What are some examples of great interview questions?

When hiring a management or C level person, one question I ask on the second interview is: If I were to hire you for this job and I granted you three promises (not wishes) with regard to working here, what would they be? It has always changed the tone of the conversation. Almost without fail they start to talk about things they wanted to talk about but were unsure if they should talk about. No one has ever asked that I promise them more money. About eighty percent of them can only think of or request two instead of three promises. They all tell me no one has ever asked them anything like that before. Almost always they ask for promises like "promise me you will be open and honest with me" or "promise me you will support me in doing my job" or "promise me that you will treat me with respect" and so on. More importantly the interview has always shifted and often resulted in some very frank and revealing discussions. And many have told me that they were amazed that a founder would make a promise to them. It alters how they look at you and your company from the beginning. Then, I actually make the promise to them. For example something like "I promise you that I will always be honest with you, even if it looks like it might get sticky. And if you think I am not being honest with you, come to me and call me on it and we will sort it out" Or "I promise that if you are employed here and you are diligent, work hard and ethically and meet the expectations of the job, I will make sure that you get a fair chance at a promotion like everyone else." If I cannot or am unwilling to make a certain promise then I don't and I tell them why. i.e "I cannot promise you that you will make 200k per year." All just examples of course. I write these promises down and if I hire them I put reminders on my computer to come up about every six months and I go to them and say "I promised these two or three things to you, am I keeping my promise? Let's talk about them."

I was once asked by an interviewer, "What can you teach us?" I thought this was an amazing question that made me realize at that point of my life, I wasn't a good fit for the company, not because I wasn't talented but because I needed more specific experiences. This was not degrading in any way, rather it showed me the company valued an interactive and mutual working environment and if I wanted to have a positive experience there, rather than feel inferior, I should be able to answer this question easily.

An interview is the right time for the  candidate to represent a decent vision about him/herself. It is good to  ready for your interview. Beside the knowledge and skills, the important  things that count are your way of answering, confidence, and body  language. A candidate must know how to answer commonly asked questions. Following are the commonly asked job interview question in the, where you'll find how to answer them easily. Tell me about yourself Confine your answer to work related stuff. Never go much into the personal details unless the panel asks you. Tell me about your dream job If your response is a specific designation along with the  responsibilities that you expect, you ma be put under the scanner to  confirm whether you suit that particular role. So, better make use of  stereotyped phrases like amicable environment etc. Why did you leave your last job Give out a positive response of the sort  I am in pursuit of greener  pastures. Just confine your words to better opportunities. However  factual that may be, never ever speak out things like It is the ill  tempered boss at the workplace that made me think of this change. What is your weakness Don't start listing out all your personality disorders straightaway.  Stay composed and quote silly weakness that are strength in disguise.  Things like "I take time in getting ready to the office and so, I set my  alarm two hours in advance" sound good. What are your strengths The more your market, the more will be the demand. Just list out all  your strengths. Be prepared with apt instances that reflect them. What do you know about the type of work we do Do necessary homework by browsing every nook and corner of the company's  website as that is the most authentic source of information to answer  questions like these. Talk to the people working at the company for  specific information, in case you know someone personally. Why should we hire you This must be dealt with a sense of bi-party need. Speak in a balanced  tone to send them a message that you need the job as much as the company  needs you. Never compare yourself with other participants.  Do you consider yourself successful Invariably say yes. Success does not mean getting control over the whole  world. Discuss all your major achievements till that point in time.  Why have you been unemployed for such a long time Cover up with the productive activity you have done during that time  right from attending any course to improving the knowledge by any means  such as freelancing or else working for no compensation. What do co-workers say about you Just come out with the regular compliments you used to receive from your  colleagues and take care that you do not sound too exaggerating. How long would you expect to work for us if hired Don't be too specific by giving away a word for a particular period of  time. answer like "As long as both the parties fell satisfactory" sound  good.  Do you think you are overqualified for this position Try to convince that you are apt for the job. Never express any sort of  doubt about your credentials by speaking a bit uncertain. Assure them  that you are the right person. Describe your management style It is very important that you make the listener understand the point  that you lay a lot of emphasis on the communication of any sorts with  the subordinates and colleagues. Say the way you use to guide them or  share with them so as to make them comfortable with what they do. Are you a team player Once again a firm yes is necessary for this! Exemplify with various  scenarios you succeeded in meeting the project deadlines as a team. What is your philosophy towards work Never use any adjectives for these sort of questions. Just speak out  about your basic values that you adopt at the workplaces and energy that  you can bring into the team. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project Be imperative and create a sense of feeling that you are flexible and don't mind whether you have to follow or else to lead. What irritates you about co-workers Tell the panel that you can get along with any kind of co-workers by  adjusting with them all the times by dealing things quiet softly.  Why do you think you would do well at this job Highlight the skill sets and experience at the previous workplaces along  with your activities during the crisis situations to make them feel  that you are the right person. What is the more important to you: the money or the work Answer them that both are important to you. Don't sound too generous or  the other way by staying opinionated about any one aspect either money  or work. What would your previous supervisor say, your strongest point is Specific situational things that happened at your previous workplace  need to be mentioned. Show letters of recommendation or praise if any to  the recruitment panel for reference.  Tell me about your ability to work under pressure Answer such tricky question carefully. Try to explain the instances  where you have thrived under pressure and achieved better results. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience Highlight the skill sets and achievements made to create a sense of  confidence. Mention some similar roles you have taken up during the  school or else Degree projects. What motivates you to do your best on the job Dumb answer like "the salary" will drop down your chances of hiring.  Quotes some positive things like the work environment, discipline and  integrity. When do you feel successful in this job You may answer as "When I qualitatively and quantitatively meet the  targets set and go beyond that level to reach next high position in the  company. Are yo willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own A simple yes! This is a test of how far you integrate with the company  and take things seriously to meet and achieve the organizational goals. What qualities do you look for in a boss Never say specific things, going for descriptions to the minute details.  Try to say few good things like competent, fair and encouraging. How do you see yourself five ears from now Say something relevant to the objective line in the resume and speak as if you are a person with vision.  What have you learned from mistakes on the job Don't just disclose blunders at the previous workplaces. Reveals some of  the considerable mistakes and speak much about the mistakes learnt. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for Mix out the job description along with your skill set, but be relevant and give out justifiable answers.  What are your expectations from this job/company Speak out as if you are hired by the company. Answer that you like a bit  of freedom rather than being restricted to carry out small things too. Do you have any question for me Make a list of your questions while doing homework. Be clear in  understanding the responses, which shows that you are very clear in your  thoughts and action. Why do you think you can succeed in this job Answer that spot out the similarities between the job requirement and  the skill sets you possess will be correct explanation to grab the  opportunity. What do you think of the last company you worked for Showcase it as a great platform that helped you in improving skills and  avoid any sort of negative things even if the questions are shot very  specific. How do you handle criticism Speak out as if the criticism is the best way to improve. Say that you  never take criticism personally and quote few instances that depicts  your criticism handling capability. http://ipadfour.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-answer-commonly-asked-question-at-job-interview.html

Kudos for asking this question and your willingness to prepare! I recently read (and commented on) a post by Open View Labs (of which I have zero affiliation) where they highlighted “10 of the Best Interview Questions Ever” from the likes of Tony Hsieh (Zappos), Ryan Holmes (HootSuite), Peter Thiel (PayPay), and others. http://labs.openviewpartners.com/greatest-interview-questions-ever   My comments were that those were indeed some good questions, but a few others I’ve found helpful include the following:   Why are you considering leaving your current gig? We want to have a sense for what really drives the candidate –intellectual stimulation, a currently un-channeled passion, money, etc.   Tell me about a situation where you made a bad decision and things went to hell. In this case, we really want to see a level of ownership (yep, I screwed up … and here’s how) as well how the person learned from this and was able to utilize the new learning in a future situation where things worked out well.   Tell me about working with a horrible colleague (boss) and how you handled that situation. Here we are looking for the person not to project or create a scapegoat, but rather to see how they handle the real-world situation of dealing with difficult people. Are they confrontational? Do they swallow their frustration and walk away? What skills have they mastered for diffusing tension?   Another technique is probing for a person’s developmental opportunities – a euphemistic term I prefer over “weaknesses” ;). Asking questions like, “What would mentors/advisers who know you best say are your top 3 development opportunities?” Obviously we are looking for thoughtful, genuine responses – ideally including action-plans the candidate has already put in place to begin working on them.   I know a few CEOs who take final candidates out for dinner/drinks (or happy hour). As you’d expect, the conversation often starts our quite measured. But by the end of the evening, the candidate’s guard is lowered and a truer nature emerges. In the case of happy hours, I’ve had some CEOs tell me they disqualified candidates who couldn’t stay focused and maintain eye contact amidst all the people, chatter, and general hubbub of the environment.   On the flip side, candidates are spending more time preparing for interviews and honing their answers. So great interviewers are able to cut through the “practiced responses” and get to the core of the candidate.

Thanks for the A2A.Many others have suitably answers with examples of both classic and clever interview questions, and so I was going to pass on answering, but something about your question made me want to write something as well.If you're "looking to stump" other candidates, you're approaching interviewing with a mindset which will do more harm than good. Candidates want to feel confident, not embarrassed, and giving them a question which they cannot answer will at best make them feel foolish and at worst make them dislike you and/or your company and decide not to work there even if you make them an offer. (remember that you represent your company when you interview other candidates, and a poor reflection on you personally can be carried over to their impression of the company, thinking that everyone else might be like you as well)

I actually recently asked hundreds of companies "if you could only ask one question during an interview, what would it be?"A lot of the repeat questions were about trying to figure out what a candidate's motivations are.My favorite question, which was asked by https://www.lingo-live.com/, was:When was the last time you had to work hard to accomplish something seemingly insurmountable where the odds were stacked against you?I really like this question because I think heart and hustle are really important in an employee. If someone's experience is a bit lacking but they are highly motivated or passionate, then I can help get their skills up to snuff, but it's hard to give someone hustle.The five most common questions were: Why should I hire you vs the next person (or robot) to walk through the door? (Asked 11 times) Why do you want to work for _____? (Asked 9 times) What gets your fired up and leaping out of bed in the morning? ( Asked 8 times) What's the job you want two jobs from now, and how does this role help you get there? (Asked 7 times) What are you most proud of? (Asked 6 times) Full list of questions are here:http://blog.proven.com/top-interview-questions-from-startups

Alongside questions that assess acutual competence and competences; I like questions that drive to the individual's character, expertise and credibility. So for me, some of my favourites are: * When has your integrity been called into question and how did you deal with it? * What are you known for? * What do you believe in?

I suggest you BE YOURSELF and everything will be all right. There are number of question which are asked in interview. It totally depends upon interviewer. Try to focus more and achieve the success. "You can get so many online articles about http://www.careerfolio.net/blog/how-to-make-the-best-first-impression-at-an-interview/ and following are some of the questions which are majorly asked." Solve a real problem that you will face. “Because they might need to know your capability for solving the actual problems you will face in this job, Forecast the evolution of this industry. “Because the company operates in a fast-changing industry, our employees should be forward-looking, and anticipate and plan for those industry changes. So, please tell us how often you sit down and focus on the future of our industry?  Show us how you would be a continuous learning expert: - “Rapid learning is essential in our fast moving company and industry. Therefore, I would suggest you to select an important subject matter area in this job where you will need to continuously be on the bleeding edge of knowledge. Show us how you will innovate. “Our firm is focused on innovation, so the company need to know if each new joinee has the capability of innovating.” Tell us the most effective approaches for managing you. “The company wants to ensure that every new employee has the best chance of succeeding.

A good way to test a candidate is to teach, a concept in the interview and test him on that. This happened once in an interview I had given - in which the interviewer introduced me to a new concept - explained it. And then grilled me on that. I found this approach really interesting as you can see the true learning potential of a candidate.