Job interview conversation questions

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Going for an interview

• How many job interviews have you been to?
• What positive aspects were there? What negative aspects were there?
• Have you ever been to a job interview and come out thinking/believing that the job was yours. Did you get it?
• Have you ever been to a job interview and left thinking that you wouldn't get the job, and then been offered it?
• Have you ever had to have more than one interview for the same job?
• Have you ever turned down a job after an interview? Why?
• Have you ever been for a job interview even though you were working and not actually looking for another job?
• Put the following in order of influence at a job interview:
  • Dress
  • CV
  • Social skills
  • Work experience in general
  • Work experience in a similar job
• Put the following in order of influence for accepting a job:
  • Salary
  • Timetable
  • Atmosphere at workplace
  • Size of company
  • Distance from home
• How did you find out about the interview? At an employment agency? In the press?
• Have you ever been headhunted?
• What do you think the interviewer is looking for at the interview?
• What are you, as the person being interviewed, looking for at the interview?
• Do you think interviews should be carried out by a professional, such as a psychologist, or by the person who you are going to work for directly?

Doing an interview

• Have you ever interviewed anyone for a job?
• Do you think it's easy to choose a candidate from an interview?
• Have you ever had to interview the same candidate more than once?
• If there are two candidates with similar work experience and specific skills for the job, put the following in order of influence for the final choice:
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Marital status
  • Social skills
• Do you think social skills are more important for a job interview than the skills required by the job itself?
• People with experience in job interviews often comment that the person interviewing them often has little or no idea about the actual job requirements and are only there as a first "filter". What do you think of this?

Job Interview questions

These are some typical questions which people are asked a job interviews. You can use them in roleplays. Very often an interview is based on a CV and your students might want to prepare one beforehand. Not all these questions will be appropriate under all circumstances an you will need to select them as appropriate. Encourage the student asking questions to ask more questions based on the first student's responses before moving on to the next question. Some of these questions are are of the difficult "no-win" type, you may want to let your students think about them before doing the exercise.

• Tell me about your qualifications.
• What was (or is) your favourite area of study?
• Tell me about your previous work experience.
• The job needs a high level of written and spoken English. How would you describe your English ability?
• Why did you leave your last job or why are you thinking about leaving your existing job?
• What would you like to be doing in five and ten years time?
• The company is going to have to spend some money training you for the role. Is it your intention to stay with this company for some time or is your primary objective to gain work experience?
• Do you prefer to work with systems or people?
• Do you consider yourself to be a good "team player"? Can you give me any examples of team projects you have been involved in in the past?
• If you had a personality clash with one of your co-workers how would you handle that situation?
• Over one hundred people have applied for this job. Could you tell me why I should chose you?
• What do you think is your biggest weakness as an employee?

See also

• Career choice conversation questions
• Education conversation questions
• Employment conversation questions
• Gender conversation questions
• Stress conversation questions