Here are sample interviewing questions. These are behavioral questions, which are intended to make the candidate think. Hopefully, you’ll get a thoughtful response!
Tell me about yourself.
If you could start your career all over again, what would you do?
How do you react to criticism by your boss if you believe it is unwarranted?
What is your idea of success?
What kind of people try your patience?
What if your point of view differs from that of your boss? Do you hold your tongue?
Are you an innovative person? How do you know?
How have you benefited from your disappointments?
Tell me about some big mistakes you've made and what you learned from them.
What do you do best?
Name five things that motivate you.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Are you a self-starter? How do you know?
Do you prefer working alone or as a member of a team? Why?
What do you do if you have trouble solving a problem?
How do you go about making important decisions?
What was the toughest decision you ever had to make? How did you handle it?
What makes the best manager?
What do your subordinates think are your strengths? Your weaknesses?
What do you do when faced with a new problem?
Do you stick with a decision once made?
Why do you want this job?
Are your current career objectives different from your original ones? How?
What trends do you see in the future for our industry?
What are your special qualifications for this job?
What would your most respected critic say about you?
Do you have any questions?
In three minutes or less, tell me why our organization should hire you.
What have been the biggest frustrations of your career?
What have been the biggest failures in your career?
Are you a risk taker? What risks have you taken and what were the outcomes?
What three areas of your last job(s) did you like least?
Describe the best job you ever had.
What do your bosses think are your weaknesses?
What strengths do you bring to this position?
What is the most significant accomplishment of your career?
Have you ever been fired? Why?
Describe your favorite boss. Your worst boss.
What characteristics of a work environment do you find counterproductive?
If we hire you, what would you do the first week?
Do you care what other people think of you?
If you could rewrite this job description to better suit you, what would you change?
On a scale of one to ten, ten being you're a perfect technical match for this position, how would you rank yourself? And why? What would it take to make you a “ten”?
Describe the last time you assumed responsibility for a task that was clearly outside of your job description. Were you commended for your actions? Or did you step on other people's toes?
Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills.
Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
And here are some more thought-provoking questions:
Tell me about a time when you…
Worked effectively under pressure.
Handled a difficult situation with a co-worker.
Were creative in solving a problem.
Missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Were unable to complete a project on time.
Persuaded team members to do things your way.
Wrote a report that was well received.
Anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
Had to make an important decision with limited facts.
Were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Had to adapt to a difficult situation.
Were tolerant of an opinion that was different from yours.
Were disappointed in your behavior.
Used your political savvy to push a program through that you really believed in.
Had to deal with an irate customer.
Delegated a project effectively.
Surmounted a major obstacle.
Set your sights too high (or to low).
Prioritized the elements of a complicated project.