The Interview

Checklist

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .
The Job Interview

A
great interview isn’t just a good conversation. It’s about gaining insight into how your
candidate relates to their work and deals with challenges. This checklist (including
sample questions) will help you create a structured and focused interview that helps
you evaluate your candidates’ strengths and weaknesses — so you don’t have to wait until after
you’ve hired them to find out. Use or modify it according to your business’ needs to ensure that
all managers have consistent guidelines for conducting hiring interviews your way.

Interview Checklist
Choose your interview team (if other team members will participate).

Reserve a quiet space for the interview.

Review the candidate’s resume and the notes from any previous interactions.

Prepare an information packet for the candidate about your company and the position.
Include an application form if the candidate hasn’t completed one yet.

Greet the candidate and take them on a short tour of your workspace.
Make them feel comfortable and offer them water.

Explain the purpose of the interview and describe your follow-up process.

Give a brief overview of the position.

Ask any questions you have about the candidate’s resume and employment history.

Ask the questions you’ve prepared about the candidate’s experience, education,
job skills and personal qualities.

Ask if they have any questions for you.

Re-affirm the process so the candidate knows what to expect next.

Bring the interview to a close. Be sure to thank them, then escort them to the door.

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .
The Interview Checklist

Sample Interview Questions

Below are questions that can be used for almost any job candidate. Mark the questions you like,
modify some and/or write your own questions in the spaces provided.

The following interview questions are focused on the candidate’s

W O R K R E C O R D , C O M M I T M E N T A N D A D A P TA B I L I T Y:

• If we were to work together over the next 6 months, what would I come to really
appreciate and respect about you?

• Of all the jobs you’ve held, which did you love the most? Which did like the least? Why?

• Have you had to work long hours, including evenings and weekends?
How did you feel about it?

• Tell me about a time—either in your current job or a past position—where you had to
overcome obstacles or difficulties to meet your objectives. How did you do it?

• What have you done in the past when you realized you weren’t going to meet your goals?

• What was one of the biggest difficulties you faced in a previous job? How did you handle
it at the time? Would you handle it differently today? How?

• Tell me about a job in which you’ve had to lead a team.

• What motivates you in your work?

Add in any additional questions that you have. Include questions about situations
the employee may face while working with your company.

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .
The Interview Checklist

Sample Interview Questions

The following interview questions are focused on the candidate’s

G O A L O R I E N TAT I O N A N D L E A R N I N G A B I L I T Y:

• What are your greatest work and non-work achievements?

• What are your greatest disappointments? How have you dealt with them?

• What goals are you currently working on? How do you plan to achieve them?

• What did you hope to learn from your current job? What did you actually learn?

• Give me an example of a job where you had to learn and use new skills.
How did you go about learning those skills?

Add in any additional questions that you have. Try to ask the candidate questions
about how they relate to your company’s goals.

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .
The Interview Checklist

Sample Interview Questions

The following interview questions are focused on the candidate’s

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND ABILITY TO INFLUENCE OTHERS:

• Tell me about your most positive and negative experiences with a manager or supervisor.

• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a manager and how you handled it.

• Tell me what you like best about your relationships with your co-workers and what you like least.

• Describe a problem you’ve had with a co-worker and how you handled it.
Would you do it differently today?

• What makes a great team meeting to you? How do you like to contribute?

• When you feel strongly about an idea or position, how do you share that with your team?

Add in any additional questions that you have. Try thinking about the leadership qualities you’d like
to see in a candidate. What questions could you ask about those qualities?

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .
The Interview Checklist

Sample Interview Questions

The following interview questions are focused on the candidate’s

J O B M O T I V A T I O N A N D S E L F - M A N A G E M E N T:

• Give me an example of a job you’ve had where you had to work independently,
managing your own time and activities.

• Tell me about a special project you were given in a previous job and how you
planned and accomplished it.

• Tell me about the leadership roles you’ve had at work.

What do you think makes an effective leader?

• What work accomplishment makes you the most proud? Why?

Add in any additional questions that you have. Try asking the candidate about their
time management techniques and habits.

C O P Y R I G H T © 2 0 1 9 E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D . E M Y T H , T H E E M Y T H L O G O , E - M Y T H , “ L I F T Y O U R B U S I N E S S . L O V E Y O U R L I F E .”, A N D T H E S E V E N
E S S E N T I A L S Y S T E M S L O G O A R E T R A D E M A R K S O F E - M Y T H W O R L D W I D E , I N C . E M Y T H I S R E G I S T E R E D W I T H T H E U. S . PAT E N T A N D T R A D E M A R K O F F I C E .