Interview questions, one page each
Every question below has one page: how to answer it well, the two mistakes that cost you points, and a 60-second way to practise it out loud. 49 questions across 8 dimensions.
Communication · 11
- In one minute, introduce yourself and explain why this role should consider you.
- Walk me through your resume. Tell me about the choices you made along the way.
- Why this role, and why this company, rather than the other places you are talking to?
- Why should we hire you for this role?
- Tell me about a time you persuaded someone. What did they disagree with, and how did you put your case?
- Explain something technical you know well to someone with no background in it.
- Tell me about a presentation or a meeting you ran. What was the outcome you were after, and how did it land?
- What are your strengths?
- Why are you leaving your current job?
- What are your salary expectations?
- Do you have any questions for us?
Goal setting and follow-through · 7
- Tell me about a goal you set for yourself and actually achieved. How did you set it, and how did you break it into steps?
- How do you plan your week? Show me the system you actually use.
- Tell me about a deadline you missed. What happened, and what changed afterwards?
- What is your long-term goal, and what have you done in the last year that moves you towards it?
- Tell me about a target you were measured on and did not hit. What did you do in the last month of the period?
- This role needs you to work rotating shifts / relocate. How do you feel about that?
- How soon can you join, and what does your notice period look like?
Teamwork · 5
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate and still reached agreement. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time you took on work outside your own remit. Why did it end up being you, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time a colleague was struggling and you helped. What did you actually do?
- Tell me about a difficult relationship you had with a stakeholder. How did you work with them?
- Tell me about a manager or senior person you found hard to work with, and how you handled it.
Learning agility · 6
- What is something new you learned in the last six months? How long from first look to actually using it, and how did you know you could?
- Tell me about the most useful feedback you have received, and what you did about it.
- You join a team that uses three tools you have never touched. How do you get useful in the first two weeks?
- How do you keep up with changes in your field? Be specific about what you actually read, watch or do.
- Tell me about a time you got something wrong while learning a new skill. How did you find out, and what did you do?
- What is your weakness?
Learning from setbacks · 5
- Tell me about something that did not work out, and what you changed afterwards. Looking back, which step would you change?
- Tell me about a project that failed. What was your part in it?
- Tell me about an idea of yours that was rejected. What did you do next?
- What is the biggest mistake you have made at work?
- There is a gap in your resume. What were you doing during that time?
Self-driven initiative · 5
- Tell me about something nobody asked you to do that you started and finished.
- Tell me about something you built or set up from nothing.
- Tell me about a time you asked for more responsibility. How did you make the case?
- Tell me about a process you changed for the better. What was it before and after?
- Tell me about a time you noticed something was wrong before anyone else did, and acted on it.
Prioritisation under pressure · 5
- Tell me about a time you had several things on your plate and not enough time. How did you decide what to do first?
- Tell me about a piece of work you had to deliver under a very tight deadline.
- Two managers give you urgent work at the same time. What do you do?
- Tell me about a time you said no to a request from someone senior. How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time you were pulled off a task in the middle. How did you hand it over or come back to it?
Spotting and solving problems · 5
- Tell me about a time you spotted a problem other people had missed, and came up with a fix.
- Tell me about a time you had to find the real cause of a recurring problem, not just the symptom.
- Tell me about a decision you made using data. What did you measure, and what did it change?
- Tell me about a difficult customer or client situation and how you resolved it.
- Tell me about a time you found a quality problem in your own work or your team's work. What did you do?