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Welcome. Take a Seat
The most effective interview questions are open-ended and based on the candidate's experiences. Use follow-ups to push for detail: "How did that make you feel?" "What exactly did you say?" "What precisely was your role?"
By: Inc. Staff
Published August 2006
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COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE| Try This... | To Get At This |
| Have you ever had several projects with the same deadline? How do you tackle that? | Conscientiousness, coping skills, organization |
| Tell us about a time you failed at a task. | Response to adversity |
| How have you handled the last few angry customers you've come across? | Customer- and client- service skills |
| Tell us about a project for which you had fiscal responsibility. How did you stay on budget? | Ability to handle a budget |
| Tell us about a recent split-second decision you made on the job. How did you approach it? | Decisiveness and decision-making style |
| What's the last thing on which you and your boss disagreed? How did you settle it? | Manageability and communication style |
| Take us through the most significant presentation you've given to clients. | Presentation skills |
| What was the most frustrating experience in your past job? The most satisfying? | Motivation and general temperament |
| Tell us about a time when the task you were given changed at the last minute. | Flexibility |
| Tell us about a time you took a risk and it failed. How did you feel? | Resilience and attitude toward risk |
| Stay Away From This... | Because |
| Where does your husband work? | Marital status is out of bounds. |
| What holidays will you need off? | This could be construed as discriminating on the basis of religion. |
| Are you an American citizen? | However, "Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?" is fine. |
| How tall are you? | An exception: If there is a specific minimum requirement for the job. |
| Do you have any medical condition we should know about? | However, you can note that new hires will be subject to a medical exam. |
| Where is your family from? What kind of accent is that? | This could be construed as discriminating based on national origin or race. |
| When did you graduate from high school? | This could be gauging age, and age discrimination is not allowed. |
| How'd you hurt that arm? | You can't ask about potential disabilities. |
| You aren't pregnant, are you? | Are you kidding? |
