do in this situation? How did
opportunity and would like to know more about you solve the problem? What techniques or
your total compensation. The Asper School of skills did you utilize? Include strong action
Business conducts a salary survey each year and words here like managed, initiated,
based on their report last year’s graduating developed, and analyzed. What were the
class was earning $38,000 to $41,000. I’d be reactions of other people involved and how
comfortable earning in this range as well and did you react?
I’m open to discussing this.”
R = Results
 Many interviewees will forget this part of
Behaviour Descriptive Questions And their answer and it’s the most important
How to Answer Them part! It is very important to explain the
outcome of the problem or opportunity.
Behaviour Descriptive Interview (BDI) questions How did you resolve the situation – what
are designed to help the interviewer evaluate were you able to accomplish or contribute?
your future performance based on your past Think in terms of your own personal
behaviour. If you successfully demonstrate that accomplishment but also what value you
you have performed a competency in the past, added to the organization through your
you likely will be able to continue to do so in the actions?
future.
Examples of BDI Questions
BDI questions are past tense questions, for
example, “Tell me about a time when you dealt Competency: Stress management
with a difficult customer”. To answer a BDI  Tell me about a difficult situation when it
question successfully, you need to tell a specific was desirable for you to keep a positive
story, something that actually happened in the attitude. What did you do?
past. You also need to put emphasis on the
actions you took and the results from your Competency: Time management
actions. The S.O.A.R. formula will help you tell  Tell me about a time you had to handle
your story. multiple responsibilities. How did you
organize the work you needed to do?

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Competency: Teamwork Know Your Rights – Illegal Questions
 Tell me about a time when you were
working as part of a team and one of the The Human Rights Code of Manitoba is the
members wasn’t pulling their weight. What provincial law which protects people against
did you do? discrimination. Questions which cannot legally
be asked in an interview include:
Competency: Customer focus/problem solving  Age
 Tell me about a time when you had to  Disabilities
handle a difficult customer. What did you  Ethnicity, ancestry, race
do?  Membership in organizations
 Religion
Tip: The emphasis of your answer (or story)  Sexuality and/or family status
should be on your actions and results. Think
about providing three actions and three results Illegal questions, intentionally or
for a complete story. So the formula would look unintentionally, do get asked during interviews.
like this S.O.A.A.A.R.R.R. If you are asked a question you feel is
inappropriate respond with “I’m not sure of the
Other Types of Questions relevance of the question to the role, can you
tell me how it relates specifically to the job?”
Factual Questions – used to confirm specific
details, often yes or no answers “Are you legally
eligible to work in Canada?”

Technical Questions – specifically related to the

position “What is the difference between
accounts receivable and accounts payable?”

Situational Questions – a hypothetical situation

that you may face in the work environment.
Your response should include your intended
action and result “What would you do if a client
was unhappy with the service they received?”

Role Play Questions – often used in sales or

customer service positions where the
interviewer takes on the role of a customer and
may ask a question such as "Why should I
choose your company?"

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SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
General and Open Ended Questions Education

 Tell me about yourself.  Why did you choose your current program
 What are your greatest strengths? at school?
 Name one thing about yourself that you  What courses have you liked most? Least?
would like to improve. Why?
 What has been your most satisfying  What are the main things you’ve learned in
experience? your program? University?
 Where do you see yourself in five years?  What is your GPA? Do you think your
 Describe to me the kind of environment you grades are a good indication of your
would like to work in. academic achievement? How would you
 Describe your ideal job. What is the most improve your GPA if you had a chance to do
important thing you are looking for in an it over again?
employer?  How did you earn the scholarships / awards
 What have you learned from participation listed on your resume?
in extracurricular activities?  Describe your most rewarding experience at
 If you were going to hire for this position University.
what would you look for in a candidate?
 Tell me something that you are proud of. Previous Experience
 Tell me about a recent goal you set for
yourself.  Why did you leave your previous employer?
 What have you learned from your mistakes?  What have you learned from your previous
 Tell me what you know about the jobs?
____________industry.  What was the greatest challenge in your
 Tell me about an emerging issue in our last job? How did you deal with it?
profession/industry.  How would your last boss describe you?
 Are you willing to relocate? What did you like most about your last job?
 What are your salary expectations? Dislike?
 What would you describe as the biggest  Tell me about a contribution you made at
responsibility that you have had? your last job.
 If you could construct your own job, what
factors would you include? Decision Making
 Tell me something about yourself that’s not
on your resume.  Give me an example of a time you had to
 In what ways do you believe you can make make an important or difficult decision.
a contribution to our organization? How did you make the decision? How does
 I am interviewing 10 candidates all with it affect you today?
similar backgrounds today, tell me why I  Describe a specific problem you solved for
should hire you. your employer or professor. How did you
 What do you want me to remember about approach the problem? What role did
you? others play? What was the outcome?
 Why are you interested in working for us?  Describe a situation where you had to make
 Why should we hire you? a quick decision and take action.

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Self-Motivation  Give me an example of a time you had to
persuade other people to take action.
 Are you a self-starter? Give me an example. Were you successful?
 How do you stay enthusiastic in your job,  If I asked someone to describe your
despite the parts of it that you don’t enjoy leadership style what would they say about
or find challenging? you?

Analytical Skills Organizational, Time Management & Planning

 Describe a project that best demonstrates  Tell me about a time you had to handle
your analytical skills. multiple responsibilities. How did you
 Tell me about a specific time when you had organize the work you needed to do? How
to analyze information and make a did you manage your time?
recommendation.  Tell me about a time when you had to plan
or organize something on short notice.
Teamwork  Tell me about a time you organized an
event that was very successful.
 Tell me about a time when you were part of  What do you do when you have too many
a successful work group or project team. tasks to accomplish in the allowed time?
Why was it so successful? What was your  Tell me about a time you missed an
role? important deadline.
 Tell me about a time when you were Communication Skills
working as part of a team or a group and
one of the members wasn’t pulling his/her  Tell me about a time when you had to deal
weight. What did you do? with a difficult customer or client? How did
 Do you prefer working by yourself or with you handle it? What was the result?
others? Why?  Tell me about a time when you had to
 Describe the most difficult person you’ve present complex information (oral or
ever had to work with. written) in a way that was clear and easily
 Describe a time when you put your needs understood.
aside to help a co-worker or classmate  Describe a situation where you were able to
understand a task. How did you assist successfully convince or persuade someone
them? What was the result? to do something your way.
 Describe the most significant report or
Leadership paper that you have written.
 Describe the most significant presentation
 Describe your leadership style. that you have had to deliver.
 What characteristics do you feel are  Give me an example of a time when you
important to be a successful leader? were able to successfully communicate with
 Tell me about a time when you influenced another person that you did not get along
the outcome of a project by taking on more with.
of a leadership role.  What does effective communication mean
 Give me a specific example of something to you? When have you demonstrated your
you did that helped build enthusiasm in effective communication skills?
others.

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Initiative Flexibility/Adaptability

 Give me an example of a time when you  At one time or another we are all asked to
took initiative rather than waiting to be told help out with something when we don't
what to do. seem to have the time. Tell me about a
 Give me an example of a successful project recent time when this happened to you and
or new initiative you’ve been involved in. how you handled it.
What was your role?  Can you think of the last time that you were
 Tell me about a time when you went above asked to help out on a task that was not
and beyond the call of duty to get the job directly your responsibility? What was it?
done. What was the situation with your own
 Give me an example of a time when you workload?
initiated a change in process or operations.  Describe a time or a situation where you
 How did you prepare for today’s interview? had to deal with significant change. How did
 Every job seems to have slow periods. Tell you handle it?
me about a time when you had free time in
your last job. What did you do with the free Interpersonal Skills
time? What were your co-workers doing?
How often did these slack periods occur?  Give me an example of a time when your
effective interpersonal skills contributed to
Problem Solving your success.
 Tell me about a time when you handled a
 Tell me about a time when you had to solve difficult situation with a co-worker. What
a problem and rules or guidelines were not happened?
in place.  Tell me about a work situation that required
 Tell me about a time when you identified a you to adapt to a wide variety of people.
potential problem and resolved it before it What did you find difficult and what did you
became serious. enjoy?
 Tell me about something challenging you  Tell me about at time you built a rapport
faced in your most recent job, how did you with a difficult customer or client.
handle it?
Goal Setting/Results Oriented
Creativity
 Describe two specific goals you set for
 Tell me about a time when you came up yourself and how successful you were in
with an innovative solution to a challenge meeting them. What factors led to your
your company or class was facing. What success in meeting your goals?
was the challenge? What role did others  Tell me about an accomplishment that
play? you're most proud of? How did you go
 Tell me about the most creative school or about achieving this result? What steps did
work related project that you have done. you take?
 Describe a specific task or assignment you
found especially difficult to accomplish.
What was it, and what made it difficult?
How did you overcome the difficulty? What
was the end result?

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JOB SPECIFIC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Accounting & CPA Banking & Investment Banking

 Why do you want to be a CPA?  Tell me about a current issue in the banking
 What do you know about the CPA program? industry.
 Tell me about an emerging issue in the  What enticed you to apply to a position at
accounting profession. our bank?
 You want to compare three companies’  Why do you want to be an
financial performance for the past five analyst/investment banker?
years. One company is small, one is  Describe a situation when you investigated
medium-sized, and one is large. What is a an individual's issue and found a specific
financial technique that accountants can need.
use to overcome this size difference and  Why would you make a good investment
achieve a meaningful comparison? banker?
 When using ratio analysis to analyze  What, in your opinion, are the key
financial statements and company’s ingredients in building and maintaining
performance, what are some things to successful business relationships? Give me
consider? examples of how you have made these
 You have heard of the terms Financial work for you.
Accounting and Management Accounting,
to be sure. What are some of the Consulting
differences between the two types of
accounting?  What do you think are the attributes of a
successful consultant?
Actuary  Tell me about a business problem that you
have solved. Walk me through the process.
 Why did you choose the actuarial  How would you bring in new business to the
profession? firm?
 Tell me about a current issue facing the
insurance industry. Finance
 Tell me about your computer skills.
Programs? Level? Examples of where you  What do you think an financial analyst
have used them. does?
 If you had to explain what the Normal  Do you follow the market? Share your
Distribution was to someone who knew thoughts with me.
little about math, how would you go about  Do you have any investments? In what?
doing this? Why?
 If you had a hypothetical death benefit plan  How do you feel the market will turn out at
that was being marketed through fiscal year end?
telemarketing, what would be the major  Where would you invest given the current
profit drivers? market conditions and why?
 Can you tell me the stock price of any
company off the top of your head?
 What stocks do you follow? Why?
 Tell me how you would value a company?

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  If you had a new product and wanted to
 How would you determine the discount arrange for shelf space in a national chain
rate? how would you do this?
 What is the exchange rate today?  What are the most important questions you
 Tell me about a time when you used need to ask before beginning to plan a
financial data to prove a point. marketing/advertising campaign?
 What is a hedge fund? What is a bond?  What do you think about our advertising
 Explain the concepts of cash flow and net campaign for ________ product?
income.  Tell me about a marketing program that you
 Name three well known investment banking initiated at school or work.
firms.  What was your favourite product launched
 Give me an example of a calculated risk you in the last few years? What did you like
have taken. What was the result? about it?
 Give me an example of a good (bad)
Human Resources marketing campaign you’ve seen. What did
you like (dislike) about it?
 What do you think are the key qualities for
human resources professionals? Sales and Marketing
 What is employment equity?
 What is workers compensation?  Sell me this pen.
 What are the steps in processing a  Tell me about the nicest compliment that
suspension or termination of an employee? you have received from a client/customer.
 What are the components of an effective  What attracts you to the
performance review program? __________industry?
 What tools do you use in determining the  How would you go about identifying new
salary for a position? prospects?
 What is a grievance and describe a  What strengths do you feel are important in
grievance process. being successful in sales?
 What can you tell me about the  How do you keep yourself positive and
employment market right now? Winnipeg motivated for selling?
or Canada?  Provide an example of when you received a
 What industries/professions are in currently ‘no’ from a customer and later turned it into
demand? a ‘yes’.
 Can you tell me what Behavior Descriptive  What were your sales goals in your past
Interview questions are? sales job? How did you perform?
 Can you give me an example of an illegal  Tell me about the most difficult or
interview question? challenging sale that you have made.
 Name one emerging issue in the human  Can you tell me about a time when you
resource management field. went beyond the customer’s expectations
in order to meet their needs?
Marketing

 Tell me the difference between advertising

and marketing.
 Tell me about a marketing or advertising
campaign that you thought was great and
why.

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Questions to Ask at the
Interview
 What is the performance review process
Always ask questions! Here are some great like here? How often would I be formally
example questions from TheMuse.com. reviewed?
 What metrics or goals will my performance
The Job be evaluated against?
 What does a typical day look like?
 What are the most immediate projects that The Interviewer
need to be addressed?  How long have you been with the
 Can you show me examples of projects I'd company?
be working on?  Has your role changed since you've been
 What are the skills and experiences you’re here?
looking for in an ideal candidate?  What did you do before this?
 What attributes does someone need to  Why did you come to this company?
have in order to be really successful in this  What’s your favorite part about working
position? here?
 What types of skills is the team missing that
you’re looking to fill with a new hire? The Company
 What are the biggest challenges that  I've read about the company's founding, but
someone in this position would face? can you tell me more about ___?
 Is this a new role that has been created?  Where do you see this company in the next
 Do you expect the main responsibilities for few years?
this position to change in the next six  What can you tell me about your new
months to a year? products or plans for growth?
 What are the current goals that the
Training and Development company is focused on, and how does this
 How will I be trained? team work to support reaching those goals?
 What training programs are available to  What gets you most excited about the
your employees? company's future?
 Are there opportunities for advancement or
professional development? The Team
 Would I be able to represent the company  Can you tell me about the team I’ll be
at industry conferences? working with?
 Where is the last person who held this job  Who will I work with most closely?
moving on to?  Who will I report to directly?
 Where have successful employees  Can you tell me about my direct reports?
previously in this position progressed to? What are their strengths and the team's
biggest challenges?
Performance Management  Do you expect to hire more people in this
 What are the most important things you’d department in the next six months?
like to see someone accomplish in the first  Which other departments work most
30, 60, and 90 days on the job? closely with this one?
 What are the performance expectations of  What are the common career paths in this
this position over the first 12 months? department?

14
Company Culture
 What is the company and team culture like?
 How would you describe the work
environment here—is the work typically
collaborative or more independent?
 Can you tell me about the last team event
you did together?
 Is there a formal mission statement or
company values? (Note: Make sure this isn't
Google-able!)
 What's your favourite office tradition?
 Do you ever do joint events with other
companies or departments?
 What's different about working here than
anywhere else you've worked?
 How has the company changed since you
joined?

Next Steps
 Is there anything that concerns you about
my background being a fit for this role?
 What are the next steps in the interview
process?
 Is there anything else I can provide you with
that would be helpful?
 Can I answer any final questions for you?

15