Common Interview Questions

Sample Response :

When I was a resident assistant at my college, a student I did not know asked me if he could use my phone to call another room. Although I did not know the student, I allowed him into my room. He used the phone and in the course of his conversation, he stated that he had just come from a fraternity party and was high from taking some drugs. Well after his conversation, I had to enforce the student conduct code by writing him up. He became very hostile towards me and would not give me any identification or information. I stood in the doorway to prevent him from leaving. I noted the serial numbers on his keys, so when the situation got to the point where I felt unsafe, I allowed the him to leave. I still preformed my job without jeopardizing my or his physical welfare. 

Standard interview tips and techniques still apply. Do not speak negatively about any supervisors, coworkers or former jobs. It is acceptable to share a specific situation that occurred with a former boss, but do not go into detail about the disagreement. Focus instead on what you did to help the supervisor see your point of view.

You may be asked a follow up question, such as “Did they ultimately see your point of view?” Be honest. Did they follow your advice or didn’t they? The answer is not as important as the presentation. Do not sound bitter in your response if they did not. “They did see my point of view. They chose a different path, but they understood my concerns and beliefs in the end.”

The interviewer wants to know that you don't just jump into a solution without knowing the problem in detail. You want to study the problem by determining the cause of the problem, what the problem is, and what the possible solutions are. You then decide on a solution.

Following steps for problem-solving and decision-making can be very helpful.

- Define the problem to be solved and decision to be made.
- Gather the necessary information.
- List all possible choices.
- Consider possible outcomes for each choice.
- Check out how you feel about each of the choices.
- Relate the choices to your values and priorities.
- From the possible alternatives, choose one.
- Commit yourself to your chosen decision and disregard the others. Concentrate your energies   in one direction. Once we made our decision, we must focus all our work on that itself.
- Take steps to turn your decision into positive action.
- Evaluate your progress from time to time. Change your decision if necessary.

Personality plays a role in behavioral interviews. Employers want to see that you are well balanced person that knows how to handle themselves. These types of questions are designed to see how you handled situations that can be very personally stressful. Try to share examples that reflect positively on all parties involved. “Once I was blamed for not double checking marketing data, which drastically impacted one of our campaigns. Though I was not the staff member in charge of the data collection and analysis, I knew it would be unproductive to try to pass blame, so I simply asked what steps I could take to help resolve the problem. Afterward I spoke with the staff member in charge of checking data and let them know of the error so that both of us could ensure it would not be repeated.”

The interviewer wants to know how you will deal in stressful situations by asking this question.

Sample answer:

I react to situations rather than being stressful. I want to make the situations not to be stress for anybody. If a situation seems overwhelming, I mentally break it up into smaller steps and just focus on reaching each one on the way to accomplishing the larger task. Once I had a situation that in the same week i had to submit two projects which is very pressure to me. As i was skilled in multiple tasks, i just break down all the works i have in to smaller assignments and just worked one by one to complete the whole task. By this way i handled my stressful situation and submitted my projects within the due time.

Ofcourse, such situations helps me to stay motivated and productive.

When asked the job interview question "How did you handle a challenge?" be sure to include specific examples of how you handled a particular difficult situation. Discuss how you researched the issue and contributed to finding a solution. Examples of good responses include:

• During a difficult financial period, I was able to satisfactorily negotiate repayment schedules with multiple vendors.


• When the software development of our new product stalled, I coordinated the team which managed to get the schedule back on track. We were able to successfully troubleshoot the issues and solve the problems, within a very short period of time.


• A long-term client was about to take their business to a competitor. I met with the customer and was able to change how we handled the account on a day-to-day basis, in order to keep the business.

Maturation refers to the ways in which we grow and develop throughout the lifespan.

•  Maturation is the process of becoming mature; the emergence of individual and behavioral characteristics through growth processes over time.

The interviewer wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences.

Eg: "I was very satisfied in my last job, because I worked directly with the customers and their problems; that is an important part of the job for me."