Career readiness

A. General Questions – often asked in 20-30 minute phone screening

• - Tell me about yourself.
• - Why do you want to work for this organization?
• - What in particular are you most interested in working on?
• - Where do you see yourself professionally in 3-5 years?
• - What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
• - Tell me about a project when you used ___ (a technical skill).
• - Any questions for me?

B. Behavioral interview Questions

Teamwork - How will this individual work on our team?

• - Do you prefer teamwork or working independently? Why?
• - Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team. How did you resolve it?
• - Describe a time when you had to step up and demonstrate leadership skills.

Customer service/ Communication - Does this individual have the skills we need in this role?

• - What’s one time you worked with a difficult customer and how did you resolve the situation?
• - Tell me about a time when you improved a dissatisfied customer's experience.
• - Tell me about a time when you made sure a customer was pleased with your service.

Adaptability – How will this individual handle stress/ challenging times?

• - Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure at work or at school. What was going on, and how did you get through it?
• - Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation?

Time management – How will this individual prioritize tasks?

• - Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities or competing deadlines.
• - Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective?

Motivation and values - Does this individual have the work personality that we want on our team?

• - Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment.
• - Describe your favorite manager or supervisor in a work, volunteer, or internship setting.
• - What job or class project have you enjoyed the most? Least? Why?
• - Describe your understanding of diversity/inclusion and why it is important to this position.

Unvoiced Questions (What the interviewer might be thinking)

• - Did the student seem prepared? (Professional dress, copies of resume, note-taking materials)
• - Did the student seem engaging and interesting? (Attentive listening, responding to comments)
• - Did the student seem interested in the role? (Tailored answers, future-focused)

Learn about the organization/ culture:

• - What do you love about working at this company? What do you think could be improved?
• - What are some of the ways the company focuses on professional development?
• - What makes the difference between a good employee in this company and a fantastic one?
• - What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?

Learn about the position:

• - What does a typical day and a difficult day look like?
• - Can you show me examples of projects I’d be working on?
• - What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?

Learn about the team:

• - Who will I report to directly?
• - What are my direct reports’ strengths and the team’s biggest challenges?
• - What are the common career paths in this department?

Learn about the hiring process/ next steps:

• - What are the next steps in the interview process?
• - When will I hear from you regarding the next steps?
• - Is there anything that concerns you about my background being a fit for this role?

Questions to Assess An Organization's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Source: 2020 NACE article

• - How does your organization define diversity? What lenses of diversity has your organization made a direct commitment toward?
• - Does your organization have a chief diversity officer (CDO) or a designated leader to drive DEI and engage internal and external stakeholders?
• - What social causes does your organization support?
• - Does your organization actively support diverse suppliers, contractors, and small businesses?
• - Has your organization made any formal commitments in support of racial equity?
• - How does your organization center diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?
• - Does your organization offer any formal employee training around biases, anti-racism, or general DEI?
• - How has your organization prioritized executive accountability toward DEI advancement?
• - Does your organization have any affinity groups or committees to support diverse populations? If so, how do these groups contribute to the culture of the organization??
• - Does your organization complete annual compensation equity analysis?
• - What resources has your organization provided to its employees in support of COVID-19 and racial injustices?