give me some interview questions - any HR people out there?

[Grumpy's Gal]

I am helping a friend practice for job interviews. We know the technical questions that will be asked. Can you tell me some general interview questions? Please? Anything is appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[Caradana]

I've been on a lot of consulting interviews, and the most amusing question I've ever been asked is "would a pile of dimes as tall as the Empire State Building fit inside one New York City Subway car." The interviewer was less interested in the answer than in the logic that got there. Try working it out ... the answer actually becomes clear fairly quickly!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

ok, I didn't get that job as I don't know the answer....

 

[LukenDC]

Here are some good, general questions:

1. Describe your career and academic goals. What do you see yourself doing in 2-3 years?

2. What might your references say about you?

3. What is your greatest weakness or developmental need?

4. What is your greatest strength?

5. Describe a situation in which you experienced conflict with (a supervisor, co-worker, team, customer, etc.). How did you handle it and what was the outcome?

6. What environmental elements are most important to you in a work setting?

7. Describe how you keep yourself organized.

 

[Miss Kelly]

Great Thread! I need to practice my interviewing skills.

 

[swea_pea1]

5. Describe a situation in which you experienced conflict with (a supervisor, co-worker, team, customer, etc.). How did you handle it and what was the outcome?

Situational based questions are pretty much all I ask on interviews - how you handled a situation, not how you would handle a situation.

I ask one similar to the one above but also things like "tell me about a situation where you satisfied a difficult client", "tell me about a situation where you had to analyze data and form conclusions", and "tell me about a situation where you were thrown out of your "comfort zone"".

I also ask questions about what worked/didn't work in each of those situations. I tend to ask the same questions in different ways to see if I'll get different answers or answers with more explanation.

Getting advice before the interview is a great start. Best of luck to your friend!