Interviewing and the Job Offer
Sample Interview Questions
Personal Assessment
• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your greatest
strengths and weaknesses?
• Give me an example of when
you showed initiative.
• Describe your ideal job.
• Define success. Define failure.
• What can you offer us?
• What motivates you to put
forth your greatest effort?
• Tell me about a leadership role
you have had. What makes a
good leader?
• Where do you want to be in 5
years? Ten years?
Education and Experience
• Describe your most rewarding
accomplishment since you’ve
started college
• Tell me about the most
satisfying job you ever held.
The least?
• What kind of boss do you
prefer?
• What frustrates you on the job?
• How would a former supervisor
describe your work?
Career Ambition and Plans
• What are your long-range
and short-range goals and
objectives?
• What qualities does a
successful manager possess?
• What qualities does a
successful team player
possess?
• What kind of challenge are you
looking for?
• What do you think determines
a person’s progress in a good
company?
• What are your ideas on salary?
• What personal characteristics
are necessary for success in
your field?
• Do you prefer to work on your
own or under a supervisor?
Behavioral Questions
• Tell me about a time when
you had to deal with someone
whose personality was
different from yours.
• Give me a time where you had
to carry out a directive with
which you did not agree.
• Describe a time when you saw
a problem and took action to
correct it rather than waiting
for someone else to do so.
• Tell me about your most
successful presentation and
what made it so.
• Tell me about a meeting
where you provided technical
expertise. How did you ensure
that everyone understood?
• Tell me about a time when
there was a conflict in a job/
lab/class project. How did you
handle it?
• Describe a time when you took
a risk. What were the biggest
challenges/problems you
encountered in college? How
did you handle them?
• Talk about a time when you
had trouble getting along with
a professor/team member/
supervisor?
• How are you conducting your
job search and how will you go
about making your decision?
• Describe a situation in
which you used persuasion
to successfully convince
someone to see things your
way.
• By providing examples,
convince me that you can
adapt to a wide variety
of people, situations and
environments.
• Give me an example of a
time in which you had to be
relatively quick in coming to a
decision.
Company or Organization
• Why do you want to work for
this organization?
• What do you know about our
organization?
• What section (service or
product) are you most
interested in?
• How do you feel about working
in a structured environment? A
non-structured environment?
• What do you think it takes to be
successful in a company such
as ours?
• In what ways do you think
you can contribute to our
company?
• How long would you expect to
work here?
• Are you willing to work
overtime?
• Are you willing to go where the
company sends you?
• What type of environment are
you most comfortable with?
• Why do you think you might
like to live in the community in
which our company is located?
• Why should I hire you?
• What makes you the best
person for this job?
The Close
• When could you start work?
• Is there anything else I should
know about you?
• Do you have any other
questions?
58 MIT Career Advising & Professional Development
