Interview

The interviewer's goal during an interview is to collect information about you, a prospective employee. By gathering this information, the employer can make a more reliable decision to hire you then if you were just a piece of paper. This is why the interview is so important. Listed are 50 questions commonly asked by employers during interviews with college seniors. Read the questions and formulate your answers. A good interview determines whether you get hired. Remember that nothing beats proper preparation.

• Who am I replacing? Why did they leave?
• Do you have a written job description for this position?
• What are the major (day to day) responsibilities?
• How would you describe a typical day?
• What authority would I have? How would you define the scope of this position?
• What are the company's major strengths and weaknesses?
• What can you tell me about the people I would supervise? (in terms of education level, age...)
• How would you define your management philosophy?
• Are employees afforded the opportunity for continuing education?
• What would be a typical career path for an employee like me entering your organization?
• What are the opportunities for personal growth?
• What is the retention rate of people in this position?
• Describe typical first year assignments.
• What are the challenging facets of the job?
• What makes your company different from your competitors?
• How is an employee evaluated and promoted?
• Is the company policy to promote within? Tell me the work history of your top management.

Here are some common reasons for employment rejection:

• Poor personal appearance
• Inability to express themselves clearly, poor voice, diction, and/or grammar
• Lack of interest or enthusiasm
• Failure to participate in student activities
• Poor scholastic record, just got by
• Unwilling to start at bottom, expects too much too soon
• Lacking in courtesy, ill-mannered
• Asks no questions about job
• Sloppy resume/application form, lack of proofreading
• Lack of confidence and poise
• Indecisive, lacks initiative
• Condemnation of previous employer/professors
• Unwilling to relocate
• Overbearing, overaggresive, conceited, superiority complex, know-it-all attitude
• Lack of planning for career, no purpose or goals
• Being passive or indifferent
• Overemphasis on money, interested only in best dollar offer
• Makes excuses, evasive, hedges on unfavorable factors on record
• Lack of knowledge of the employer
• Poor eye contact during the interview
• Extreme nervousness
• Indefinite responses to questions, talked too much
• Lack of leadership qualities
• Timid, introverted, lacks sufficient degree of assertiveness