Position Name: Test Position
Interviewer
Candidate Name
Interview Date
Introductory Questions
– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages – Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements
Tell us about yourself.
Walk us through your resume.
What are your short and long-term professional goals?
Transitional & Verification Questions
– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details
[Education Verification – example: Are you currently enrolled in a Master’s program?]
[Certification Verification – example: When did you complete your PMP Certification?]
What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of?
Technical Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups
List your top 3 technical skills.
Can you tell me in general terms how your technical skills meet the requirements of this position? In which specific areas do you need to come up to speed?
What specific areas (related to the position) do you consider yourself the most knowledgeable? What areas have you had less experience or do not feel as comfortable with?
What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work and why?
Behavioral / Situational Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?
Collaboration
What collaboration tools do you find the most helpful for working on team projects and why? How do you use these tools?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Describe a high-pressure work situation and how you handled it. Tell me what happened, who was involved and what you did in terms of problem solving.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
When circumstances are more difficult (i.e. tight deadline, lay off, labor negotiations, pulling a team together quickly)? Walk me through an example of how you worked with others to solve those difficult circumstances.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Give me an example of when you were able to successfully communicate with another person in your department even though that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Coaching & Mentoring
What does coaching mean to you? Describe a recent example that demonstrates how you engaged in a coaching discussion.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
What is your approach to coaching? Give me an example of a coaching situation you have been involved in.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Describe when a coaching opportunity was successful/not successful. What made it successful/not successful?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Change Management
Describe for me the latest change you have implemented on your job or work team.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Describe for me the most difficult change in the workplace that you needed to deal with. How did you overcome resistance?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Tell me about a situation where you needed to adjust quickly to a significant change in team or department priorities? What did you do? What was the outcome?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Candidate’s Questions
– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture
Notes
Closing Questions
– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks
What is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?
What could you bring to this position that other candidates could not?
What do you hope to find in our organization that you don’t have now?
Interviewer Assessment
Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.
Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?