- Why are you interested in this role?
- In what areas would you like to improve?
- Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job?
- How do you manage/handle pressure or stress?
- What five adjectives describe you the best?
- What animal would you be if you were an animal?
- Describe a situation in which you had to deal with an irate customer. Did you rectify the problem?
- What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can’t?
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your hobbies?
- How well do you work with people? Do you prefer working alone or in teams?
- How would you describe your work style?
- How do you measure success?
- What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You?
- What Are Your Weaknesses?
- What was your greatest professional accomplishment?
- Describe a typical work week / day
- What is the biggest failure you’ve had in your career?
- How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
- What did you dislike most about your last job?
- What qualities do you think are necessary to make a success of this job?
- Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor? How did you resolve the conflict?
- How would you describe yourself?
- What’s your favorite drink?
- How do you motivate people?
- How would you define a good working atmosphere?
- What kind of person do you get along with the best?
- Tell me more about yourself?
- What kind of tree would you be if you were a tree?
- What Are Your Goals?
- Describe a creative solution that you have developed to solve a problem?
- What one thing would you change about your last job?
- Why Do You Want to Work Here?
- What types of people have trouble getting along with you?
- How do you handle it if you know your boss is wrong?
- Tell me about a tough work situation / project and how you solved it?
- Are you willing to relocate?
- What is your ideal position?
- Are you a team leader or a team follower?
- When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- How did you prepare for this interview?
- If you are hired, what will you do in your first 30 days?
- In what kind of an environment do you feel most productive?
- What did you learn from your previous job (or school?)
- Tell me about an important decision or judgment call you’ve had to make on the job.
- What Wage Are You Seeking?
- Why are manhole covers round?
- How do you go about making important decisions?
- Do you have questions about the job / company?
- What are the qualities of a successful manager?
- What proactive steps did you have to take to increase the output of your position?
- How did you find out about this job?
- What do you think of your previous boss?
- How do you balance work and home life?
- What is your personal mission statement?
- What were your favorite subjects in school and why?
- Explain a database to a 3 year old, in 3 sentences?
- What types of programs/software are you familiar with?
- What were your responsibilities in your last position?
- Tell me about a time you had to work according to a policy you disagreed with?
- Describe the best job you’ve ever had?
- Describe the ideal company for you?
- How would you define leadership?
- Tell me about the one thing in your life you’re proudest of.
- Why Did You Leave (Or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job?
- There’s a fire, and you can only save three things. What are they?
- Tell me about a time an idea or task of yours was criticized?
- Can you explain this gap in your employment history?
- How have you had to reinvent or redefine your job to meet your companies changing needs?
- If you had to be stuck on a desert island with one person, who would you choose?
- What creatively inspires you?
- What made you follow the career path that you have chosen?
- While trying to meet a deadline, you discover a snag that will hinder the finished product. How do you handle this?
- How would your past coworkers describe you?
- Would you rather be liked or feared?
- What’s more important to you — the work itself or how much you’re paid for doing it?
- If you won $10 million in the lottery, what would you do?
- When given new tasks or duties, describe how you adapt to them?
- What one thing in your life would you change?
- In your past positions, have you had to deal with any kind of cultural diversity?
- How have you added value to your job over time?
- What were your three most important responsibilities in your last job?
- What kind of people did you have contact with on your previous jobs (titles/positions)?
- What is your pace when working?
- When considering your future, where do you hope to be in 5 or 10 years?
- How do you see yourself advancing within this company?
- Tell me about a situation that got out of control. How did you handle it?
- What kind of supervisor would you be?
- How do you keep up to date with your job/industry?
- Have you interviewed at other companies?
- Does your boss know you’re here today?
- Describe the worst job you’ve had?
- How long have you been looking for a job?
- What would your biographer name your biography?
- What do you know about our company?
- Evaluate the best supervisor you’ve ever had?
- If coworkers are displaying improper behavior toward one another, what do you do?
- Have you ever been fired?
- Is there anything that will prevent you from getting to work on time?
- Evaluate the worst supervisor you’ve ever had?
- How did you communicate bad news to your staff?
- Is there anything that will prevent you from working the job’s regular hours?
- What types of people, or qualities in people, give you trouble at work?
- What entices you most about the possibility of this job?
- What is your philosophy regarding your business life vs. your personal life?
- What other kind of positions have you been applying for?
- In a situation where you are handling insubordinates, how would you describe your approach?
- Have I said anything that makes you think you’re not the best candidate for this job?
- What training do you need?
- What training or certification do you have?
- What book is on your nightstand?
- Why were you late for the interview?
- In your last job, how many times were you promoted and why?
- How old were you when you obtained your first job?
- Have you ever hired anyone? Why did you choose them?
Sometimes interviewers ask trick questions. This isn’t one of those times. The purpose is to determine if you like working alone or as part of a group. While sometimes a job can be tailored to your preference, most often an employer is looking for someone flexible in this regard. Most jobs require periods of working alone, and periods of interacting with others.
Be honest. What that means is before looking for a job make sure you can work well with a team or alone. People will work better one way or the other, but having flexibility is important in the working world. As always, do research on the company and job to better frame an answer.
A good answer to this question reflects that flexibility, and gives specific examples of working in both situations.
Express Flexibility Directly:
“I enjoy working as part of a team, but also on my own. I read the job description and your web site, and found that there are going to be opportunities to do both. I look forward to each one. The bottom line is meet the goals.”
Story Reflecting Both:
“When I was in HS I was in the marching band. That required long hours of practicing on my own so I could play the music and march the right step length and cadence. Then there were long hours of practicing with the group to coordinate everything. I have to admit I much preferred working with the group, but I know solo work is often part of the overall picture.”
Ten Towards a Loner:
“I feel I get a lot more done when I work on my own. I get into a zone and really crank out the ideas. But I recognize that most tasks take working with others who bring their own unique skills to the table. When I first started college I didn’t much like working in groups, but I’ve learned to enjoy that too.”
The job itself will tell you whether to flavor the answer more with team work or more with working alone. For example software developers often work in isolation, but some software development shops employ methods that require team coding. It would be a disaster to say “I got into software development so I could work without being bothered by other people” in one of those team shops.
One woman didn’t have a clue when she answered the question. “Neither!”
Tags: Do you prefer working alone or in teams, flexibility, How well do you work with people, Work in teams, Work with people
