Interview Questions

1. What do you know about our company

- know products, size, income, reputation, image, goals, management style, skills, history
- project informed interest, let the interviewer tell about the company, let them define their business in
their terms

2. Tell me about yourself

- team player, leader, …I put my heart in everything I do
- resume summary as a base to start

3. Why do you want to work here

- I enjoy my work and I'm proud of my profession and believe in giving value to my employer
- I share values that make possible to offer services, set up PMO etc
- Wish to be part of a company project, would like to solve company problem
- Make a definite contribution to specific company goals

4. Why should I hire your

- I have the qualification you need, I'm team player and can lead the team
- relate past experiences which represent success in solving some problems
- because of knowledge, experience, abilities and skills

5. What do you look for in a job

- an opportunity to use skills, to perform and be recognized

6. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
- very quickly after little orientation and a brief period of adjustment on the learning curve

7. How long would you stay with us

- as long as we both feel I’m contributing, achieving, growing…

8. What did you like/dislike about your last job

- the reason I want to leave is to find position where I can make a greater contribution

9. Why are you leaving your present job

- group answer – our department was consolidated/eliminated

10. What would you like to be doing 5 years from now

- I have desire to be regarded as true professional and team player and to have potential to grow, having
exciting opportunities

11. What are your biggest accomplishments

- I'm proud of my involvement with…

12. Can you work under pressure

- yes, I usually find it stimulating

13. How do you take direction

- I take direction well and recognize opportunities. ..
- I take direction and get on with job w/o taking offense

14. What is the most difficult situation you have faced

- once I examined the problem and reach conclusion, I act quickly and professionally

15. Do you prefer working with others or alone

- I can work alone as well as in the team..but prefer to work with group as more people can make more
achievements

16. Would you like to have your boss's job?

- I'm looking for a manger who will help me develop my capabilities and grow with him

17. Are you a good manger

- answer achievement and task oriented, planning, organizing, controlling, interpersonal skills

18. what did you look when hired people

- skills, initiative, adaptability

19. what do you see as the most difficult task in being manager
- getting things planned and done on time within the budget

20. Sell me this pen…

- let me tell you about special features of this product…
- how many gross should we deliver?

21. Why shall we hire outsider?

- those are my general attributes (skills + profile strengths)

22. why were you out of work for so long?

- I determined that my next job I took would be one where I could settle down and do my best to make a
solid contribution

23. You were long time in one company w/o ranking upgrade, why?
- My current employer is a stable company with a good working environment, but there was a minimal
growth in my area ( hasn't been any promotion for long time). I have skills and ability to take on more
responsibility and looking for place to do that.

24. How would you evaluate your present firm?

- an excellent company which afforded me many fine experiences

25. Personal weaknesses - what are your weaknesses regarding this job?
- I believe that my skills and abilities are a good fit for this position. Do you have any specific concerns?
26. what is your weakness (as manager)
- having problem reprimanding people, so I always begin with something positive first

27. Going the extra mile – would your current boss describe you as the type of person who goes that extra
mile?
- always backup statements with specific examples
- Absolutely. In fact, on my annual evaluations, he writes that I’m the most dependable and flexible person
on his staff. I think this is mostly because of my ability to juggle and prioritize

28. standing out from the crowd - what new skills or ideas do you bring to the job that our internal
candidates don’t offer?
- because I’ve worked with the oldest player in this industry, I can help you avoid some of the mistakes we
made in our established markets.

29. Being specific – why did you choose this particular career path?
- I like fast-paced high energy environment, dynamic environment

30. tough question about your past - why didn’t finish studies, do you tend to complete things..
…when I do anything, I always give 150%

31. great expectations - what do you want out of your next job?
- I’m really interested in taking over a territory where we aren’t very well positioned…

32. what can you contribute?

- telling about individual initiative

33. helping the company

- the biggest contribution was my ability to accurately measure customer satisfaction and to continually
feed this information back to our design and production dept.

34. Salary expectations

- current salary information published by our national association indicates a range of - -
- while I’m not certain how your salaries compare to the national norms for this industry, my feeling is that
my value would certainly in the upper half of this national range

35. In 5 years…
- I would like to have progressed to the point where I have bottom-line responsibility and the chance to
lead a unit

36. showing your determination

- I led an effort to change our production system…I persuaded management to increase the profit-sharing
to get bonus for employees
- diligence, time I preserved to accomplish a goal, to achieve important results, describing how to predict
obstacles and how gathering resources

37. previous bosses

- with all of my bosses I developed a close rapport

38. off- the wall questions – questions to see if able to work under stress

39. Illegal question – about age, race, religion, national origin, sex, plans to have children
 - ‘I’m not quite sure that I understand what you’re getting at – would you please explain to me how this
issue is relevant to the position? … I’m very interested in developing my career, travel is not definitely
problem for me
- That question makes me uncomfortable. I’d really rather not answer it.

Asking questions:
1. What is possible career path…next position that it can lead to
2. It’s a great company and I’m confident I could do this job well – what is the next step in selection process
3. I assume that you are going to put that offer in writing to me and once I have received it, I will have a
few days to review it an get back to you, is that right?

Perfect Image:

1. first minutes are the most important – come on time, ‘dress for success’, confident approach, sincere
smile, firm handshake (have free hand), remember the interviewer name, eye contact, make ‘small talk’
easily
2. to show interviewer that seriously interested in a career in that particular field at that particular
company
3. tone of voice, body language – capability, enthusiasm, confidence, flexibility, dependability,
resourcefulness, easygoing manner, strong work ethic (try to relax an visualize myself as smooth and
confident, will project these qualities)
4. adapt the answers to match the type of company for which am interviewing
5. never make negative statement about former boss or colleague
6. project positive, upbeat attitude
Situational Interview Questions
Situational interview questions give managers keen insights into your ability to do the job.

The idea is to ask you to describe how you would handle a certain situation, or what you would do under certain
circumstances.

It's easy to list skills and accomplishments on your resume. Now you need to demonstrate to the satisfaction of
the interviewer how you successfully go about solving problems, resolving conflicts, and making things happen.

What makes situational interview questions challenging, is there are an infinite number of situations or
circumstances.

How do you know in advance what specific situational interview questions you will be asked? Actually, it's really
not that difficult once you know the pattern to answering these types of questions.

Employers want to know 2 critical things about you:

1. Will you fit into our company culture?

2. How well do you manage change and respond to problems?

What employers fear or want to know about you

How well do you get along with people and influence others?

 Resolving conflict
 Coping with difficult people
 Influencing co-workers
 Working in a team
 Flexibility, adaptability

How do you cope with stress and disappointment?

 Missing deadlines
 Getting criticized
 Dealing with demanding customers

Do you have the skills you say you do, to do the job?

 Technical abilities and knowledge of systems

 Product knowledge
 Sales abilities
 Service, management, organizational skills

Are you a self-starter and easy to manage? Do you take the initiative to solve problems and get things done?

◦ Top 10 Situational Interview Questions

1. Describe the ideal working environment to do your best work. - Often on the list of human resources
interview questions, and could be a deal breaker if you don't tell them what they want to hear.

Large companies = more than $750M in sales, 2,500+ people.

 Medium companies = $150-750M in sales, 500-2,500 people.
 Small companies = less than $150M in sales, under 500 people.

Large companies:
 More layers of management
 Policy and procedure driven
 More structured
 More image conscious
 Slower decision making process
  Diverse culture
 More 15-25 year vets in their workforce
 More politics
 Global presence and the need for people to relocate and travel

Medium companies:

 Growing pains with a fair amount of confusion and chaos

 Need for more structure and systems
 Long hours expected
 The need to be flexible
 Fair amount of hiring so workforce will be newer
 Culture evolving
 Need for upward mobile people to fill management positions

Small companies:

 You will wear more than one hat

 Quicker decision making
 More important you fit in as everybody knows everybody
 More casual work environment
 More conservative attitude
 Slow to change
 Loyalty expected

Example for large company:

I enjoy working in large complex organizations. I am well organized and patient. I work well within teams as a
leader or a follower. I'm open to travel and relocation.

Example for a medium company:

I thrive in a fast-paced work environment and welcome change. I am flexible, hard working, and open to long
hours and travel to get the job done. I enjoy a challenge and I'm good at problem solving. I'm a self-starter and
do my best work when I'm given the freedom to do my job with minimal oversight.

Example for small company:

I enjoy working for a smaller organization where everyone knows each other. I am flexible, hard working, and
get along well with people. I don't mind pitching in to help others with their work. I do my best work when I can
see a company from a big picture perspective.

2. Share with me an idea or improvement you implemented that made a difference. - Employer interview
questions about your ideas or improvements provide you with a tremendous opportunity to stand out
from other candidates.
Every good story delivers...
 an attention grabbing introduction (problem or crisis),
 a compelling story (characters/details that build interest),
 a crescendo that invokes strong feelings or emotions.

Apply these 3 steps in 60 seconds...or less

1. Describe the problem or situation
2. Describe the steps you took to resolve or improve the situation
3. Share the measurable results of your efforts

Pearl of Wisdom: Employers are most interested in improvements that save them money, make them
money, or save them time. Your improvement story should speak to these 3 objectives to really impress
hiring authorities.

3. Describe the toughest challenge you ever faced and how you worked through it. - This is one of my
favorite free interview questions.
Your company was losing or wasting money
  Spending too much on overtime
 Poor quality or warranty issues
 High overheads or cost of materials
 Too much inventory
2. Your company was inefficient or wasting time
 Low productivity
 Low morale
 Negative or unmotivated workforce
 Resistance to new technology
 Lack of sales due to weak sales strategy
3. Your company was negatively impacted by outside factors beyond anyone's control
 Natural disasters
 Recession
 Competitor with new technology
 Overseas competition
 Large price spike in materials or commodities

It doesn't matter if you are a manager or not. What actions did you personally take to overcome a challenge?

4. Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you made even though it made you unpopular.
- This is one of those questions that tests your resolve to stand firm when the situation dictates.
Examples might include:
 Putting a customer on COD for slow pay history
 Not bending on a company policy or procedure
 Increasing prices on your products or services
 Reducing or denying a warranty claim
 Limiting personal use of company phones, vehicles, merchandise, or supplies
 Enforcing safety rules
 Not relaxing quality requirements for your products
 Not accepting calls or permitting interruptions during a certain time block of the day
 Not accepting a project or report unless it is filled out neatly, completely, and correctly
 Not serving alcohol at company functions
 Charging employees for lost or misplaced items

The real question is, can you stand firm on a decision when the situation warrants it?

There is a lot of hype and sensitivity in the workplace today about teamwork and harmony. This is all well and
good, but sometimes we need to have the courage to simply do what is right.

There is a flip side to answering questions like this.

Sometimes people go overboard about doing what is right. There is a fine line between taking a firm stand on
something, and being overly rigid and inflexible. As a general rule, throwing the gauntlet down over an issue
should be a rare exception in your work environment instead of the norm.

5. Discuss a situation during the past year in which you had to deal with an upset customer or coworker. -
One of the sample job interview questions centered around a common situation faced by every company.

Rule #1: The customer is always right.

Rule #2: If the customer is ever wrong...see Rule #1.

6. Describe the most difficult boss you worked for and how you dealt with them. - Among my interview tips
and questions are tough situations you won't relish answering, but here is an example of what works
well.
Here are some positives my interviewers might be thinking about me:
 He can work with demanding managers
 His management style is participative...which is what most employers want
  He can stand up to a tough boss
 He learned and grew from this experience
 He is self confident, solves problems, and gets results

Maybe the reason you are being asked this question is because this employer knows you will be facing one or
more of the following challenges:

 Your manager is autocratic and few people can work for him/her.
 Your overbearing manager is nearing retirement and they see you as his/her replacement.
 Expectations are high, and you will be held strictly accountable. Can you handle the pressure?
 Your boss may be a good person, but a micro-manager.

You may be asking yourself, why would I even want this job if I may have to work for a tough boss? Here are a
few possibilities:

 This is a turnaround division of a large stable company with an overall good culture and reputation. This
could be fertile ground for you to make a difference and advance your career quickly.
 This could be a start up operation of a great company that is experiencing short term headaches and
problems.
 This employer may have hired poor leaders in the past and now wants to infuse strong leadership into
their organization.
 This could be a stepping stone along your career path and you need specific skills and experience that
this job provides.

7. What would you do if the priorities on a major project you were working on were suddenly changed - Find
out why HR interview questions like this can be a double edge sword.
Set-up question examples:
 Have priorities ever changed on a project you were working on?
 How often do priorities change on your major projects?
 Do you find it frustrating when priorities are suddenly changed on a major project?

For all you know, the company is sick and tired of priorities changing all the time, and no one having the
backbone to put their foot down about it.

Whenever project priorities change, it costs employers money...and people get upset about it.

The essence of this HR interview question is, HOW would you handle this situation?

A good starting point would be to first answer this question by asking a question. Who is changing the priorities
on this project?

 Your boss?
 The customer?
 Engineering?
 External factors like weather or strikes?
 A key supplier?

Your answer to this question depends on who is initiating the change and why. Like all situational interview
questions, the company really wants to know how you think under pressure, how you analyze a situation,
and how you will likely respond to others.
 Can you be a leader when circumstances call for it?
 Will you blow a gasket if things are changed?
 What's your line of logic when someone throws you a curve ball?
 Is your name Caspar Milquetoast when someone is controlling?
 Can you suck it up and adapt even if you truly believe in this project and have many hours invested in it?

8. Tell me about a time when your work was criticized. - Here are 2 approaches to tough interview
questions answers of this nature...both positive.
The best way to answer this question is to share a criticism about yourself that had a measurable positive
outcome. Good examples:
  Cost cutting measures
 Restructuring department resulting in layoffs or consolidations
 Reducing or eliminating overtime
 Raising quality standards
 Replacing weak performers with strong ones
 Standing up to a demanding customer or supplier
 Increasing sales visits
 Restructuring dealer network eliminating weak dealers
 Greater scrutiny of warranty claims
 Raising standards of professionalism including dress code
 Firing malcontents or underachievers

Despite your good intentions, and positive results, you may have been criticized about:

 Over planning--with positive outcomes--but causing delays

 Demanding sacrifices of others or ourselves
 Being too lenient or tolerant
 Taking a fire-ready-aim approach

9. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond the call of duty to get something done or resolve a
problem. - See why this is always included among my sample interview questions and answers.
Often times it's adapting to changes in a shifting business climate or solving a problem before it gets out of
hand.
Companies want to employ flexible people who are easy to manage and can make good judgement calls when
the situation warrants. All of us have done this at some point in our careers.

Example answer:
"One of my strengths is my willingness to adapt to change. I understand that during a business downturn I may
be needed more in another department, or asked to make other sacrifices."

"As a matter of fact, when my current company was hit hard by the recession I was asked to step down as a
sales administrator to a receptionist in the lobby."

"No one wanted this job because of the frantic pace and the challenges of dealing with the public. However, I
gladly accepted the position and excelled at it."

"If hired by your company, you can depend on me to adapt well to change and to put my best foot forward."

10.Give me an example of an important goal you set and describe your progress in reaching that goal. -
Answers to interview questions like this provide keen insights into your character and motivations.

Another way of asking this question could be:

 Do you even set goals?

 What are your priorities?
 How do you measure success?

Good examples of personal goals you accomplished:

 Taking online computer training courses to stay current

 Attending night school to complete your college degree or MBA
 Learning a foreign language
 Sticking with an exercise regimen
 Paying off your debts and living debt free
 Getting your pilot's license
 Fund raising for a community or humanitarian cause

Good examples of work related goals you accomplished:

 Increasing sales or market share

  Reducing costs
 Winning back a key customer
 Reducing employee turnover or improving morale
 Overcoming a company's reputation of poor quality or service

Top 10 Situational Interview Questions

1. Describe the work environment where you perform your best work. This is a common question asked
by hiring managers who work as part of a company's human resource department. This can be a great question,
if you give the right answer -- but it could also be a deal breaker. It's important that you know the environment
of the company, or department you're applying too, before you answer this question. Make sure to perform your
due diligence about the company, it's culture and the working environment it provides, before you arrive for the
interview.

2. Please provide an example of an improvement you made at your previous job that made a real
difference. Give a good answer to this question and you'll stand out from the competition. Give a bad answer
and you'll like end up at the bottom of the list of job candidates. You want your answer to leave a lasting
impression, so structure it in a storyboard fashion. Describe the probem you faced, the steps you took to resolve
it, and the results of your efforts.

3. What is the biggest challenge you've faced, and how did you solve it? When answering this question,
you want to share a work related challenge. This is a great question because it gives you the opportunity to
demonstrate your skills and show the interviewer what you bring to the table. Suggestions for challenges you've
faced include your previous employer losing or wasting money, inefficiently using time, or being impacted by a
factor outside your control. If you are early in your career, and haven't faced any work-related challenges worth
mentioning, you can use a personal challenge.

4. Describe a time when you had to defend an unpopular decision you made. As you might guess, this
question is designed to test your ability to stand firm and defend a decision when it's unpopular with other
employees, or even superiors. This question allows the interviewers to see that you can demonstrate leadership
and good judgement when the situation warrants it -- notwithstanding opposing pressure.

5. Describe a recent situation where you dealt with an upset coworker or customer. Dealing with
discontentment in the work place and upset customers is a regular occurance. Hiring managers and employers
want to know that you're able to resolve concerns of customers and work well with others -- if they aren't that
easy to work with.

6. Tell me about your most difficult boss and how you were able to deal with them. This one of those
situational questions that's a bit more difficult to answer. There are several reasons an interviewer may be
asking this questions, one of which may be that you're going to have a difficult boss to work for. However you
respond, you want to stay positive. You want to show you can work with demanding people, you can stand up for
yourself, that you're a problem solver and that you can get results -- even in a difficult situation.

7. What would you do if you were working on an important project and all of the sudden the
priorities were changed? When faced with this question, interviewees often assume the interviewer is trying
to gauge how flexible they can be. In some instances, this may be true. However, the interviewer may just easily
be trying to determine if you're the type of person who will put their foot down about it. Like all situational
interview questions, the interviewer is trying to determine if you can think under pressure, how you analyze a
situation, and how you're likely to interact with others.

8. Please describe for me a time when your work was criticized by your boss or other co-workers. No
one is always perfect, and the interviewer knows this. The interviewer wants to see if you can admit that you've
made mistakes, but more importantly how you dealt with the situation and learned from it. You want to share
with the interviewer an example criticism that had a measurable positive outcome. Make sure to turn the
negative criticism into a positive experience.

9. Share with me a time you went the extra mile to resolve a problem or accomplish something.
Employers want employees who contribute to the success of the company, and don't just show up to collect a
pay check. This question is designed to see if you'll be a contributing team member, can adapt to changing
situations and to ensure that you're flexible. You don't need to share something overly spectacular, but you do
want to show that you're the type of person who will go above and beyond the call of duty.

10. Provide me an example of a meaningful goal you set and how you achieved it. Situational interview
questions relating to goal setting provide an interviewer insight into your character, motivation and dedication.
When asking this question, the interviewer wants to find out if you set goals, what are your priorities, how you
go about accomplishing a task, and how you measure success. We recommend starting out by sharing a work
related goal. However, sharing a personal goal gives an interviewer a deeper look into your character and
values.
Example Situational Interview Questions and Answers
Below you'll find some of the most common situational interview questions and answers a hiring manager or
interviewer is likely to ask. Familiarize yourself with each question and answer to improve your chances of
performing well in situational interviews.

Team members you've been assigned to lead during a new project object to your vision and ideas
for implementation. What specifically would you do to address their objections?

Answer: I usually ask for feedback about my ideas and take into account everyone's opinions prior to beginning
a new project. When possible, I organize meetings with group members to discuss my plans and explain how the
company will benefit after the project is successfully completed. Likewise, I make it clear to team members that
policy changes can be made if they are dissatisfied after beginning a new project.

You're responsible for an important project near completion but receive another important project
that must be completed immediately. How do you multi-task and prioritize?

Answer: Before beginning the new project, I determine what must be completed and estimate how long it will
take and what resources are needed to successfully complete the project. If I'm confident it cannot be completed
by the deadline, I would request that a superior be assigned the project, while recommending another co-worker
to take responsibility for any current projects the superior is working on.

When a subordinate is performing below average, what specific steps do you take to correct the
problem?

Answer: I begin by identifying what factors have contributed to the poor performance. I then figure whether the
cause of the poor performance is work related or personal. When the problem is related to the individual's
private life, I determine whether it's possible, or appropriate, for me to recommend solutions.

Additionally, when dealing with a subordinate's personal problems, I attempt to evaluate how much of his or her
poor performance is due to the problem. I then try to help the subordinate understand the importance of
remaining productive while handling the problem, and encourage the individual to do what is necessary to
resolve the issue.

You're responsible for ensuring a large amount of work be finished before the end of the new year.
A subordinate decides to use sick hours to take an entire week of work off. What would you do to
address the problem?

Answer: I start by finding out how much vacation time the worker used during the year. If the individual has used
few vacation hours, I do not report the situation to my superiors, but will encourage the individual to remain at
work during the week and consider using their vacation time during a less critical time for the company. If the
individual has lied about being sick in the past to take time off work, I would refer the situation to the human
resources department.

What would you do if you realized a project you completed just before deadline did not meet all of
the project specifications?

Answer: First, I would not expect that this would ever happen as I always review all project specs, time
requirements, and deadlines prior to starting any new assignment to ensure my work is done on time, within
budget, and that it meets all project specifications. If it ever were to occur, I would bring the issue to the
attention of my superiors and ask for a realistic extension to make sure the project met all specifications. I would
review my project planning process to see what went wrong, why the project was not done on time according to
specs and take steps to make sure it never happened again.

Suppose you don't see eye to eye with your supervisor on how to deal with a problem? How would
you handle the situation?

Answer: I would first try and put myself in my supervisor's shoes and view the problems from his or her
perspective. If I was still struggling to see eye to eye with my supervisor's assessment and/or solution to the
problem, I would analyze the problem and come up with a few other ways to address the problem. In private, I
would then discuss the problem with my supervisor and suggest how I think it should be addressed.

If hired, what steps would you take to make important job related decisions?

Answer: 1. First, I would determine if the decision is one that would benefit the company.
2. I would then assess if and how the decision would fit within the scope of the company's core values.
3. I would assess how a decision might negatively impact the company.

What would you do if you knew your boss was absolutely wrong about an important work related
issue?
Answer: It would depend on a number of factors, including the personality of my boss, how critical the issue is,
and the overall situation.

If my boss did not like having his authority brought into question or challenged, or was prone to anger, I would
probably never tell him he's wrong. I would simply be polite, try to understand his perspectve and what he is
wanting to get accomplished, handle the situation the way I know it needs to be handled, and then provide my
boss with the results he desired.

If my boss was a little more open to outside suggestion, or constructive criticism, I would first validate his
opinion/view by sincerely considering his perspective and letting him know I understand why he might feel the
way he does. I would then suggest that there might be a better, more efficient, or more effective way to
accomplish what he wants.
 Job Interview Question Database:
Situational Job Interview Questions & Excellent Sample Responses, 1-10
1. What would you do if the work of a subordinate or team member was not up to expectations?
Sample excellent response:
Luckily, I have quite a bit of previous team experience, and have faced this situation a few times in the
past -- so let me tell you how I've learned to handle the issue. The most important first step in dealing
with an underperforming subordinate or team member is honest communications -- talking with the
person can lead to some surprising discoveries, such as the person not understanding the assigned tasks
to being overwhelmed with the assignment. Once I discovered the problem, I could then forge a solution
that usually solved the problem and allowed the work to move forward. So often in situations like this,
the problem is some combination of miscommunications and unrealistic expectations.

2. A co-worker tells you in confidence that she plans to call in sick while actually taking a week's
vacation. What would you do and why?

Sample excellent response:

I would tell this co-worker that being dishonest to her boss, as well as her co-workers, is not wise, and
being dishonest in her job is wrong. I would say how we all want more vacation time, but we have to
earn it -- and that taking this extra time hurts everyone in the department because the person's absence
will affect productivity.

3. Describe how you would handle the situation if you met resistance when introducing a new idea
or policy to a team or work group.

Sample excellent response:

The best way to convince people is to be able to understand where they are coming from and address
their questions and concerns about the new idea directly. It is also important to stay confident and
believe in yourself because if you don't buy it, no one else will either.

4. What would you do if the priorities on a project you were working on changed suddenly?

Sample excellent response:

I would notify everyone working on the project of the changes. I would then want to know why the
priorities have changed, and if there is risk of them changing again in the future. I would then meet with
everyone involved with a new strategy to address the new priorities.

5. How would you handle it if you believed strongly in a recommendation you made in a meeting,
but most of your co-workers shot it down?

Sample excellent response:

I would continue to explain why the recommendation was good, giving concrete examples what the
benefits of my recommendation could be. Ultimately if my co-workers continue to resist my
recommendation I would have to let it go and move on.

6. In a training session, you find that the trainer has a thick accent, and you can't understand
what's being said. What would you do?

Sample excellent response:

Certainly not call the trainer out on it. I would try my best to understand what the trainer is saying, ask
many questions to clarify any unclear parts about the session and compare notes with someone in the
session afterwards. This way I could make sure that I understand what was being explained and
discussing it afterwards would help reinforce the things I learned in the session.

7. List the steps that you would take to make an important decision on the job.

Sample excellent response:

1. How would the company benefit from this?
2. How does it relate to the company's values and beliefs?
3. What are the negative and positive impacts this decision has on the company?

8. What would you do if you realized at deadline time that a report you wrote for your boss or
professor was not up to par?

Sample excellent response:

Hopefully this would never happen to me since I always make sure to plan my time properly to ensure
 that my work is always done. If it ever did happen I would meet with my boss and explain the situation
and request an extension. I would also evaluate my actions and identify what I did wrong to not
complete my work and make sure that it did not happen again.

9. How would you deal with a colleague at work with whom you seem to be unable to build a
successful working relationship?

Sample excellent response:

This situation would certainly be unique to me. Ever since I can remember, I've had a knack for finding
something in everyone that then becomes common ground for a friendship and/or good working
relationship. Certainly there are all types of people, some less motivated to work in teams or simply
unhappy in their jobs, but we're all people when you strip away titles and such -- and it's at that base
level in which I find a connection that results in some degree of rapport -- even when few others can do
so. For example, in my senior year of college, I was placed onto a team that had one member that the
rest of the team disliked. This team member was kind of an outcast, but I knew we needed this full
commitment to make the project work. Even though I was not the team leader, I took it upon myself to
forge a connection -- and discovered we had a mutual passion for horses. We did not end best friends or
anything, but through our common interest, I was able to build enough rapport to connect and engage
him as a key team member. There is always something that bonds us all together -- it is just harder to
find with some people than with others.

10. You disagree with the way your supervisor says to handle a problem. What would you do?

Sample excellent response:

I would evaluate why I disagreed with my supervisor and come up with a different way that I think the
situation should be handled. I would then sit down with my supervisor -- in private -- and discuss the
problem with him and how I think it should have been addressed.

11. Who would you talk to if you discovered that a co-worker was disclosing confidential
information that should not be divulged?
Sample excellent response:
I would first sit down privately with my co-worker and let him or her know what is happening. I would
make it a dialogue rather than a lecture -- with the goal of helping the co-worker realize what a serious
mistake he or she is making and how it could impact both the company and his or her personal life -- and
the lives of family and friends. If nothing comes of the meeting -- either the co-worker is defensive and
denies it -- or does not agree to stop divulging confidential information, then I would be forced to go
directly to my manager with the proof that I have of the unethical activities.

12. When would it be appropriate to bring in your supervisor while dealing with an angry customer?

Sample excellent response:

As an employee it is my job to explore all the possible options to satisfy customer demands. However, if I
see the customer is angry with me personally it is better to bring in a supervisor because he or she is
more likely to listen to my supervisor than me. Also it is important to stay friendly and always stay
respectful and polite when dealing with customers in the face of frustration.

13. How would you attempt to make changes in the process if you felt a policy of your organization
was hurting its members/workers?

Sample excellent response:

I would ask my co-workers if they felt the same way. I would want to make sure that I am not the only
employee who feels like the policy is hurting members/workers. If others agreed with me, I would try to
set up a meeting with a supervisor or someone who is in control of changing the policy and explain my
concerns. I would then develop an alternative solution and present the problem with my developed
alternative solution to the head of the organization.

14. What would a good manager do to build team spirit?

Sample excellent response:

Most importantly, any plan to build team spirit has to be authentic. We've all seen -- or experienced --
work environments like in Office Space or The Office. Anything less than authenticity will be seen as
simply rah-rah -- or going through the motions.

A good manager brings the team together -- perhaps even a retreat -- to foster communications and
develop common goals and objectives. During this meeting, the manager should also show how all the
 team members play a role in making the team successful -- and that only by working together and
respecting each other can the team fully succeed.

Sometimes, too, when the team is from different departments or backgrounds, it's important for the
manager to address this issue from day one -- if possible. I was once put in a team with a mix of
marketers and accountants, and the manager sat us all down and told us a story of a successful
competitor and how their accounting team thought like marketers and how their marketers understood
the importance of return on investment for new marketing initiatives. Using the story of a successful
competitor helped us realize that we had more in common than we had differences and that we could
come together as a team and succeed.

15. How would you organize the steps or methods you'd take to define/identify a vision for your
team or your personal job function?

Sample excellent response:

I believe a good team vision starts first with a strong understanding of the organization's mission. So, my
steps would be as follows.

First, review my organization's vision.

Second, develop some rough ideas of how I would word a team vision statement in preparation for a
team meeting to discuss the issue.

Third, I would call a meeting of the team and have a discussion of what we do best, how what we do fits
with the organization. Then I would discuss the organization's vision and ask for ideas and suggestions
for the team's mission. If asked, I would mention some of my thoughts on our team vision.

Fourth, following the meeting, I would craft a vision statement -- perhaps with the help of one or two
other team members -- and then distribute it to the team and ask for feedback.

Fifth, I would finalize the vision statement from the comments and feedback from the team... and then
post our vision statement in places where all the team members could see it on a regular basis.

16. How would you react if two teammates were embroiled in a conflict that kept the team from
completing its task?

Sample excellent response:

To build team spirit, it would be important that all team members are on the same page and agree on a
common goal. Team-building exercises bring a team closer together and strengthen team spirit. For
example, there's an exercise called "Hammeroid" that involves comparing a hammer, string, ruler, and
table to work-style preferences. Participants are tasked with bringing a team in conflict into harmony by
perfectly balancing the hammer, string, and ruler on the table. Team members should also be made to
feel like their opinion matters and their input/ideas are valued by their manager.

17. You don't have the information you need to prioritize your projects. Your co-workers and
supervisor are unavailable for you to ask for assistance. How do you handle the situation?

Sample excellent response:

This is a great question because in all my work experience, I have never faced this issue. Whenever I'm
given a new task to accomplish, I immediately seek to understand its importance and priority given my
other projects and assignments.

So, my first inclination would be that I would sit down and review all the projects and examine a couple
of key issues -- things like deadlines, potential impacts, and involvement of others. Obviously, projects
that are mission-critical and have the shortest deadlines need to be addressed first.

If I wer still stumped -- and my manager and team members were truly unavailable -- rather than sitting
there paralyzed, I would probably consult a mentor within the organization and seek his or her advice --
more as a sounding board for my own thoughts than seeking a solution from them.

18. As a supervisor, you've made an unpopular decision. What action would you take so that morale
in the department is not negatively affected?

Sample excellent response:

I would call for a meeting to let my employees know that their opinions about my decision are valued,
however I would also explain to them why the decision needed to be made. Sometimes people are more
 empathetic once they know the reasons for a certain action. I would also ensure employees that
positives are to come from this decision and reinforce that their opinions and ideas are valued, but that
this was a decision that needed to be made.

19. In a team-leadership role, you discover that a team member has gone "over your head" to
propose an idea or complain about an issue without talking to you first. How do you handle the
situation?

Sample excellent response:

Too often something like this happens when an individual feels his or her opinions or ideas are not being
heard, so rather than assume the person is simply trying to make some sort of power play or make you
look bad to your boss, you first need to get the details of the situation. Sometimes someone does
deliberately does go over your head, but sometimes these things happen because of a chance meeting
between the person and your supervisor, and the conversation is spontaneous, not malicious.

If you discover the discussion was in fact a planned action, the first thing you need to do is evaluate how
you -- and your team -- have treated this person. Next, I would call a private meeting with the person
and simply have a conversation about the situation and how and why it happened -- and how this person
can get his or her voice back within the team so that the situation will not repeat itself.

Finally, if it turns out the person is simply a disgruntled employee and there is little that can be done to
change his or her future actions, and you've exhausted all options to bring the person back into the team
and the organization, then you need to meet again with your boss and then with the person and have a
discussion about possible consequences of future occurrences.

20. You been placed in charge of a project team for a new project. What are your first steps to get
the team going and complete the project?

Sample excellent response:

I would call the team together for an initial meet and greet -- and make sure we all know each other on
some basic level -- and to set some initial expectations for the team. Once the team has been
established, I would move ahead with the project in these basic steps:

First, make sure we fully understand the problem and task at hand. We need to define the problem that
will be solved by the project.

Second, we need to brainstorm possible solutions to accomplish the project.

Third, we get back together and choose the best path/process to completing the project.

Fourth, we divide the process into smaller parts and assign individual team members parts to complete
-- based on their individual skill sets -- assigning deadlines and budgets.

Fifth, we execute the plan and deal with any circumstances that arise as we move forward toward
completion.

Sixth, we complete the project -- as planned, on deadline and budget (hopefully) -- and meet as a team
one final time to discuss any unanticipated problems or issues that arose and how we can prepare and
better address them in the future.
 Job Interview Question Database:

1. How would you describe yourself?

Sample excellent response:
My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best financial
consultant I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself. I am an undergraduate
student in finance and accounting at ____________ University. My past experiences has been in retail and
higher education. Both aspects have prepared me well for this career.

2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for your
life?

Sample excellent response:

I want to be working for an excellent company like yours in a job in which I am managing information. I
plan to contribute my leadership, interpersonal, and technical skills. My long-range career goal is to be
the best information systems technician I can be for the company I work for.

3. How has your college experience prepared you for a business career?

Sample excellent response:

I have prepared myself to transition into the the work force through real-world experience involving
travel abroad, internship, and entrepreneurial opportunities. While interning with a private organization
in Ecuador, I developed a 15-page marketing plan composed in Spanish that recommended more
effective ways the company could promote its services. I also traveled abroad on two other occasions in
which I researched the indigenous culture of the Mayan Indians in Todos Santos, Guatemala, and
participated in a total-language-immersion program in Costa Rica. As you can see from my academic,
extracurricular, and experiential background, I have unconditionally committed myself to success as a
marketing professional.

4. Please describe the ideal job for you following graduation.

Sample excellent response (equates ideal job with job he's interviewing for):
My ideal job is one that incorporates both my education and practical work skills to be the best I can be.
Namely combining my education in finance with my working knowledge of customer-service operations,
entrepreneurial abilities, computer skills, and administrative skills. I want to utilize my analytical
expertise to help people meet their financial goals. This is exactly why I am convinced that I would be a
very valuable member of the Merrill Lynch team.

5. What influenced you to choose this career?

Sample excellent response:

My past experiences have shown me that I enjoy facing and overcoming the challenge of making a sale.
Without a doubt, once I have practiced my presentation and prepared myself for objections, I feel very
confident approaching people I don't know and convincing them that they need my product. Lastly, I like
sales because my potential for success is limited only by how much of myself I dedicate toward my goal.
If any profession is founded on self-determinism, it surely must be sales.

6. At what point did you choose this career?

Sample excellent response:

I knew that I wanted to pursue information-systems technology about my sophomore year in college. It
was then that I realized that my that my hobby (computers) was taking up most of my time. My favorite
courses were IT courses. I also realized that I so enjoyed the computer-oriented work-study I was doing
that I would have done it for free.

7. What specific goals have you established for your career?

Sample excellent response:

My goals include becoming a Certified Financial Advisor so I can obtain a better working knowledge of
financial research analysis. That background would enable me contribute to my client base as a better
financial consultant since I would have that extra insight into the companies they seek to invest in. I
could then be a portfolio manager or even branch office manager.
8. What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining them?

Sample excellent response:

I've already done some research on other workers at Merrill Edge to see how they achieved similar goals.
I know that Merrill Edge encourages the pursuit of a graduate degree and will reimburse for tuition. I plan
to pursue an MBA to give me an even more extensive knowledge of business and financial analysis.

9. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

Sample excellent response:
I believe successful salespeople put forth that extra effort that turns potential clients into first-time
customers. Salespeople who attend to the details by doing whatever it takes to win over a prospective
customer distinguish themselves from the countless others who don't go to any extra effort. Second, I
think that if you label success as an attainable goal, you will never consistently remain successful. You
can only succeed if you learn all there is to learn about your product, your competitors, and personal
selling. Since this learning process is continuous, it's an unattainable goal. With good reason,
salespeople should not consider success an attainable ending point but an objective that will always
linger slightly beyond their reach.

10. How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful
accomplishments.

Sample excellent response:

Last semester I was hired by my university's Council for Student Activities. The group negotiates
contracts of entertainers, sets up sound equipment, markets the entertainers to students, and generally
decides what kind of programming should be done. When I got hired, I didn't know the first thing about
how fill any of those responsibilities. I decided, however, that I wasn't going to fail. Four months later, I
have become the Webmaster for the group. I also write our campus newsletter and created Game Night,
a student competition of table games. That event yielded the biggest audience ever for a non-concert
event.

11. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your
chosen career?

Sample excellent response:

I believe I have a combination of qualities to be successful in this career. First, I have a strong interest,
backed by a solid, well-rounded, state-of-the-art education, especially in a career that is technically
oriented. This basic ingredient, backed by love of learning, problem-solving skills, well-rounded interests,
determination to succeed and excel, strong communication skills, and the ability to work hard, are the
most important qualities that will help me succeed in this career. To succeed, you also need a natural
curiosity about how systems work -- the kind of curiosity I demonstrated when I upgraded my two
computers recently. Technology is constantly changing, so you must a fast learner just to keep up, or you
will be overwhelmed. All of these traits combine to create a solid team member in the ever-changing
field of information systems. I am convinced that I possess these characteristics and am ready to be a
successful team member for your firm.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

12. What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?

Sample excellent response:

A recent satisfying accomplishment occurred when I was sent to one of our branch banks that was
notorious for not growing its loan base. The branch had logged $75,000 in new loans in an 18-month
period prior to my arrival. Having a reputation as a "hired gun" when it came to loan production, I
succeeded in soliciting and booking $700,000 in my first six months at the branch.

13. If you could do so, how would you plan your college career differently?
 Sample excellent response:
I wouldn't change anything. All that I have done was a great learning experience that I will carry forward
throughout the rest of my life.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

14. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?

Sample excellent response:

I like the validity of information and also like the energy that comes with working with people. The best
thing about working in a group is combining the great minds from different perspectives and coming up
with something extremely great, compared with when you're working alone. At the same time,
information can generate vitality in the project you're working on. No matter how many heads you've got
together, without information, you can't go very far. The perfect situation would be a combination of
working with information and people, and I'm confident of my abilities in both areas.
[Submitted by "Stacey"]

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

15. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?

Sample excellent response:

I have had many opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player. My
tenure as a rower with my college's crew team serves as a good example. I learned a great deal about
teamwork while rowing because all the rowers in the boat must act as one, which meant that we
incessantly worked to keep each movement in the boat synchronized. On an individual basis, we still
worked toward group goals through weightlifting and land-rowing. My experience as a marketing
research team leader also helped me to learn the role of "team player." I viewed my position as that of
group leader and of group member. I ensured that everyone in the group had equal opportunity to
contribute, maintained excellent communication among group members, and coordinated their energies
toward reaching our team's goal.

16. What motivates you to put forth you greatest effort?

Sample excellent response:

You would think that because I am interested in sales, only financial compensation would motivate me to
achieve. Although monetary rewards are important to me, I am driven to succeed internally. More than
anything, I want to be respected by my friends and coworkers for being the best at what I do. Whether I
am considered to be the best car detailer in my hometown or the best columnist for my college
newspaper, I want to be recognized as the best.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

17. Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a
reason to hire you?
Sample excellent response:
I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college
students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality
that makes me the very best person for the job -- my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to
excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In college and at my previous jobs, I have
consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become. I think my leadership awards from my
college, and my management positions result from possessing the qualities you're looking for in an
employee.
 See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

18. Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?

Sample excellent response:

Yes, and I demonstrated my goal orientation as president of the local Jaycees, a community-service
organization. I am very proud of the fact that I set a goal of signing 50 new members by the end of the
year, and I accomplished that.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

19. Describe what you've accomplished toward reaching a recent goal for yourself.

Sample excellent response:

My first few years in banking had me on the fast track to branch management. I realized at some point
along the way that my true passion was in offering financial advice not limited to checking accounts and
loans. It was at that point that I made the necessary arrangements to go back to school full-time to
pursue my goal, which I am just about to achieve.

20. What short-term goals and objectives have you established for yourself?

Sample excellent response:

My short-term objectives are to graduate from the Professional Development Program before the
standard two years and begin developing a clientele. As an intern, I prepared ahead of time by studying
for the Series 7 and Series 64 exams that constitute a majority of a beginning financial consultant's time.
I'd like to make make the company that hires me wonder what it ever did without me.

21. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?

Sample excellent response:

My primary objectives are to learn as much as possible about your company's product offering,
organizational structure, and professional sales techniques so that I may become the most productive
member of your sales team.

22. What do you expect to be doing in five years?

Sample excellent response:

Although it is hard to predict the future, I sincerely believe that I will become a very good financial
consultant. I believe that my abilities will allow me to excel to the point that I can seek other
opportunities as a portfolio manager (the next step) and possibly even higher. My ultimate goal
continues to be -- and will always be -- to be the best at whatever level I am working at within Charles
Schwab's corporate structure.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

23. What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

Sample excellent response:

Ten years from now I see myself as a successful consultant for a world-class firm like yours. I want to
have developed a wonderful bond with my employer. I will have proven myself a highly competent
systems analyst and will represent my company in helping others find solutions to their information-
systems needs in a professional and timely manner.
 See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

24. How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?

Sample excellent response:

I believe I am quite good at handling conflict. Working in retail and in the residence halls required that I
make unpopular decisions at times, whether it was terminating an associate or taking judicial action on a
resident. Often the person in conflict with me would be upset and sometimes physically outraged. I
would always make sure that I fully explained the situation, the policies behind my decision, and why
those policies exist. Usually by the end of the conversation, the person could see the other side of the
situation.

25. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or instructor? How did you resolve the
conflict?
Sample excellent response:
Yes, I had an incident with my Spanish professor. I turned in an essay that she said was too good to be
mine. I was honest with her; I told her that I had a native speaker review the essay, but he made very
few corrections. However, I had broken the Golden Rule of Spanish Composition -- the essay must not
even touch the hands of a native speaker. To prove to her that I was capable of producing an essay that
exceeded her expectations of a non-native speaker, I offered to re-write another essay in her office. I
earned an A-minus.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

26. Tell me about a major problem you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?

Sample excellent response:

While working at K-mart, I was one of three people to work in the electronics department. One day upon
arriving at work, I was told the district manager was coming the next day to do a store inspection. The
two other people who worked in electronics were both over 55. Neither could lift heavy objects, and one
refused to work at all. As a result, the electronics department was usually left to me to keep stocked with
product and kept in order. I had about five hours of work time to get the entire department in shape.
Those five hours passed, and there was still a substantial amount of work to be done. I asked the store
manager if I could stay and work after hours while the overnight stockers were there. He said that
because of the employment budget, he could not let me. I was faced with bringing the entire store's
rating down, so I suggested a creative staffing solution, allowing me to work the extra hours while
temporarily reducing the hours of the other two members of the department. Because of this solution, in
a matter of hours, the department was in tip-top shape -- and still under budget. And the results? The
electronics department got a score of 95 out of 100.

27. Would you say that you can easily deal with high-pressure situations?

Sample excellent response:

Yes. My past experience as an Administrative Coordinator required me to deal with many serious
situations since I held emergency on-call duties as a supervisor. One example was when I was called by a
Resident Assistant to deal with an attempted suicide on her residence-hall floor. The situation required
that I think clearly and quickly in this life-and-death situation. I had to weigh the many tasks that needed
to be completed. I had to assign RAs to call 911, make sure that EMS could get into the locked building,
while at the same time applying first aid, and ensuring that the rest of the residents on the floor were
OK. I also had to make sure the privacy of the resident in need was respected. I basically prioritized and
dealt with each task by its importance. I delegated responsibility to RAs for things that they were capable
of handling because I could not physically be in many places at once. Once the resident was taken to the
hospital, I was responsible for paperwork and follow up to make sure the staff members, residents, and
the resident-in-need adjusted back to "normal" life. I know this is an extreme example not found in the
financial consulting field; however, it shows just how well I can deal with extreme pressure.
 See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

28. What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your career success?

Sample excellent response:

My greatest strength is my flexibility. I have learned that work conditions change from day to day and
throughout the day, as well, no matter where I have worked in the past. I also have realized that certain
projects require individual attention and others involve a teamwork approach. These are just a few
examples of the changes that happen in the financial-consulting field, as you are well aware. My
flexibility to adapt to the demands of the job has allowed me to surpass my supervisor's expectations.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

29. What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?

Sample excellent response (shows how he recognized his weakness and worked to improve):
My greatest weakness used to be delegation. To improve my workers' efficiency, I would take it upon
myself to do many small projects throughout my shift as a manager that could have been done by
others. Once I realized that I was doing more work than the other assistant managers, and they were
achieving better results, I reevaluated what I was doing. I quickly realized that if I assigned each person
just one small project at the beginning of the shift, clearly state expectations for the project, and then
follow up, everything would get done, and I could manage much more efficiently and actually accomplish
much more.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

30. What were your reasons for selecting your college or university?

Sample excellent response (tells how education specifically will benefit the employer):
My college has always had a reputation as having an excellent accounting department, so I knew that if I
enrolled there, I would achieve first-class preparation for my chosen career field. It is also a highly
accredited school known for satisfying employers with the preparation of its graduates -- that's why
companies like yours recruit at my school -- the school produces top graduates. The school offers an
excellent liberal-arts background, which research shows equips graduates with numerous qualities, such
as versatility and strong critical-thinking skills. Finally, having visited the campus before enrolling, I knew
that the business school emphasized group projects. During my four years in the school, I participated in
more than 35 group projects, which taught me invaluable teamwork, communication, and interpersonal
skills.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

31. If you could change or improve anything about your college, what would it be?

Sample excellent response:

My major department had a wonderful internship program, and I completed three valuable internships
with my department's guidance. Some other departments in the business school don't have internship
programs that are as strong as my department's. I'd like to see all the departments have strong
internship programs so all my school's business grads would have the same opportunities that I had.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

32. How will the academic program and coursework you've taken benefit your career?

Sample excellent response (response is very specific to the job he is interviewing for):
As you will note on my resume, I've taken not only the required core classes for the finance field, I've
also gone above and beyond by double majoring in accounting. I doubled majored since I knew that the
financial-consulting field requires much knowledge of portfolio analysis and understanding of the tax
laws. I believe that my success in both areas of study have specifically prepared me for this career. But
it's not just taking the classes in these two areas that allows me to offer Merrill Lynch clients more. I
minored in Spanish to understand the growing hispanic clientele in the Central Florida area, which as you
are well aware is a growing source of revenue for the industry. If you like, I can elaborate on other
aspects of my education further.

33. Which college classes or subjects did you like best? Why?
Sample excellent response:
My favorite classes have been the ones pertaining to my major, which is marketing. These classes have
laid the groundwork for my career in marketing. They have also taught me skills that I can bring to my
employer, ranging from communication skills to interacting with others.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

34. Are you the type of student for whom conducting independent research has been a positive
experience?

Sample excellent response:

Yes, I love it. I thoroughly enjoyed my senior research in college while many others in my class were
miserable. I was never tired of learning more about my topic and found it exhilarating to be researching
something that had not been studied before.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

35. Describe the type of professor that has created the most beneficial learning experience for you.

Sample excellent response:

My favorite professors were the ones who gave me hands-on learning experiences that I can apply to my
career. Any person can make you memorize the quadratic equation, but someone who can show you how
to use it, and why, were the professors I liked. I liked teachers who realized that sometimes there is more
then one answer and everyone thinks differently.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

36. Do you think that your grades are a indication of your academic achievement?

Sample excellent response:

I have focused much of my energy on work and obtaining real-world experience. I commend my
classmates who have earned high GPAs, but I also feel it's important to be well-rounded. In addition to
work experience, I participated in sports and extracurricular activities in school. These activities taught
me leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. Sometimes my heavy load has not allowed me to
keep up with some of my studies, but I have learned an enormous amount that I can apply in my future
industry. As you will discover if you talk to my supervisors, my ability to work effectively much more
reflects my future potential than does my GPA.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

37. What plans do you have for continued study? An advanced degree?

Sample excellent response:

I plan to continue my education for the rest of my life. In any technology-related field, keeping up to date
through continuing education is of the utmost importance. Continuing education can include on-the-job
training, courses sponsored by the employer, and courses taken in new technologies as they emerge. I
plan to be not only a career employee but a career student so that I can be the best information systems
analyst I can be. I will ensure, however, that any education I pursue not only doesn't interfere with my
job or the company's policies, but will enhance my value as an employee.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

38. Before you can make a productive contribution to the company, what degree of training do you
feel you will require?

Sample excellent response:

My background has been focused on preparing me for the financial-consulting industry, so I can be
productive right away. I already have obtained the educational credentials and skills to allow me to
become an immediate asset to Wells Fargo. After interning for a semester, I am well aware of the shared
beliefs of the organization and its corporate values. I already have a very good working knowledge of the
financial-consulting business. I am confident of my ability to get up to speed quickly in any assignment
with which I'm not familiar.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

39. Describe the characteristics of a successful manager.

Sample excellent response:

A successful manager should have the vision and capabilities to formulate strategies to reach his or her
objectives and communicate these ideas to his or her team members. In addition to serving as a positive
role model for co-workers, successful managers must also be capable of inspiring others to recognize,
develop, and apply their talents to their utmost potential to reach a common goal. These are the traits I
hope to demonstrate when I'm a manager.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

40. Why did you decide to seek a position in this field?

Sample excellent response:

I want to work in the marketing and PR industry because ever since I took my first marketing course in
college, I have felt very passionate toward the industry and cannot imagine myself doing anything else.

41. Tell me what you know about our company.

Sample excellent response:
You're large and respected worldwide. You're both a clinical and teaching hospital. Over the last 60 to 70
years you've produced award-winning research. In reviewing your Web site, I've familiarized myself with
many of your corporate goals and objectives.
[Submitted by "Judy"]

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

42. Why did you decide to seek a position in this company?

Sample excellent response:

I am convinced that there would be no better place to work than Accenture. You are the top consulting
firm in the United States. You provide your employees with the tools they need to stay competitive and
sharpen their skills while working in an open, team-based environment. I am also aware that you provide
a mentor for all new employees, and I would embrace any opportunity to work with a mentor and
eventually become one myself.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

43. Do you have a geographic preference?

Sample excellent response:

Although I would prefer to stay in the Mid-Atlantic area, I would not rule out other possibilities.

44. Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is located?

Sample excellent response:

Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend several days in your community, and I fell in love
with it. I love the fact that you have a thriving riverfront. I'm impressed with the many cultural
opportunities here -- opera, theater, art, and independent films. I've also already become a fan of the
Saints and the other sports teams based here. I have conducted significant Internet research on this city,
so I am quite comfortable with your location.

45. Would it be a problem for you to relocate?

Sample excellent response:

I'm open to opportunities within the company; if those opportunities involve relocation, I would certainly
consider it.

46. To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?

Sample excellent response:

I am more than willing to travel. I understand the importance of going above and beyond the call of duty
to satisfy customer requests is sometimes required and that Merrill Lynch's customer-focus belief means
that travel is expected in some circumstances. I am willing to make this commitment to do whatever it
takes to develop that long-term relationship with a small business or client. It is only through this
relationship that loyalty can be maintained and financial gains and growth can occur for both the client
and Merrill Lynch. It is my understanding from other financial consultants that I have interviewed at
Merrill Lynch that this occurs maybe one or two times a month.

47. Which is more important to you, the job itself or your salary?

Sample excellent response:

A salary commensurate with my experience and skills is important, but it's only one piece of the
package. Many other elements go into making up a compensation package, but more importantly, it's
critical to me to enjoy what I'm doing, fit into the corporate culture, and feel I'm making a genuine
contribution.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

48. What level of compensation would it take to make you happy?

 Sample excellent response:
I am not depending on money to make me happy. What makes me happy is having a satisfying job that
provides challenge and new situations daily.

49. Tell me about the salary range you're seeking.

Sample excellent response:
I am sure that I am the candidate you are looking for. If you feel the same, then I'm sure your offer will
be fair and commensurate with the value I can bring the company.

See also this page of our Job Interviewing Tutorial.

50. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone
to see things your way?

Sample excellent response:

Recently my company asked for bids on a phone system for our new college campus. Two companies
came in very close with their bids, and most of my department wanted to go with a vendor that we have
used in the past. After I looked over the proposals, it was clear that this was the wrong decision. So, I
talked individually with each member of our staff and succeeded in changing their minds and get the
best product that would save money and provide the highest quality.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

51. Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult
situation.

Sample excellent response:

When I was a resident assistant at my college, a student I did not know asked me if he could use my
phone to call another room. Although I did not know the student, I allowed him into my room. He used
the phone and in the course of this conversation, he stated that he had just come from a fraternity party
and was high from taking some drugs. Well after his conversation, I had to enforce the student conduct
code by writing him up. He became very hostile toward me and would not give me any identification or
information. I stood in the doorway to prevent him from leaving. I noted the serial numbers on his keys,
so when the situation got to the point where I felt unsafe, I allowed him to leave. I still preformed my job
without jeopardizing my or his physical welfare.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

52. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a
problem.

Sample excellent response:

I had a client come into the bank where I worked and request a $5,000 personal loan to "pay off some
bills." In the customary review process, I determined that what was really needed was a $25,000 debt-
consolidation loan. Rather than giving the customer a "quick-fix" to the problem, I logically solved the
problem in a way that was in the best interest of both the bank and the client.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

53. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations
and environments.
 Sample excellent response:
I've shown my ability to adapt by successfully working in several very different jobs. For example, I lived
with a native family in Costa Rica. I worked as a nanny for a famous writer in Cape Cod. I was responsible
for dealing with Drug Court participants. And I catered to elite country-club clientele. I did it all well and
had no trouble adapting.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

54. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills.

Sample excellent response:

Arriving at the language school I was attending in Costa Rica in the middle of the night with very minimal
Spanish-language skills, I found my way to a very small town with no street addresses or names and
found my temporary residence. I was scared, but I handled the situation very well, very calmly. In very
stressful situations, I am always the one in the group to stay calm and focused. My friends, family, and
professors have always said that I am an oasis of calm in a storm.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

55. Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.

Sample excellent response:

This happens often in the IT industry, but one recent example was when we had a core backbone switch
die. It died at the worst possible time -- during exams -- as they always seem to do, and I needed to get
it back up and running quickly. I analyzed the logs and system status, and using my previous experience,
I made some quick decisions that rectified the problem and got the equipment back up only minutes
later.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

56. Describe a time when you had to use your written communication skills to get an important
point across.

Sample excellent response:

As an Administrative Coordinator, I had a staff of 27 students. Having such a large student staff all
working different shifts and having varying class schedules meant that meetings could not be held with
everyone at one time. I needed to communicate with everyone about important policies and information
often, so I came up with the idea of designing a Web page for my staff with written announcements.
Each Desk Assistant was required to check the Web page daily at the beginning of his/her shift. I also
sent email communications by a distribution list that allowed each Desk Assistant to keep informed
about anything. The one situation that stands out in my mind is a last-minute summer camp that
decided to come in a day early with only one day's notice. I had no staff scheduled to check in the
campers or to organize the keys. I posted an update to the Web page and sent an email. Within four
hours, I had the following day completely staffed and desk assistants there to organize room keys for the
campers that night.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

Sample SAR story:

Situation (S):
Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper,the Stetson Reporter, and large numbers of long-
term advertisers were not renewing contracts.

Action (A):
I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of Reporter circulation
with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account executives with a School
of Business Administration professor who discussed competitive selling strategies.

Result (R):
We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements. We increased our
new advertisers by 20 percent [quantities are always good] over the same period last year.

57. Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not
agree.
Sample excellent response:
When I worked at Home Depot as an assistant manager, I was always looking for way to boost my
employees' morale. Unloading trucks is a very routine and physical job and can become very boring and
exhausting, so to improve the unloaders' attitude toward their duties and make the best of the situation,
I put a radio in the receiving dock. It worked; however, the district manager did not approve of the radio
in the workplace even though it did not interfere with any set policy or company objectives. The radio
was also out of any areas where customers would hear the music. I did not agree with my DM's decision
to remove the radio; however, I understood his point of view once he explained it to me and promptly
complied with his request. The employees were not happy that their radio was gone, so I found an
alternative method of reward and morale boosting by implementing a program in which we provided
lunch for the unloaders from any restaurant of their choice if they unloaded the trucks faster than
normal. This program succeeded by increasing their unloading time from 2 1/2 hours to only 1 1/2, a
savings in payroll of 8 percent of sales for that shift.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

58. Give me an example of an important goal that you set in the past and tell me about your
success in reaching it.

Sample excellent response:

As a senior in high school, my goal was to attend college and play college golf. But I was nowhere near
the player I needed to be to play or even get on the team. So over that summer I worked on my golf
game to the point where I won almost every tournament I entered. I spent every hour I had during the
day to make myself a better all-around player. I eventually walked on my freshmen year and was
exempted from qualifying because I played so well in my first outing.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

59. Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to complete.

Sample excellent response:

The most significant presentation I have ever had to deliver was at a national research symposium. I was
presenting research I had completed on digital analysis of mammograms and had to present to a panel
of more than 100 judges who were at the top of their field. I focused on the research, which could sell
itself, and just let the information flow. It went over very well, and I received many more invitations to
present the research, including on national television.
 Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

60. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.

Sample excellent response:

Although I had already punched out, I stayed behind to help a colleague solve a problem. A customer
was very angry as he had waited very long for his coffee. My colleague was new, she was quite slow. I
came out and explained things to the customer. Although he was very angry at first, I just listened to him
and told him that we try to bring our best out to each customer who walks in to our store. After a one-
hour discussion, he left with a happy face and was satisfied.
[Submitted by "Fizah."]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

61. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another
person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

Sample excellent response:

During my time in the theater, I had one director with whom I absolutely did not work well. However,
because of my track record, she would assign me as stage director and/or assistant director. I was
usually involved in the day-to-day operations of the play and the details of how the play would be
performed. I handled the operation for the play by directing scenes the best way I could and then
showing them to her for approval. If she did not like the way a scene worked, I gave her my opinion as to
why it should be my way. If we still could not compromise, I would follow her directions to the best of my
ability. Understanding that people don't usually have malicious intentions is key, and understanding that
you will never be able to convince some people that your way is right is the best way to avoid conflict
and still get the job done.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

62. Sometimes it's easy to get in "over your head." Describe a situation where you had to request
help or assistance on a project or assignment.

Sample excellent response:

It's impossible to know everything in the IT field because of rapidly changing technology, so recently
when we were having troubles with our circuit emulation over our ATM network, I had to call in some
engineers from North Carolina to come help me out. The nice thing about asking for help is that when
you get the assistance, you can learn from what you are told and apply it to future situations.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

63. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in
another class.

Sample excellent response:

Last semester I was taking a microeconomics and a statistics course. One of the microeconomics
projects dealt with showing the relationship between the probability that customers would stop buying a
product if the price was raised a certain amount. Through what I learned in statistics I could find the
median where the price was the highest and still kept most of the customers happy.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.
64. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your
ideas. What did you do?

Sample excellent response:

I was on a project team in a business class in my freshman year in college, The group brainstormed ideas
for the video we were assigned to produce, and everyone but me was leaning toward an idea that would
be easy. I suggested instead an idea that would be more difficult but would be something different that
no other group would be doing. I used my communications skills to persuade the rest of the group to use
my idea. During the project, we really learned what teamwork was all about, became a close team, and
ended up putting a lot of hard work into the project. All the team members ended up feeling very proud
of the video, and they thanked me for the idea -- for which we earned an A.

65. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's
or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
Sample excellent response:
Recently I was asked to put together a proposal for a migration of network systems. Misunderstanding
my boss, I thought it was just an informal paper. When I presented it to him days later, he was upset with
the quality since it had to be presented to our VP. I explained my misunderstanding, apologized,
reworked the paper, and had it back to him with enough time for him to review it before he presented it
successfully at the meeting.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

66. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing his or her share of the
work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct
your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?

Sample excellent response:

During a group project in college, my team had one member who would do no work whatsoever. The
project was to compare and contrast four companies in a single industry, so his work was vital. We first
discussed the situation and asked for the bare-bones minimum of what we needed from him. We got just
below that. As a result we as a group went to the professor and told her our situation -- not expecting or
requesting action -- just informing her the situation we were dealing with. Then we as a group split up
the non-contributor's work, and completed our work collectively on his share. In phase two in which we
analyzed the information and reported how each of our companies fared compared to the others, we did
not get a paper from the group member. As a result, we told the teacher that we had our work done, and
were willing to do the extra paper but that we would rather spend time polishing our own work, and not
picking up slack. She agreed and said to focus on the three companies we had compiled the most info on
while not entirely neglecting the fourth. The papers came out very well, but were understandably weak
when comparing the fourth company. The professor understood, and we received the grades we
deserved. I was pleased with our teamwork and the way we handled the situation.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

67. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a
compromise.

Sample excellent response:

My first semester in college, I was a political-science major. My introductory government class professor
had a differing political view then I. We disagreed on everything, and many classes were filled with
criticizing each others' view. However, on one test I answered a question with the view I believe in, and
she marked it wrong. So I asked her how an opinion can be wrong, and she said because her opinion is
the way she taught it in class. I pointed out that my answer showed I understood the concepts of the
question. She agreed, and I also agreed not be so combative in answers on tests. Compromise is the key
to problem resolution.
 Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

68. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision.

Sample excellent response:

Following standard models for problem-solving and decision-making can be very helpful. Here are the
steps and how they helped me solve a problem with a group project:
1. Define the problem to be solved and decision to be made. For a project in an introductory
management class, the assignment was to report on the corporate structure and financial
situation of a couple of companies. The decision to be made was what companies to profile and
how to present the information.
2. Gather the necessary information. Some group members wanted to report on automakers, while
others wanted to do electronics firms. We gathered information on both types of company.
3. List all possible choices. We made lists of companies in both categories.
4. Consider possible outcomes for each choice. We decided that a report about car companies could
have a positive outcome, but one about electronics firms might be more futuristic with high-tech
products such as HDTV, video game consoles, and DVD players.
5. Check out how you feel about each of the choices. Given that this was a group project, we had to
consider the feelings of all group members.
6. Relate the choices to your values and priorities. Again, all group members weighed in on their
values and priorities.
7. From the possible alternatives, choose one. We decided that we'd do electronics companies
because we could bring in products from each company and show what lies ahead.
8. Commit yourself to your chosen decision and disregard the others. Concentrate your energies in
one direction. Once we made our decision, we focused all our work on electronics firms.
9. Take steps to turn your decision into positive action. All group members got interested in how the
companies were doing.
10. Evaluate your progress from time to time. Change your decision if necessary. We were pleased
with our progress and didn't feel a need to change our decision. We got an A on the project.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

69. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give
an example(s) of how you have done this.

Sample excellent response:

When I worked in a large retail store, the standard procedure was to leave a product on the shelf until it
ran out, then place more items out. This practice obviously wasted a lot of man-hours. Of interest
particularly to me were the air conditioners. Not only did I have to put the heavy things on the shelves,
but they were selling at a very high rate. So if somehow AC units ran out on a day in which I could not
restock them, they would not be available to customers. As a result I started making a list of products
(including the AC units) that the overnight stock people could put on the shelves. As a result, the people
on duty always had a job to do, so labor hours were not wasted, and the shelves were always stocked full
of product.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

70. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or
group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make
you feel? How did you prepare yourself?

Sample excellent response:

As president of a community-service organization, I was faced with a board member not carrying out his
 duties as management-development vice president. I consulted with him as to what we could do
together to fix the problem. We agreed that he really couldn't devote the time that it took to carry out
certain projects, and he ended up resigning his position, but he also stated he would help his
replacement in whatever capacity he could. I felt as though we had come to the conclusion together,
rather than him thinking I was criticizing his performance, which was not the case. I had a plan of action
and carried it out successfully.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

71. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and
a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did
that make you feel?

Sample excellent response:

My supervisor was absent once when I was in charge of a soccer game. An actual assault took place at
the game. A player hit the referee. With no supervisor to turn to, I immediately called the police, who
quickly restored order to the situation. I felt I made an effective decision.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

72. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically,
what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome?
What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?

Sample excellent response:

I had to give a marketing presentation while attending community college. The project was about
Anheuser-Busch. We were assigned to report on key management personnel (CEO, Chairman of the
Board, President, key VPs), divisions and subsidiaries, major products/brands/services, key financials for
the most recent year (sales revenue, expenses, total income, net income, sales growth or loss for the
last year), market share, key competitors, mission statement, product positioning, and number of
employees. Among the steps I took were visiting the company's Miami branch to interview employees
and gather visual aids for the project. I spent a lot of time organizing and writing the presentation. Then I
spent time reviewing my speech over a period of several days. As a result, I was calm while giving the
presentation and received an "A" for the project. The one additional step I perhaps wish I'd taken would
have been to talk to some consumers and store owners about the product.

73. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
Sample excellent response:
My senior research was my most complex assignment. It took two semesters to complete and was made
up of many components. I had to make many critical decisions along the way that would affect the
outcome of my research. I made these decisions independently with minimal influence from my
professor. I was very successful and happy with my final product.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

74. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?

Sample excellent response:

The transition was somewhat challenging for me because I traveled a great distance to attend college. To
help myself adapt, I got involved with as many organizations as I could. I also made it a point to get to
know my professors. I used my interpersonal and communication skills to the best of my ability to make
a lot of friends, and college became one of the best experiences of my life despite a beginning that
seemed a bit overwhelming.
 Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

75. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had
no control. What was the impact of the change on you?

Sample excellent response:

The bank in which I worked instituted a policy that centralized the lending process. An application was to
be taken from the client and sent off to be approved/declined, processed, prepared, and returned to the
branch to be signed by the client. While the process was streamlined, it also took away valuable face-to-
face knowledge about the client and the loan. If the employee did not have any prior lending experience,
he or she couldn't answer simple loan questions from the client. While I appreciated the newly created
time on my schedule, I felt that the clients were being slighted. I did adjust quickly to the new procedure
and did my best to help those around me by sharing my knowledge.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

76. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times
your work was below the standard.

Sample excellent response:

I was involved in two group projects in a psychology class. In the first, we had to decide on a research
experiment to conduct and garner results from it. The group I was in was not very motivated, and the
members wanted to do a simplistic comparison on color preferences of men and women. I felt that
project was below the standard I was capable of. For the second project, I proposed a study in which we
compared how people of different age ranges valued money. I knew the project would go over well with
the teacher and would not be difficult to conduct. I proposed the idea in a way that sounded fun. Instead
of collecting data in someplace boring, I suggested we could go to the mall. The group agreed and
worked relatively well on the project. Discussion is the key to mediation, and the key to my achieving a
second project that I felt was above the standard.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

77. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What
did you do about it?

Sample excellent response:

I failed my first business calculus test, which made me very unhappy. I wasn't going to let this incident
set the trend for the rest of the semester. I went to my counselor and arranged to meet with a tutor once
a week. My tutor helped me out incredibly. My grades soon improved, and I went on to redeem myself
from my one slip-up on the first test.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

78. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?

Sample excellent response:

I don't believe in trying to get by with the least possible effort, and I am always willing to ask questions
to learn how to perform an assignment successfully. In my human-resources management class, for
example, we were assigned a paper on "Why corporate culture is a practical way to increase income and
productivity." All of the literature on the subject was written in the language of PhDs. I asked some other
students what they were doing, and they said just writing their opinions and not doing any research to
back up the claims. I felt I could do better. So I worked closely with my professor, who "translated" the
academic literature for me, and over time, I understood what was being written. Working with the
 professor's guidance, I turned in a very good paper. Asking questions is one thing I am not afraid to do
and realize that without them I will be turning in work that is not as beneficial as it could be.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

79. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you
handle the situation?

Sample excellent response:

After I wrote a paper for an English class, my professor told me that I was not doing the paper in the
proper format or with the proper content. I went to him and asked if he would help me learn the correct
way so that I could succeed with the paper. He did help me, and I ended up doing well in the course.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

80. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of
your experiences that were dissatisfying.

Sample excellent response:

I turned a dissatisfying experience into a satisfying one when I was on the cross-country team in college
and had never run the whole race in under 30 minutes. With only a month left in the season, I decided
that I would run the race in 25 minutes. I ran every day to build up my stamina, and in that last race I
achieved my goal time of 25 minutes, which was a very satisfying experience.

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Displaying Job Interview Questions 81-88

81. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.

Sample excellent response:

I like to work for a supervisor who allows me the autonomy to perform my job to the best of my abilities.
I also like constructive criticism and feedback so I can improve myself and the organization. One
example was my boss at a university. He hired me as an administrative coordinator because of my
administrative and organizational skills. He knew that I had many new ideas and allowed me the
opportunity to implement many new programs. Of course, I kept him constantly informed and sought
advice when needed. I improved communications in the department by implementing a departmental
Web page. I also streamlined the check-in process by preparing the amount of work that could be done
the day before. I improved staff morale by implementing a desk-assistant-of-the-month, which led to
lower turnover. These are just a few examples. I was given the Recognizing Outstanding Student
Employees Award for my efforts and unique ideas. I gained not only my boss's confidence and support
but his respect as well.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

82. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried
out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
 Sample excellent response:
I had been recently given the duty of being the head swim-team coach for the YMCA I was employed
with. A swim meet was just around the corner, but only five swimmers had enrolled for the program,
none of whom had ever been a part of an organized team. Funding would be cut for the team if more
interest could not be generated. So I decided that I would take action and actively recruit people to join.
Not only did I have to run the practices and correct any technical mistakes the swimmers were making,
but I had to contact other local swim teams to invite then to join the meet. I had to meet with the
parents and the children separately and organize a way to help pay for t-shirts, swimsuits, goggles, and
swim caps. By the third week of the program, I had gained 15 more swimmers and every single one had
beat his or her own time in practice. When the meet came, I organized the events, ordered ribbons, and
recruited volunteers. At the end of the meet, my team had come in first place among four other teams.
The parents were delighted, and the profits from the swim team had skyrocketed to the approval of the
board of directors.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

83. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you
handle it? What was the result?

Sample excellent response:

In my current job, I have to handle multiple responsibilities in developing new projects, maintaining
existing ones, and maintaining good client relations. I allocate a certain amount of time for each area
daily. That way clients can see very clearly that projects are progressing, and I have more satisfaction in
accomplishing multiple tasks under pressure.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

84. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding or to make yourself
more effective?

Sample excellent response:

I find that taking a proactive mindset to recognizing and solving problems before they happen make any
job more rewarding. It not only saves time and effort but gives me a sense of accomplishment and
ownership in my job. I demonstrated my proactiveness when I worked with Food Lion. As a bookkeeper, I
was responsible for the offices. The safe was kept outside of the office in front of the cash registers,
where anyone could get inside of it if I or another office associate had it open to drop a deposit or get
money in and out. I realized that the situation was a security hazard. Although we could not move the
safe to the inside of the office where it was more secure, I ordered a timelock compartment and had it
installed, and the safe could be opened only at a specific time when the store closed each day. Only
money could be dropped through a slot in the compartment door. We kept large sums of money in that
compartment. We kept operating cash on hand since we needed some excess money to perform daily
functions. One month after I left that store to attend college, I learned that it was robbed. Because of my
efforts and foresight, the robbers got only a small amount of cash. My previous supervisor thanked me
for my efforts, which gave me a great feeling, and I carried this proactive mindset to my other jobs
thereafter.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

85. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.

Sample excellent response:

I took a time-management course in which I learned to prioritize all tasks on A, B, or C lists. I always try
to tackle the A list first. In every working situation, co-workers have always complimented me on how
well I manage my time. I enjoy the social atmosphere of the office, but I make it a point not to waste
 much time on chitchat with colleagues. I've also learned that the average office worker spends about an
hour a day handling e-mail. I make it a point not to deal with my e-mail more than once or twice a day,
and I filter my messages into folders so I can prioritize the way I deal with them.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

86. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you -- maybe a time when other
people missed the key idea being expressed.

Sample excellent response:

When I presented my senior research in college, I was questioned by the members of my major
department as a "panel." My grade was determined largely on my ability to answer the questions
effectively and smoothly, which depended very much on my ability to listen carefully to what was being
asked. I had seen other students slip up when they misunderstood what the panel was asking because
they didn't listen well enough. I succeeded in listening carefully and did well on my presentation.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

87. What has been your experience in giving presentations? What has been your most successful
experience in speech making?

Sample excellent response:

I have grown to be a confident presenter. My most successful presentation took place at my university
when I was responsible for presenting a leadership-development program for a class of Resident
Assistants. The point of my program was to teach each RA his/her leadership style, so he/she knew how
to interact on his/her floor as a student leader. The most significant aspect of this program is that it
taught them about their leadership styles without their knowing it. Each student filled out a general
questionnaire that asked about preferences. Each person according to his/her responses was assigned to
a group with a general name. I then gave each group a book to read. Each group had to read it aloud.
After each group read each book, I then explained how each group tackled the task. They all had handled
the task differently. Each student successfully understood how they approached tasks and from that how
they would approach their job as a RA. Not only did I engage the audience in what was being presented, I
have since seen the program adapted in other presentations by RAs in that class. Not only did they enjoy
it, they learned something about themselves that would help them help their residents.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

88. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle --
perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.

Sample excellent response:

I was making business phone calls behind the membership office at the YMCA when an angry man came
up to the counter demanding a refund. He began yelling at the membership workers and complaining
about the swimming program, saying that it was a rip-off. The other workers were flustered, and even
though membership services were not my department, I calmly asked the man what was wrong. He that
his son had been in swimming lessons for four weeks and was still afraid of the water. Instead of
instantly giving him the refund, I offered to personally give his son private swim lessons for a week,
explaining to him that sometimes children react differently to each instructor's teaching techniques. He
finally agreed to accept without the refund. After a week of private lessons, his son was no longer afraid
of the water and he could swim nearly a lap of the pool. At the end of the lessons, not only did he sign
his child up for another paid session of private lessons, but he bought a family membership and
apologized to me for his behavior the week before.
89. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with.
Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
Sample excellent response:
As a Resident Advisor, I had another RA who often sought me as a person to confide her complaints to
and shared quite a bit of information about activities she'd engaged in that violated the rules. Although I
did not mind being a resource for this person, I knew that I could not compromise my integrity or her
residents' safety. Although she became very outraged and angry with me, I talked to her about the
situation and and told her that I would have to tell my supervisor. She eventually understood my
responsibility and why I had to come forward with information. She knew that what she had done was
against the rules, but never realized before I talked to her that she had jeopardized her residents' safety.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

90. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How
did you handle it?

Sample excellent response:

When I first began working at the YMCA, I was the youngest member of the staff. An older woman really
"knew the ropes" of the place. When I first got there she barely acknowledged my presence, and through
word of mouth I discovered that she thought that I was too young to successfully fulfill my duties
because I was so inexperienced. She assumed I was immature. I did my job and took every opportunity
to make a good impression. I was a very diligent worker and behaved in a highly professional manner at
all times, learning quickly the best way to do things. After about two weeks of the silent treatment from
her, she came up to me and told me how impressed she was with me. She told me that I had done an
excellent job and was the fastest learner that she had ever seen. She apologized to me for ignoring me
and took me under her wing and shared what she knew with me.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

91. Give me a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.

Sample excellent response:

When I was coaching my swim team at their first swim meet, the swimmers on my team were
intimidated by the other team because they were bigger and obviously more experienced. The other
team members looked like pros in their matching swimsuits, unlike my swimmers' mismatched suits. I
encouraged them and told them that they had practiced for so long and so hard that they deserved just
as much respect as those other teams. I told them that it didn't matter whether we had matching
swimsuits or not and that I would stand behind them 100 percent no matter what. They were so excited
and pumped after my speech. They cheered each other on, and not only did every child break his or her
own record, but my team won first place in the meet among four other teams that had been together for
a much longer time.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

92. Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude. What
did you do?

Sample excellent response:

While directing a play, I was faced with numerous problems. The sets were not coming together; the
performers were fighting and not working hard; the technical aspects of the play were far from complete,
and in general, it was a mess. I was the "stage manager," which means that I tell people when to go on
stage and tell the crew when to bring pieces of the set on stage. So I organized everything and told
people to do specific jobs and asked them in a firm yet positive manner. People began to have fun, and
 the production went on extremely well (all performances sold out). The play was regarded as one of the
smoothest shows to have been produced by the group.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

93. Give me an example of a time you had to make an important decision. How did you make the
decision? How does it affect you today?

Sample excellent response:

My sophomore year was about to begin and I had to decide on a major. I could not waste any more
credits figuring out what I was interested in. I took some personality and career assessments to get a
better handle on my interests, skills, and values. I talked to faculty in several departments to decide
which faculty members I was most comfortable with. I studied the course offerings to see which courses
appealed to me the most. I decided on communications studies and feel it is the best decision I ever
could have made.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

94. Give me an example of a time you had to persuade other people to take action. Were you
successful?

Sample excellent response:

I was the leader of my macroeconomics group in college. As leader, I had to delegate parts of the
assignment to other group members. Not only did I do a written part for each paper, but I gathered all of
the props we needed for our oral presentation, and I typed all of the five papers assigned. I was also
taking four other classes at the time. By the fourth paper, I decided to persuade some of the other group
members to edit and finalize it. I learned a lot about delegation and leadership when I discovered that
they were happy to help out.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

95. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. How did you handle the
situation?

Sample excellent response:

I have participated in several groups throughout my academic career. Recently, I had to work with a
group in my statistics class, and I had some personality clashes with one of the group members.
However, I realized the importance of completing the assignment in a prompt and efficient manner. I
made it a point to put my differences aside and complete my part, along with offering assistance to the
other group members. As a result, we finished our assignment without any conflict.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

96. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you organize the work
you needed to do?

Sample excellent response:

While attending college, I also worked at a law firm. I was successful because I practiced good time-
management skills, and I made a to-do list every day. As I completed each task, I checked it off the list. It
is funny how something so simple can keep you so organized. As a result of my to-do lists, I was able to
visualize my daily progress.
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Displaying Job Interview Questions 97-104

97. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision, but didn't have all the information you
needed.

Sample excellent response:

I had to make a decision recently between two configurations on one of our routers. Time was quickly
moving away from me, and I had to have all the equipment back up in a matter of minutes. I chose the
configuration that I had the most data on because I knew at least that I could better troubleshoot it if
there was a problem. My decision was the right one.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

98. What suggestions do you have for our organization?

Sample excellent response:

After examining several sources, including your company's annual report and Web site, as well as some
of your competitors' sources, I see that you have a strong product line with good demographic segments,
in a growing industry. I did notice that your competitors seem to direct more of their efforts to the baby
boom market, and while that is certainly a large market for your products, I think you have a great
opportunity to expand your target market and increase your market share by marketing your product
line to the Baby Boomers' kids -- Generation Y. These teens and preteens are extremely brand-conscious
and have a high discretionary income -- and you are in a great position to attract them to your product
and build a very large core of brand loyal consumers on top of your existing customer base.

99. What is the most significant contribution you made to the company during a past job or
internship?

Sample excellent response:

My organization was undergoing an accreditation process. I developed two detailed accreditation self-
evaluation reports that documented how the organization met accreditation standards. These self-
evaluations served as basis for accreditation site visits and enabled all eligible programs to be accredited
in record time.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

100. What is the biggest mistake you've made?

Sample excellent response:

The biggest mistake in my life that I have made is taking for granted the sacrifices my parents endured
for me. I look back and realize that everything they did for me was so that I could succeed in life. I am
thankful now and do everything to my best ability to make them proud because I am so thankful that
they have been there for me so that I can give back to society and to my job the opportunities that they
never had.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.
101. Describe a situation in which you had to use reference materials to write a research paper.
What was the topic? What journals did you read?

Sample excellent response:

In my academic career I have had to write several research papers. The most recent one I wrote was on
whether zero-tolerance policies about drugs and weapons in high schools are reasonable. To answer this
question, I went to several high schools and interviewed their principals or top-level employees. I also
interviewed students and parents. I visited the Health Department to gather data. Finally, I conducted
the remainder of my research on the Internet. As a result, I gained perspective from every group this
topic would affect.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

102. Give me a specific example of a time when a co-worker or classmate criticized your work in
front of others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way you communicate with
others?

Sample excellent response:

Another manager became upset with me since some projects were not being completed. Without
discussing the situation with me first, she criticized me in front of one of the employees I directly
supervised. I was upset that she made me look bad in front of my workers, but I remained calm and
asked her to step into the office so that we could talk about it in more detail. We discussed the problem,
and she learned that the non-completion of the tasks was not my fault. Another manager did not receive
his instructions telling him the tasks he needed to complete. After that I learned not to jump to
conclusions when dealing with others that I work and that sometimes a miscommunication can lead to a
much larger problem. I've learned to get the complete facts.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

103. Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor on an idea or
concept. How did you proceed? What was the result?

Sample excellent response:

Last summer, I wanted to help organize a summer camp for local low-income children. My supervisor
knew the demand would be there but feared we would not have enough staff. I convinced her that since I
went to the facility daily, I could network with acquaintances and convince them of the importance of
this camp. My supervisor trusted me. We had hundreds of children sign up for the program, and I had
reached so many people that we were able fully staff the camp, as well as have a backup supply of
people who were willing to volunteer their time and services to the organization.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

104. Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your
progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused?

Sample excellent response:

I keep an electronic hand-held organizer that I synchronize with a schedule on my computer. I keep track
of each task in order of priority and due date. I use an electronic organizer because it is very portable
and has an alarm to remind me of about what is due so I don't have to waste time by looking at my
organizer every hour. I start with the projects with the closest due date and the highest priority. I take
these tasks and then schedule times in my calendar for me to work on them to ensure I meet deadlines.
I stay focused by going over my organizer each night before bed so I know immediately what I have
accomplished and where I need to start the next day. Here let me show you...
105. Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a challenge your
company/class/organization was facing. What was the challenge? What role did others play?
Sample excellent response:
The trucks at Wal-Mart come loaded by personnel at a distribution center, box-by-box. After receiving a
few trucks, I noticed that my employees were unloading broken merchandise that took a lot of time to
clean up before the rest of the truck could be finished. The broken glass, paint, or whatever material it
was, prevented the employees from proceeding farther into the truck, causing more person-hours than
normal. I noticed that the merchandise was broken because heavier boxes were on top of lighter boxes.
After a couple of days of this situation, productivity decreasing, I learned that the rest of the stores in my
district faced the same problem. As a result, I asked each store to take pictures of the mess so the
distribution centers could see exactly what was happening. I also asked each one to write down how
many additional person-hours it took to clean up the mess. After we gathered this information for a four-
week period, we had a pretty a good estimate of how much the company was losing, approximately
$9.50 per person-hour... an average of $125 per store times 15 stores times 30 nights a month, amounts
to a substantial sum. We took the information as a group to our district manager. Once he realized how
much money his district was losing each month because of broken merchandise in the trucks, he
contacted his regional manager, and the trucks after that were loaded more carefully. The district made
our Profit and Loss the next month by a 9 percent increase.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

106. Describe a specific problem you solved for your employer or professor. How did you approach
the problem? What role did others play? What was the outcome?

Sample excellent response:

When I was working as a receptionist at an apartment complex, a tenant argued that he had turned in
his rent payment the day it was due. He stated that he had slipped it under the door because our office
was closed for the day. I decided to consult my manager because I realized that maybe the office needed
a sign that stated that we did not accept rent money that is slipped under the door. My boss agreed, and
we posted the sign. We never again had a problem with tenants who claimed they'd paid their rent that
way.

107. Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who dislike each other to work
together. How did you accomplish this? What was the outcome?

Sample excellent response:

When I worked for a law firm, my co-workers and I had a huge mailing to complete. We had the choice of
working more efficiently as a team -- or individually in a much more time-consuming manner. My two co-
workers did not care for each other and they wanted to complete the mail-out on an individual level.
When I presented them with the evidence that we would finish at least an hour earlier by working
together, they decided that working together was the right path to take. As a result, we finished the
mail-out in a short period and could work on other tasks that day.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

108. Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What things did you fail to do? What
were the repercussions? What did you learn?

Sample excellent response:

I recently failed to meet a deadline in my communications course with a project I had to do on the
Internet. I did not meet the deadline because I underestimated the amount of time the assignment would
take me to complete. Therefore, the assignment was incomplete when I turned it in. As a result I lost
points on my final grade.I learned the importance of examining tasks more carefully so I can better
estimate the amount of time required to complete them. I also learned to build some flex time into
projects so that if my estimates are wrong, I'll still have time to complete the tasks.
 Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

109. Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate understand a
task. How did you assist him or her? What was the result?

Sample excellent response:

I was studying right before a major finance test. As the class came into the classroom a couple of
students indicated that did not understand a concept that I did. Although there was a small section of
material that I had not completely mastered, I realized that I knew enough about that section that I could
perform well enough to earn a good grade. I knew that the section that the other students did not
understand was a major portion of the exam since the professor had an interest in this particular subject.
I stopped what I was doing to explain to the small group about the Multiplier Effect of Bank Reserves on
the overall supply of money. Those students learned enough from what I taught them that they did well
on the exam. I missed a few points on the section of material that I had not mastered, but I did well
enough to get an A, and the satisfaction I got from teaching others the concept made me feel proud.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

110. Give two examples of things you've done in previous jobs or school that demonstrate your
willingness to work hard.

Sample excellent response:

The day we had inventory at Best Buy, I worked a 13-hour day. I did this because I knew we were
understaffed and that a lot of the lower-level employees who would be working with the inventory team
were very nervous about being in charge of the inventory when many of them had never done it before.
Conveniently, I used to work for the inventory company that was handling our store, so I still had a fairly
deep understanding of their processes and methods. I typically work 8-9 hour shifts, but I stayed longer
after my shift to ensure that our lower-level employees felt comfortable and that the inventory got
started on time and that it took off in the right direction. I met with a few of these employees, and I told
them a few tips on how to solve problems they may encounter, and it worked; they all seemed to feel a
little more comfortable. Then I walked the store and made sure that it was presentable for our guests
and in case we got a surprise visit from headquarters. I couldn't stay for the inventory myself because it
would've put me over my 40 hours for the week, but I was glad I could stay long enough to make
everyone feel a little more comfortable, and that I had time to make them all feel appreciated.

Another example of something that merited a lot of effort on my part was my marketing-research paper.
I enjoy group projects because I enjoy learning about the perspectives of others; however, sometimes
the burdens appear to outweigh the benefits. Having a group project such as this one with 5-6 team
members was a difficult task when most of us had school and jobs to juggle. We created an online survey
and sent it to everyone on our contact list. We were doing research for a museum, and they had a
contact list of award-winning artists whose perspectives they wanted us to use in our project. Anyone
whose email didn't work or who didn't fill out the survey we tried to contact over the phone. Then we ran
all of that data through SPSS and started to create our paper -- in completion our paper was 120 pages.
The project was an amazing experience, and I am so proud to say I've done it. My group was good; they
were a solid group of people who were smart and willing to put in the time, and we got the highest grade
in the class.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

111. Describe the last time that you undertook a project that demanded a lot of initiative.
 Sample excellent response:
During my internship with World Market, we were asked to pick an area or a problem and create a way to
improve World Market process. I noticed that our food vendors were not really pulling their weight -- with
the economic downturn and the price of gas especially, our sales are down right now, which often means
decreased payroll -- so at this juncture, it was critical that our vendors perform up to par so we didn't
have to waste our payroll hours doing their work. Initially I just wanted to change our vendor survey. The
survey had 4 questions for each vendor, who got rated green (good) or red (bad) on each question. So I
turned it into 10 questions that each fell under the categories of one of the initial 4 questions. I also
changed the rating scale to a 1-5 scale, 1-2 were red, 3-4 were yellow, and 5 was green. I did a Likert
scale rather than a simple red, yellow, green concept because I wanted to be better able to track
improvement. This didn't seem like enough to me; I decided there were so many other ways I could
tweak the process. So then I created a new vendor scorecard (their feedback -- this shows them their
weekly ratings in each area) and a new Vendor notes card (this is where any comments go and shows
them any specific dates we had problems with their products, like spoiled milk, for example). I also
created a new vendor expectations guide that was a little more professional and attuned to be consistent
with the changed I made to the survey. Finally I created an idea for development, putting the survey on a
hand-held scanning device so the Team Leader in charge of that area of the store could take the scanner
around with her as she did the survey, increasing its accuracy. The survey would also show the vendors'
scorecard history (last month, quarterly average, biannual average, and annual average) so we could
determine whether or not the vendor was improving.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

112.What is the most competitive work or school situation you have experienced? How did you
handle it? What was the result?

Sample excellent response:

I worked at a retail store, where we had a competition to win an extra discount at the store. Our task was
to get more credit-card applications than any other employee. I handled this task by presenting the
customer with the benefits of signing up for the credit card and taking the time to explain to them what
exactly they were getting into. This seemed to be a great way to deal with this task because people
appreciated the honesty and were happy to get the card because of the benefits. I did very well with this
task and ended up wining the contest.
[contributed by Keri]

113. Describe a project or situation that best demonstrates your analytical abilities.
Sample excellent response:
During my Marketing Research course, we were assigned a group project to do marketing research for a
local business. After we collected all of the data, we had to analyze the data in a meaningful way for the
business and report the results. It turned out that I had the strongest analytical abilities in the group, so I
led the rest of the group in analyzing the data. Because of my analytical skills, we found that the
business had been targeting the wrong market all along and were able to show the owner the market
segment that the business should be targeting.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

114. Give an example of when you took a risk to achieve a goal. What was the outcome?

Sample excellent response:

When I decided to study abroad one spring, I had to weigh the pros and cons of the decision. People who
study abroad typically get worse grades abroad than at home because of the educational and cultural
differences, so I had to consider the risk to my GPA. I also had to consider how expensive it would be to
live abroad without being allowed to have a job, so there was a financial risk as well. On top of this, when
studying abroad at this particular university, because of the difference in education, I was allowed to
 take only 3 courses, which was significant to me because I already was on a strict schedule from
switching majors so late in my college career. So I also had to consider the risk of cramming my schedule
with difficult classes in my senior year. But I knew that this was going to be a life-changing experience
that I may never get to participate in again. So I took the risk and studied abroad. Now, I have that
experience, and it has prepared me better for my career. It shows that I can overcome great challenges
and have been immersed into foreign culture, which is important in my career in the art industry.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

115. Tell about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.

Sample excellent response:

While managing a high-end mall jewelry store in which the clientele are usually quite well-mannered and
soft-spoken, I returned from a lunch break to find one of our newer sales associates struggling with an
irate and somewhat irrational customer. Voices were escalating, with the customer spewing negative
comments that could be heard from within the mall. While maintaining good relationships with our
customers is a hallmark of our company, this particular situation was not ordinary by any means. I could
tell the sales associate was in over his head with this encounter, so I quickly walked into the
conversation -- argument -- and proceeded to ask the customer several key questions so that I could
both calm her down while also discovering more about her situation so that I could then defuse the
confrontation and restore order in the store. In the process of talking with her, I found we had a common
love of dogs and were able to talk about our dogs -- sharing some funny stories -- before getting back to
her specific problem with the store. In the end, it turns out the company that handles our credit card had
been double-billing her account, and I was able to make a phone call and solve her problem.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

116. Some people consider themselves to be "big picture people" and others are detail oriented.
Which are you? Give an example that illustrates your preference.

Sample excellent response:

I believe that to be successful, you have to be both a big-picture person and detail oriented. You can't
get caught up in just the details or you will lose sight of the long-term goals. And you can't get caught up
in just looking at the big picture, or you will fail because of the lack of detail. As the group leader of a
project for my marketing class, I definitely had to be both a big-picture person and detail oriented. I had
to make sure that everyone was doing their part and working toward the goal of the project while, at the
same time, checking every piece of the paper to make sure even the minuscule parts of the paper were
correct and in place. Through using both skills, we earned an A on the project.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

117. Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the
situation?

Sample excellent response:

Recently I had a situation where I was giving a presentation to a company and one of the upper
managers had to step out during my presentation. He returned after I was done and was taking down my
setup, and he asked if he could ask a question, I jokingly replied "no more questions" and then offered,
"yes, of course, I would be happy to answer a question for you." Despite the fact that he had laughed at
my initial joke, it was clear to me that it had not been received well. I then made certain that I went up to
him and apologized and made it clear that I meant no disrespect and that sometimes I just become
comfortable with people very quickly. He told me that I needed to be aware of my audience. This is
 something I have always known, but I believe the sting of this specific event has really brought it to light
for me.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

118. Describe a time when you took personal accountability for a conflict and initiated contact with
the individual(s) involved to explain your actions.

Sample excellent response:

As a member of the executive board of my fraternity, I was involved in decisions with where to do our
community-service projects at times. At one point, the community-service chairman asked me where I
thought he should make the next event. I told him we should do an event at the Boys and Girls Club.
Some fraternity members complained to the community-service chairman about the decision because
they wanted an easier event. I took responsibility for the choice and spoke to the individuals about my
reasoning. I told them that I felt the event would make more of a difference in the community than
cleaning up a road as we usually do since it would allow us to be mentors to troubled youth as well as
provide them with a cleaner building to use. It was better than simply doing manual labor and ended up
being a successful event that everyone plans on doing again in the future.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

119. Give me an example of when you were able to meet the personal and professional (or
academic) demands in your life yet still maintained a healthy balance.

Sample excellent response:

My sophomore summer I studied abroad in Europe for six weeks with a program through my university.
We were in Innsbruck, Austria, and I loved everything about the town and its surroundings, as well as
every place I traveled to on the weekends. There was always something to see or do that was more fun
and exciting than class, but I also knew that I couldn't make bad grades that would lower my GPA. To get
the most time out of my weekend travels and weekdays in Innsbruck, I always did homework on the train
on the weekends and for a few hours every day after class. I ended my summer abroad with many new
friends, good grades, and great stories to tell of the cities I saw and adventures I went on.
[contributed by Carly Watson]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

120. Everyone has made some poor decisions or has done something that just did not turn out
right. Give an example of when this has happened to you.

Sample excellent response:

In my freshman psychology class, we had to do a group project and presentation, and we got to pick our
group members. I was a freshman, and inexperienced with group projects, so I picked two of my friends,
even though I knew that they were not hard workers and didn't care about their grades. At the time, I
didn't care that they weren't good students, I just wanted to be comfortable with the people I was
working with. I ended up doing most of the project very last minute and by myself because I couldn't get
them to work on it with me. The project and presentation were both really bad, and all three of our final
grades were almost 10 points lower because of it. Needless to say, I never picked a friend as a group
member, again, unless I knew he or she was diligent in school. I learned to be more strategic about team
members and also how to motivate people who are not as enthusiastic as I am.
[contributed by Carly Watson]
121. What do you do when you are faced with an obstacle to an important project? Give an
example.
Sample excellent response:
When faced with an obstacle to an important project, I always find a way to complete the project in the
best manner possible. As an intern at the insurance company I worked for last summer, I was responsible
for designing the marketing materials that are handed out at the conventions and to insurance agents to
keep the company on top of their minds. Since I was unfamiliar with the materials and the designing
software, it took me a little while to get a grasp on it. By the end of the workday on the deadline, I did
not have all of the materials completed. So I spoke to my supervisor and tried to work something out.
She told me that I was not allowed to do more than a certain number of hours in a week and that the
materials needed to be done to turn in to production early the next morning. So I suggested that I stay
after work that day to complete the project without hourly compensation. After a little persuasion, she
allowed it, and I had the materials completed for the next morning successfully.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

122. Tell about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you've ever had to work with, and
how you managed to work with that person.

Sample excellent response:

I had a boss who would micro-manage every single project, often causing missed deadlines and
frustration throughout the department. We all worried about our department's reputation within the
organization, but since he was our boss, we felt helpless to try and change anything. It was indeed
frustrating knowing you could complete a project on time, only to have your boss need to stop you and
question what you were doing and suggest changes. But I got the idea that maybe if I talked with the
boss and showed him that we could get more done as a department if we all worked together to have
better communications and to trust each other to ask for help and direction when we needed it. Since we
worked together, rather than against each other, the boss gained confidence in us to do our jobs, and we
were able to do our jobs and also regain the reputation of the department.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

123. Tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond?

Sample excellent response:

For my public-relations course, we had to do a group project to make a public-relations campaign for an
organization. At the same time, I had three other group projects and six classes that were becoming
extremely challenging to juggle. Some of the group members knew this, so they expressed their concern
and some doubt after I offered to take a significant portion of the project upon myself. I persuaded them
to trust me and told them about the many things I am able to successfully juggle. I asked them to let me
prove it to them, so in the end I completed my part early and we earned a high grade on the project.
[contributed by M. Kearney]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

124. Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others.

Sample excellent response:

Last semester my organization raised more than $1,500 for a local organization, The Children's Home
Society. It was a last-minute fundraiser. We did this over the course of a week, and it was right before the
holiday season. There were 16 children who we were looking to help, and the goal of our campus was to
raise $200 per child. Ultimately the campus just took the total amount raised and divided it by the
number of children; it came out to about $179/child. This money was to help give these underprivileged
 kids who came from broken homes a good holiday season. What the math comes out to is that we made
this happen for approximately 9 children. I was the one who took on this challenge and made and
distributed fliers to the business-school faculty. I orchestrated the event, and I like to think that everyone
in our organization feels as good about it as I do. I get goose bumps talking about it because it is one of
the things of which I am most proud -- I really feel like I had a positive impact on a few lives, and that is
what I live for -- I hope I made others in my organization feel the same. I am fairly certain I did.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

125. Tell about a recent job or campus experience that you would describe as a real learning
experience? What did you learn from the job or experience?

Sample excellent response:

My recent internship would be the greatest learning experience I have had lately. The format of the
internship is to work in each of the varying departments for a few days to get the lay of the land,. We
were supposed to spend the rest of our 10 weeks working on our projects and running the store (acting
as manager). I learned a lot about the processes of this specific organization and how they all work
together, but I also learned a lot about applying management techniques. We had multiple training
sessions that honed my leadership skills, but the application was where I really learned. I learned a lot
about how to effectively interact with people. I made sure that before I would coach a team member on
how to do something correctly, according to brand, that I knew exactly why that was the way we chose
to do it, because I wanted them to understand. I learned that understanding is the key to implementing
-- I guess that's why I've always liked math; if I understand why I need to do a formula a certain way,
then I will remember it and even appreciate it.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

126. Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What could you have done to prevent it?

Sample excellent response:

I recently worked on a project where we had to make a film, a documentary of sorts, on any topic we
wanted -- it was really just about the medium of film. My team picked the project of exploring diet-fad
trends through the decades; we thought it would be amusing to see the crazy things people have done
for a better body image over the years. Although the project turned out very well, and I am pleased with
the end result, I was disappointed in the communication, or lack thereof. Because of everything else I
had going on this semester, I had opted not to be the group leader and thus the main communicator --
which was good for me. I like taking on the leadership role, but once in a while, I sit back and make sure
somebody else does it so I still know how to be a supportive follower. Regardless, some of the group
members did not turn in their research at the deadline, and our leader did not follow up with them on it.
After it was a week overdue I had to jump in and map out a timeline for our team so we could get the
project done. I had wanted to make sure we did not put it off because I knew film editing would be much
more time consuming than we would anticipate. We got everything done with time to spare but most of
our work ended up being during the busiest week of the semester for me and for some of the other
members, so I wish the communications had been more thorough earlier on in the project. The lesson I
learned was to ensure that I am a consistently active participant even when I am not the leader; that
way I am still maximizing my relationships with the group and working to improve my skills as well as
those of the people working with me.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.
127. Recall a situation in which communications were poor. How did you handle it?

Sample excellent response:

I worked on a team with several members, and while we worked in the same building, we often used
email to communicate with each other. One of the members was not as comfortable with email as the
rest of the team, and would always slow the team process down by repeatedly asking people to repeat
or rephrase their emails -- always reading way too much into whatever was written in the emails. At one
point, after an agonizing day of emails back and forth trying to explain a critical part of the work, I
decided I simply needed to go to her office and talk with her about the problem. We met, and I listened
to her issues, and together we worked out a solution in which the team still did most of its
communications via email, but whenever this team member did not understand something, instead of
sending a confusing collection of emails, she would either pick up the phone or walk to the other
person's office and solve the miscommunication quickly and efficiently.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

128. Describe a time when you had to make a difficult choice between your personal and
professional (or academic) life.

Sample excellent response:

At the very beginning of my senior year of college, my best friend from home passed away. Classes
hadn't even been in session for a week when I heard of the car wreck on Saturday night; at first the news
wasn't very bad, but as days went on her condition got worse, and by Tuesday, the doctors declared that
she would be brain dead forever. I was the mediator between her family and our friends, so when they
made the difficult decision to let her go, I was the first to know and had to keep everyone else informed.
I was in total shock in the beginning, so I immediately told my professors the situation and that I might
be going home for the rest of the week. After getting upset and dealing with the pain that Tuesday
afternoon, I realized that I couldn't skip a whole week of classes to go home because I would be way too
far behind, and I didn't want to start my senior year like that. Even though I really wanted to be home
with my family and friends during that whole week, the funeral wasn't until that Saturday, I didn't have
Friday classes, and it was Labor Day weekend, so there was no class on Monday. I ended up finishing the
week at school and still got to have a long weekend at home to mourn over my great loss.
[contributed by Carly Watson]

129. On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace or in school. Tell about such an
occurrence and how you handled it.
Sample excellent response:
I worked for a magazine that had two main competitors, and at the time I worked there, the economy
was a bit slow, and the competition for readers and advertisers among these three publications was
fierce. We had just finished a market-research study that showed that our audience was just a bit larger
and more attractive (better educated, higher incomes) than our competition. We sent the good news to
our publisher, who called us in for a meeting to tell us he wanted to combine some numbers to make our
position appear even stronger -- and then put those numbers in an ad campaign touting how much
better we were than our competition. We told the publisher that he was mistaken and that you could not
combine the numbers the way he suggested, but he replied he knew that, but no one else would, and it
would strengthen our position in a bad market. It took a lot of courage, but after the meeting, I went
back and talked with him one-on-one so as not to embarrass him in front of my colleagues, and told him
that what he was doing was dishonest -- and could get us all fired. I knew I risked getting fired for even
talking to him this way, but I felt pretty sure he was not dishonest at heart. He did not decide right then,
bit he did call back the next day to say he decided not to run the ad.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

130. What are the most important rewards you expect to gain from your career?

Sample excellent response:

I expect to be challenged and grow as a result of my career. I would like to improve myself as a person
 and as an asset to this company and this industry. I am confident that this position is one that will hone
my leadership skills, improve my knowledge of the industry, and challenge me such that I continue to
grow and improve within the company.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

131. How would you define "success" for someone in your chosen career?

Sample excellent response:

Success is being able to attract new patients and physicians while ensuring the happiness of those who
are current. It is the ability to brand the company effectively toward a target market to ensure continued
customer loyalty.
[contributed by Jessica S.]

132. What qualifications do you have that will make you successful in this company?

Sample excellent response:

I began as an intern for Atlanta Medical System two years ago and have been working as the Public
Relations Assistant for a year. Because of this experience, I have a comprehensive understanding of the
hospital itself and the Tenet Healthcare System. I also earned by marketing degree from Georgia Tech
and throughout my college career participated in numerous organizations that gave me the opportunity
to have hands-on event-planning and management experience. I planned the first annual Alpha Delta Pi
Big Catch fishing tournament at the Georgia Tech that raised more than $4,000 for the Ronald McDonald
House Charities, and I was the Marketing and Public Relations Chair for the Student Alumni Association at
my university and handled all Homecoming promotions, as well as promotions for other events.
[contributed by Jessica S.]

133. What skills have you acquired from your work experience/internships and part-time jobs?

Sample excellent response:

As part of my internship with Target, I completed various training courses ranging in subject area from
ways to work with employees and coaching them on how to improve, to creating my own individual
development plan fostering my current and future growth. I was also put in the role of Leader on Duty,
where I was the acting store manager, as early as my second week with the company. My internship with
Quintessential Careers taught me a great deal about working with a smaller, family business. I took the
initiative to plan and implement our big events. My internship with Siemens made my experiences all
inclusive as it gave me the opportunity to be one of the central components of such a large company,
and I grasped the impact of the political and legal systems on this industry's competitive environment.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

134. What have you learned from your experiences outside the workplace/classroom?

Sample excellent response:

I have learned that the real world is much different from what you learn in the classroom, that some
things you learn are similar to what you were taught, but that for the most part learning is achieved
through the process of doing. In the world of health-care marketing, things happen at a fast pace, and
you must take everything one day at a time while still keeping an eye on the future.
[contributed by Jessica S.]

135. What criteria are you using to choose companies to interview with?

Sample excellent response:

I want to work for a small company, preferably a family business like yours. I want a company that has
similar values like honesty, individual development, and broadmindedness.

[contributed by Renee Poulin]

136. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for (in a new college grad)?

Sample excellent response:

I would be looking for someone who has great communications skills, who can communicate with a
variety of stakeholder groups, always keeping on message. I would also want someone who had a good
mix of teamwork and leadership skills. I would seek a graduate who had a strong blend of academic
success and industry experience. Finally, I would want someone who is ambitious, but also willing to
learn from others within the organization.

Interestingly, I would want a college grad who had the same experiences and skills sets that I bring to
you.

137. How would you describe your leadership skills?

Sample excellent response:
I am a leader who likes to give the people I am leading the ability to shine. I think it is important to take
everyone's opinion into consideration and be willing to listen to what they have to say. I think my job as a
leader is to organize things and keep them in order. Being the leader does not mean I know everything
there is to know because I cannot possibly know more than everyone else about every topic. It is just not
plausible.
[contributed by Keri]

138. Which is more important: creativity or efficiency? Why?

Sample excellent response:

I think that the key is a balance between the two, with efficiency being the most important. You could
have an extremely creative piece, but if the message of the piece is not clear then it is not efficient and
a waste of resources.
[contributed by Jessica S.]

139. How has college changed you as a person?

Sample excellent response:

I have grown up during my college years. I am able to communicate better, think strategically, and
multitask more than ever before. I can handle an appropriate level of stress and still get things done.
[contributed by Renee Poulin]

140. What have you accomplished that shows your initiative and willingness to work?

Sample excellent response:

A 120-hour internship while going to school full-time. I juggled the two effectively, completing my
internship and classes with all A's. I was also able to apply the things I learned in each one to the other.
[contributed by Renee Poulin]

141. What was the toughest challenge you've ever faced?

Sample excellent response:

The day after I turned 15 I had to get a job to help support my Mom and myself as my Mom struggled to
find employment. During my sophomore year of high school I worked two jobs, approximately 45 hours a
week, to help pay the bills. It was tough managing homework, six extracurricular organizations, and two
jobs, but in the end I learned a valuable lesson about hard work and the value of a dollar.
[contributed by Jessica S.]
142. What two or three things are most important to you in your job?

Sample excellent response:

I want to be happy. I want to work in a job that I am passionate about, and for a company that respects
and rewards my contributions. I want to have co-workers whom I like and respect. I think these things all
work together for a positive work environment -- which increases productivity -- resulting in happy
employees and a happy employer.

I also seek fulfillment. I don't want to work in a job that I feel is below what I am capable of doing. I seek
a job that will challenge me to perform at the highest levels and seek ongoing professional development
so that I can be even better at my job, making an even stronger contribution to my employer. From
everything I've researched and seen, this job that I'm interviewing for meets all my criteria.

143. Some people work best as part of a group -- others prefer the role of individual contributor.
How would you describe yourself?

Sample excellent response:

I like a mix of both. I like to work in a group and get group input. I think a lot of good ideas come from
talking things out with other people. I also like to work by myself on some projects because I think there
are some projects that are just done better if one person is working on them.
[contributed by Keri]

144. When given an important assignment, how do you approach it?

Sample excellent response:

I like to make a list, a timeline of how and by when things need to be done. I really like to get started on
the assignment immediately because I've found that once I get started on a project I tend to get
gradually more excited about it and involved in it, and I want to expand the project more and more as I
go on. By getting started earlier, I can get the most out of the project and maximize it as much as
possible while providing time to give it that extra review.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

145. If there were one area you've always wanted to improve upon, what would that be?
Sample excellent response:
Sometimes I have trouble admitting to people that I am not understanding something they want me to
do or am struggling with a certain task, I can be reluctant to ask others for help. This is something that I
want to improve on and am taking steps toward becoming better at asking those around me for help
when I need it.
[contributed by Lauren Spalding]

146. When you have been made aware of, or have discovered for yourself, a problem in your school
or work performance, what was your course of action?

Sample excellent response:

I realized my freshman year that my writing was not up to par. I struggled not only in my first-year
English courses, but in other courses that required writing papers. I used the university's writing lab as
much as possible, but toward the end of that first year, I knew I needed to do more to overcome my
deficiencies. My solution was taking two additional writing courses over the summer between my
freshman and sophomore years to truly grasp the fundamentals of writing, but then to also take my
writing to the next level. Some of my proudest moments later in college have been when professors
have noted on my papers that they were impressed with my writing abilities.

147. What kinds of things have you done at school or on the job that were beyond expectations?

Sample excellent response:

When I received a research grant, the requirement was to present our information at a poster contest.
 Instead of doing this, however, I was involved with a professional organization and presented my findings
to faculty around the country at its annual conference. I was the only student presenter at the
conference, and my presentation was one of the most highly attended. It was made clear to me that I
went above and beyond by presenting at this convention as opposed to a poster competition.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

148. What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful business
relationships?

Sample excellent response:

Communication is the key ingredient to guiding and maintaining successful business relationships. Being
able to clearly communicate your ideas to others allows you to build and maintain a relationship with
others. It is also very important to be an active listener and address any concerns or questions the other
party might have. To maintain a successful business relationship, you also have to be able to
compromise and do what is best for both parties involved.
[contributed by Lauren Spalding]

149. What sorts of things have you done to become better qualified for your career?

Sample excellent response:

I have experience in multiple fields and under very different circumstances. I have obtained internships
that were very diverse so I could get the most out of each experience and feel like I am well versed in
the areas of management and marketing. I have taken myriad classes at my university that have helped
prepare me for a successful career in business. Further, my participation in our co-ed professional
business fraternity has given me the opportunity to interact with other businesses and develop myself
further personally and professionally.
[contributed by Cynthia Buenger]

150. What motivates you to go the extra mile on a project or job?

Sample excellent response:

Fortunately, I am highly self-motivated and do not require a great deal of external motivation on projects
and jobs. I have an extremely strong work ethic, and I am not really capable of doing anything less than
going the extra mile. I enjoy the satisfaction of completing a a project that goes above and beyond
expectations. Sure, I like to be praised for my work as much as the next person does, but the real reward
comes in seeing an outstanding finished project, knowing my role in accomplishing the project, and
realizing that I put more than my best effort into it.