Sample Interview Questions

A job interview is a stressful situation – one for which you must arrive well-prepared in order to maximize your chances of landing the position you are applying for. When it takes place in English, the pressure increases because you must not only convey your message and content clearly but you need to do it in English, which is not your native tongue. It is therefore important to practice, time and time again, by simulating and role-playing answering all sorts of challenging questions in order to polish your abilities. We also recommend videotaping yourself and watching the recording to improve and polish elements such as speech tone, body language, and language usage. Below is a list of seemingly clear and simple questions, but ones which examine the candidate’s ability to respond and describe a range of values, opinions, courses of action, and emotional coping mechanism within the work setting. Your answers will be thoroughly examined and analyzed by the interviewers, so it is important to prepare yourself optimally and arrive ready for any scenario or question while radiating openness, flexibility, and self-confidence. And one more thing (as the late Steve Jobs used to say): Remember to look as though you are at ease and smile throughout the interview.

The following are suggested questions to practice before a job interview in English:

1. What were the reasons for leaving former workplaces?
2. What did you like in your former job, what didn’t you like, and why?
3. What would your former managers say about you as an employee – your strengths and weaknesses?
4. What would colleagues and/or employees say about you?
5. What kinds of situations make you frustrated at work?
6. What irritates you at work?
7. What happens when you get irritated or frustrated – how is it demonstrated in your behavior?
8. What is important for you in a “job” (for example: the type of work, the work environment, people, salary)?
9. In your opinion, what makes a good manager? What is the most effective way for you to work with your manager and for your manager to manage you (“long rope”/”short rope”)?
10. How would you characterize colleagues you enjoy working with? What kind of people are difficult/more challenging for you to work with and why? Which do you prefer – working on a team or working independently? To what extent? Why?
11. What added value do you bring with you to this position? In other words, why should we hire you?
12. Where do you see yourself in five years? What professional milestones you would like to pursue?
13. Which responsibilities/tasks do you believe will be easier for you to “slip” right into and which ones are going to be more challenging? Why?
14. Give an example of something you did well in a previous position; Provide an example of something you are proud of.
15. Give an example of a failure in a previous position. What did you learn from it? How did your manager react?
16. Give an example of something you initiated in a previous position; Provide an example of something you were able to change for the better.
17. Give an example of a conflict you encountered in a former position and how you dealt with it.
18. Do you have any questions? (This is an important open question! The interviewer can see if candidates come prepared and whether they have “done their homework”; whether individuals are curious and focused, or if applying for this job is a long shot for them.)

For more information on this service, visit Preparing for a Job interview in English

For an article in English on 5 unusual questions in preparation for a job interview in English