- Tell me about a time you went above and beyond what was asked of you.
- Describe a time you had to work under pressure or tight deadlines.
- Describe a time you used logic to solve a problem.
- Give me an example of a time you had to work as part of a team.
ENTRY-LEVEL JOB Interview Questions and Answers! (How to PASS a Job Interview at the 1st ATTEMPT!)
8. What motivates you?
What They Want to Know: By asking this question, a hiring manager is trying to figure out how you approach your goals, what you are passionate about, and whether you would be a good fit for their existing management style and company culture.
I love both individual and team challenges, and I’m always eager to surpass my personal best. What most motivates me is having established goals with clear deadlines – it’s exciting to hit each benchmark on time and to see projects come together as they should.
6. What major problems have you encountered at work, and how did you deal with them?
What They Want to Know: This question is designed to gauge how you respond to and resolve unexpected challenges.
When I was first hired at Perfect Pizzeria, the assistant manager was unwilling to let me do much more than wash dishes – and I was always the first person to be sent home if there wasn’t much business. But I gained his trust by always arriving early and doing whatever task he assigned cheerfully and efficiently – with the result that he soon let me run the cash register and kept me on for full shifts.
10. What are you looking for in a job? What is important to you?
What They Want to Know: Your response to this question will let the hiring manager know whether you share the organization’s values and if you would be dedicated to their success.
I’m looking for the chance to build upon the management and continuous improvement strategies I learned in college so that I can help my employer remain competitive and—hopefully—establish myself as a long-term employee. Stability and having a good work/life balance is important to me, as is being able to remain here in my hometown.
Interview Questions About You
Interview questions that solicit information about your personality, strengths, and weaknesses are designed to measure your level of self-knowledge and to determine how likely you would be to acclimate well to the employer’s workplace culture.
7. How would you describe yourself?
What They Want to Know: This ice-breaker question helps the interviewer get to know you and to see how self-reflective you are about your strengths and capabilities.
I would describe myself as a self-motivated and curious person who is always excited to learn new things. I’m also an avid problem-solver who likes nothing better than to improve upon the status quo.
9. What is your greatest strength?
What They Want to Know: This is another one of those personal questions that assess your level of self-awareness. The best approach is to answer it confidently but without hubris. Try to choose a strength that matches the most important qualifications of the job you’re targeting.
Compassion and empathy. I’m an excellent listener who is the person others come to for advice and support, and it makes me incredibly happy to feel like I’ve helped them deal with hard issues. That’s why I’ve trained to become a social worker—I want to make a difference in people’s lives.
