Soriano, Jasmine R.

Organizational psychology

BS- Psychology TF/ 8:30-10:00am

JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONAIRE

It is not enough to have solid answers only for the above questions. You need to be prepared for the full
spectrum of questions that may be presented. For further practice, make sure you go through the
required mock interview (see the "Competitive Interview Prep" Section) and for further review, look at
some of the following questions:

 Tell me about yourself.

 What do you want to do with your life?
 Do you have any actual work experience?
 How would you describe your ideal job?
 Why did you choose this career?
 When did you decide on this career?
 What goals do you have in your career?
 How do you plan to achieve these goals?
 How do you evaluate success?
 Describe a situation in which you were successful.
 What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
 What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
 If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?
 Would your rather work with information or with people?
 Are you a team player?
 What motivates you?
 Why should I hire you?
 Are you a goal-oriented person?
 Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.
 What are your short-term goals?
 What is your long-range objective?
 What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
 Where do you want to be ten years from now?
 Do you handle conflict well?
 Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it?
 What major problem have you had to deal with recently?
 Do you handle pressure well?
 What is your greatest strength?
 What is your greatest weakness?
 If I were to ask one of your professors to describe you, what would he or she say?
  Why did you choose to attend your college?
 What changes would you make at your college?
 How has your education prepared you for your career?
 What were your favorite classes? Why?
 Do you enjoy doing independent research?
 Who were your favorite professors? Why?
 Why is your GPA not higher?
 Do you have any plans for further education?
 How much training do you think you'll need to become a productive employee?
 What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
 Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
 What do you know about our company?
 Why are you interested in our company?
 Do you have any location preferences?
 How familiar are you with the community that we're located in?
 Will you relocate? In the future?
 Are you willing to travel? How much?
 Is money important to you?
 How much money do you need to make to be happy?
 What kind of salary are you looking for?

 What is your greatest weakness?

 What is your greatest strength?
 Describe a typical work week.
 Do you take work home with you?
 How many hours do you normally work?
 How would you describe the pace at which you work?
 How do you handle stress and pressure?
 What motivates you?
 What are your salary expectations?
 What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
 Tell me about yourself?
 What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
 What are you passionate about?
 What are your pet peeves?
 What do people most often criticize about you?
 When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
 If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently?
 If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
 Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
 Give some examples of teamwork.
 What type of work environment do you prefer?
 How do you evaluate success?
 If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?
 Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
 Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
 More job interview questions about your abilities.
 More job interview questions about you.
 What interests you about this job?
 Why do you want this job? - 
 What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
 Are you overqualified for this job?
 What can you do for this company? - 
 Why are you the best person for the job? - 
 What do you know about this company?
 Why do you want to work here? – 
 What challenges are you looking for in a position?
 What can you contribute to this company?
 Are you willing to travel? – 
 What is good customer service? – 
 Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?

Interview Questions: The Future

 What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? – 
 What are your goals for the next five years / ten years?
 How do you plan to achieve those goals?
 What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term?
 Questions about your career goals.
 What will you do if you don't get this position?

Job Interviewing Do's and Don't s

Here are the keys to successful job interviewing. Follow these simple rules and you should

achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.

• Do take a practice run to the location where you are having the interview -- or be sure

you know exactly where it is and how long it takes to get there.

• Do your research and know the type of job interview you will be encountering. (See types

of job interviews.) And do prepare and practice for the interview, but don't memorize or

over-rehearse your answers. (See our some of the best collections of interview

questions.)

• Do dress the part for the job, the company, the industry. And do err on the side of

conservatism. If you're not sure, you should consider reading our article, When Job-

Hunting: Dress for Success.

• Do plan to arrive about 10 minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is never

excusable. If you are running late, do phone the company.

• Do greet the receptionist or assistant with courtesy and respect. This is where you make

your first impression.

• Don't chew gum during the interview.

• If presented with a job application, do fill it out neatly, completely, and accurately.

• Do bring extra resumes to the interview. (Even better, if you have a job skills portfolio, do

bring that with you to the interview.)

• Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. No matter how qualified

you are for the position, you will need to sell yourself to the interviewer.

• Do greet the interviewer(s) by title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name if you are sure of the

pronunciation. (If you're not sure, do ask the receptionist about the pronunciation before

going into the interview.

• Do shake hands firmly. Don't have a limp or clammy handshake!

• Do wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. And do remember body language and

posture: sit upright and look alert and interested at all times. Don't fidget or slouch.

• Don't tell jokes during the interview.

• Do make good eye contact with your interviewer(s).

• Do show enthusiasm in the position and the company.

• Don't smoke, even if the interviewer does and offers you a cigarette. And don't smoke

beforehand so that you smell like smoke. And do brush your teeth, use mouthwash, or

have a breath mint before the interview.

• Do avoid using poor language, slang, and pause words (such as "like," "uh," and "um").

• Don't be soft-spoken. A forceful voice projects confidence.

• Do have a high confidence and energy level, but don't be overly aggressive.

• Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

• Do avoid controversial topics.

• Don't say anything negative about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.

• Do make sure that your good points come across to the interviewer in a factual, sincere

manner.

• Don't ever lie. Answer questions truthfully, frankly and succinctly. And don't over-answer

questions.

• Do stress your achievements. And don't offer any negative information about yourself.

• Don't answer questions with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible. Describe

those things about yourself that showcase your talents, skills, and determination. Give

examples.

• Do show off the research you have done on the company and industry when responding

to questions. (See our Guide to Researching Companies.)

• Don't bring up or discuss personal issues or family problems.

• Do remember that the interview is also an important time for you to evaluate the

interviewer and the company she represents.

• Don't respond to an unexpected question with an extended pause or by saying

something like, "boy, that's a good question." And do repeat the question outloud or ask

for the question to be repeated to give you a little more time to think about an answer.

Also, a short pause before responding is okay.

• Do always conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are discussing.

Never close the door on an opportunity until you are sure about it.

• Don't answer cell phone calls during the interview, and do turn off (or set to silent ring)

your cell phone and/or pager.

• Do show what you can do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.

• Don't inquire about salary, vacations, bonuses, retirement, or other benefits until after

you've received an offer. Be prepared for a question about your salary requirements, but

do try and delay salary talk until you have an offer. (You might consider visiting our salary

tutorial for more tips and strategies.)

• Do ask intelligent questions about the job, company, or industry. Don't ever not ask any

questions -- it shows a lack of interest.

• Do close the interview by telling the interviewer(s) that you want the job and asking about

the next step in the process. (Some experts even say you should close the interview by

asking for the job.)

• Do try and get business cards from each person you interviewed with -- or at least the

correct spelling of their first and last names. And don't make assumptions about simple

names -- was it Jon or John -- get the spelling.

• Do immediately take down notes after the interview concludes so you don't forget crucial

details.
• Do write thank you letters within 24 hours to each person who interviewed you. (You can

see some sample thank-you letters here.) And do know all the rules of following up after

the interview.

HR Assistant Job Description

The Human Resources assistant assists with the administration of the day-to-day operations of the
human resources functions and duties. The HR assistant carries out responsibilities in some or all of the
following functional areas: departmental development, HRIS, employee relations, training and
development, benefits, compensation, organization development, executive administration, and
employment.

The HR assistant has partial responsibility for these areas:

 recruiting and staffing logistics;

 performance management and improvement tracking systems;
 employee orientation, development, and training logistics and recordkeeping;
 assisting with employee relations;
 company-wide committee facilitation and participation;
 company employee communication;
 compensation and benefits administration and recordkeeping;
 employee safety, welfare, wellness, and health reporting; and
 employee services;
 maintaining employee files and the HR filing system;
 assisting with the day-to-day efficient operation of the HR office.

The Human Resources assistant contributes to the accomplishment of Human Resources practices and
objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes
empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing
development of a superior workforce.

The Human Resources assistant helps with the implementation of services, policies, and programs
through HR staff; reports to the HR director, and assists company managers with HR issues.

Primary Objectives:

 Safety of the workforce.

 Development of a superior workforce.
 Development of the Human Resources department.
 Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous
improvement, and high performance.
 Personal ongoing development.
JOB ANALYSIS

A job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities, necessary
skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job. You need as much data as possible to put
together a job description, which is the frequent outcome of the job analysis. Additional outcomes
include recruiting plans, position postings and advertisements, and performance development
planning within your performance management system.

JOB SPECIFICATION

 describes the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and abilities you believe are essential to
performing a particular job. The job specification is developed from the job analysis. Ideally, also
developed from a detailed job description, the job specification describes the person you want to hire
for a particular job.

JOB DESCRIPTION

are communication tools that are significant in your organization's success. Poorly written employee job
descriptions, on the other hand, add to workplace confusion, hurt communication, and make people feel
as if they don't know what is expected from them.

JOB DESIGN

Work arrangement (or rearrangement) aimed at reducing or overcoming job dissatisfaction

and employee alienation arising from repetitive and mechanistic tasks. Through job
design, organizations try to raise productivity levels by offering non-monetary rewards such as
greater satisfaction from a sense of personal achievement in meeting the increased challenge
and responsibility of one's work. Job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation, and job
simplification are the various techniques used in a job design exercise.

JOB EVALUATION

Assessment of the relative worth of varied jobs on the basis of a consistent set of job and

personal factors, such as qualifications and skills required. The objective is to determine which jobs
should get more pay than others. Several methods such as job ranking, job grading, and
factor comparison are employed in job evaluation.Research indicates, however, that each method is
nearly as accurate and reliable as the other in ranking and pricing different jobs. Job
evaluation forms the basis for wage and salary negotiations.