33 Questions Employers Ask At Interviews

The current economic climate and changing job market has started to alter the types of questions employers ask in an interview. With hundreds of Internet pages dedicated to types of interview questions and all listing the same “general" type questions (what are your strengths, where do you see yourself in 10 years, etc.), employers are now steering away from these types of questions and introducing a new set of questions that test your creativity and flair.

Below is a list of questions employers ask at interviews that you may not have thought about previously. Think about how you would answer these questions for homework:

1. If you had the option, would you change your college career?
2. How do you go about deciding what to do first when given a project?
3. What are the most important rewards you expect in your business career?
4. Provide an example of how you are a risk taker.
5. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
6. Why do you want to work for us and not for our competitor?
7. What did you think of your previous manager/supervisor?
8. What did you do in your last job to increase value?
9. What are some of the things that bother you?
10. Tell me about the last time you felt anger on the job.
11. Do you need other people around to stimulate you or are you self-motivated?
12. What management style gets the best results out of you?
13. How can our company offer you what your previous company could not offer?
14. How long do you think it would take before you were making a significant contribution to our business?
15. How ambitious are you? Would you compete for my job?
16. What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
17. Why did you choose a career in... ?
18. What do you think is the most important dilemma facing our business today?
19. How much does your last job resemble the one you are applying for? What are the differences?
20. Why did you decide to join your previous company? Did the job live up to your expectations? Why are you leaving now?
21. Explain the organizational structure and hierarchy in your last company and how you fitted into it. Did this suit you?
22. Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company?
23. What interests you about our company, product or service?
24. You have not done this sort of job before. How will you cope/succeed?
25. Do you consider yourself successful in your career to date?
26. What was your greatest success in your professional career? How did you achieve it?
27. What has been your biggest failure in your professional career?
28. Did you feel you advanced and progressed in your last job?
29. How do you handle criticism?
30. What would you like to avoid in your next job?
31. How did you get on with your previous manager, supervisor, co-workers, and subordinates?
32. What will your references say about you?
33. Fantasy question... what would you do if you won the lottery? Would you come to work tomorrow?