Practice Your Interview Skills

Behavioral interviews aim to understand how a candidate has handled various situations in the past, which can indicate how they may respond in future work scenarios. These interviews focus on soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability.

• Example Questions: “Describe a time when you had to resolve a conflict,” or “Tell me about a time you led a project under tight deadlines.”
• Evaluation Criteria: Candidates are evaluated on their ability to articulate past experiences, the actions they took, and the outcomes. Employers often use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to assess structured responses.
• Purpose: Behavioral interviews help predict future performance by examining past behaviors, especially in interpersonal and stressful situations.

Scenario-based interviews (sometimes called situational interviews) present hypothetical situations to gauge how candidates would react or make decisions. These interviews are useful for understanding how candidates approach problems and make decisions under pressure.

• Example Questions: “How would you handle a client who is unhappy with a deliverable?” or “What would you do if you found an error in a project after it was submitted?”
• Evaluation Criteria: Interviewers look at a candidate’s analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and ethical judgment. They want to see if candidates can think quickly, make sound decisions, and demonstrate good judgment.
• Purpose: Scenario-based interviews help assess a candidate’s potential future actions and thought processes, revealing how they may handle challenges they haven’t necessarily encountered before.

Technical interviews test a candidate’s specific knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the role’s technical requirements. These are common in fields like engineering, data science, and software development.

• Example Questions: “How would you optimize a given algorithm?” or “Write code to solve a particular problem.”
• Evaluation Criteria: Interviewers assess problem-solving abilities, coding skills, technical knowledge, and the ability to communicate solutions clearly. In coding interviews, they also look at a candidate’s approach to debugging, handling edge cases, and optimizing solutions.
• Purpose: Technical interviews ensure that a candidate has the practical skills necessary to perform the core functions of the job, along with an understanding of industry standards and best practices.

Get to Know You & the Company

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you interested in this position?
• Why do you want to work for this company/organization?
• What are your career goals?
• What do you know about our company?

Skills & Experience

• What are your greatest strengths?
• What is your biggest weakness?
• Tell me about a time you worked on a team.
• Describe a time when you had to solve a problem.
• Give an example of a time you took the initiative

Situational & Behavioral

• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a classmate or coworker.
• Describe a challenge you faced and how you handled it.
• How do you handle pressure or tight deadlines?
• Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn?
• Give an example of how you manage your time.

Communication & Leadership

• Have you ever led a project or group? What was the outcome?
• How do you handle feedback or criticism?
• Describe a time you had to persuade someone.