My collection of job interview questions

Fortune belongs to those who are prepared

You know that moment when you are sitting in an important job interview, the interviewer asks you a question, and you think to yourself: Yes, good question, I could have seen that coming! If I had, I would have been prepared, I could relax now, answer the question confidently and skillfully, and make a particularly clever and experienced impression. Since I am not prepared, I now have to improvise. Let’s see, what can I come up with?

I’m convinced that many of the questions asked in job interviews – the good ones! – are predictable, therefore you have every opportunity to prepare for them. This does not mean that you are cheating, but rather that you manage to give the interviewer substantial answers – and thus a good basis for his decision as to whether he should hire you or not.

What if the questions aren’t asked at all? Then you still win. Because in my experience, dealing with these kinds of questions – whether they are asked in the interview or not – is a very good way to become clear about what I have to offer and what I expect, and furthermore – here and now – to get into the right mental state (the right “frequency”) to be fully present in the interview and embody all that I am, and all that I am capable of.

Ah, some of the questions below have a tendency towards project management – that’s because I do aswell.

List of substantial, experience-confirmed job interview questions

My person and personality

Can you describe your strengths and areas for improvement?
What recent achievement are you proud of?
When was the last time you struggled with motivation at work, and how did you deal with it?
What’s your leadership style, and how does it work for you?
How would your colleagues describe you?
Why did you quit your last job, and what do you need to be different this time?

This job here

Why did you apply for this job and our company?
What are your key expectations for your next job? (What should be different this time?)
What specific skills do you offer that make you the best fit?

My working style

How do you stay up to date on industry trends and apply them to your work?
Tell me about a complex problem you solved that required cross-departmental collaboration.
Tell me about a time you made a tough decision without all the information. How did you handle it?
What will you do differently in your new job or project based on what you’ve learned?
Can you give an example of handling cultural differences in a team?
Describe a situation where you led change in an organization. How did you manage resistance?
Describe a process you improved. How did you approach it, and what did you learn?
Describe a time you adapted quickly to unexpected changes. What did you learn?
Tell me about a time you managed conflicting priorities between stakeholders.
How do you manage unclear project goals or requirements?

Staying well organized

How do you keep your team motivated under high workload or stress?
How do you balance work and personal life for yourself / for your team?
How do you organize yourself to meet deadlines and avoid missing tasks?
Apply methods
What are the most important principles for your role?
How would you set up/enable continuous improvement and learning in your team?
Which methods are you usually applying in your role – which ones would you rather not use – and why?

When things go wrong

What’s an example of a setback you faced, and how did you overcome it?
Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with it, and what did you learn?
Give an example of a project that didn’t go as planned. What would you change?
What’s the biggest professional challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it?

Dealing with difficult people

How did you handle working with a difficult colleague / client?
How do you handle an under-performing team member?
Imagine that someone in your team delivers late or not at all. You set up a meeting with him. In the meeting, how do you appoach this, and what do you say?