Interview questions

This page details some of the common types of interview questions.

Behavioural:

The STAR-L formula is a good approach to adopt when answering behavioural questions.

Situation:
Situation is where you had the experience. Describe the environment, and the type of people or equipment you worked with. This gives employers background information and puts the experience into context.

Task:
The task is what was required of you. When addressing a task, it may be the project itself, a presentation you to deliver, or a problem that arises within a project, such as personal differences.

Action:
When addressing action, think about what you did to resolve a problem or perform a task. Ask yourself, "What did I actually do?"

Result:
When addressing result, think about how your actions affected the outcome of the situation and the status of the task.

Learnt:
When addressing the things learnt, highlight skills that came out of the process and how they can be applied in other situation. This will show employers growth in your personal development as well as the skills you possess.

Try to give examples from your social, sporting, work, travel, and hobby situations as well as from university.

Biographical:

Interviewers will want to know about your background and are use biographical questions to determine if you have the skills and experience required for performing the job.

• Tell me a bit about yourself? (uni, work, hobbies)
• Why did you choose your current degree?
• Why did you choose to study at QUT?

Case:

The focus is not so much on your answers but how you attack problems. You are expected, by the companies using this style of interview process, to do lots of practice.

• Brainstorming - How many different ways (at least 30) can you use a mousetrap? or paperclip?
• Scenario planning - How would you go about setting up a copper mine in New Guinea or Afghanistan?
• Problem approach - How many gallons of paint are needed to paint the entire Qantas fleet? or how many nappies are sold in Australia each year?

Group:

Employers use group interviews to test your interpersonal and interactional skills. In particular they are looking for qualities they may not be able to see at an individual interview. Group interviews usually take two forms.

Discussing a topic:

E.g. The impact of Pauline Hansen's policies on study by overseas students in Australia (or Atomic testing in the Pacific)

Setting a problem to be solved:

E.g. Plan a four week expedition to Antarctica (or open a hamburger shop in Bombay)

They will be looking to see if you make a distinct and unique contribution to the group and how you support, and listen to, and work in with the other members. Often they will have a check list which will also include things such as: talks too much, doesn't talk at all, cuts people off, and summarises just to name a few criteria.

Salary:

During the interview you may be asked what salary you expect. (Many Asian on-line recruitment sites for example ask this as a mandatory question). Do some research before the interview in the event this question is asked. Look at the graduate statistics and salary websites listed on QUT CareerHub.

Example:

Always provide a salary range, not a salary point. It could be say $29 to $34 thousand if your research indicates about $30,000 is a typical salary.

Give yourself time to research this more before giving a direct answer, even if it means getting back to them in a day or so. These days it is legitimate to ask about a salary range at the interview if it not clear to you in their material.

Strengths and weaknesses:

• What are you three major strengths?
• Why should we hire you?
• What qualities make you the best candidate for the job?
• What is your one major weakness and how do you deal with it?
• What did you find difficult in your last job?
  

Dealing with strengths questions:
Generate approximately 3 attributes that you consider to be your greatest strengths and ensure that you can provide supporting evidence for each. It can be particularly useful to think about how your strengths align with the organisation.

Dealing with weaknesses questions:
Try to think of examples that will not have a direct impact on the job for which you are applying. Highlight the positive aspects of the weakness that you have identified and indicate what strategies you are employing to overcome it. When repeating this information to the employer substitute the work 'weakness' to 'a quality I have to work on'.

Questions that should not be asked:

Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion, culture, gender, physical disability or age.

• What are your plans for marriage?
• What is your place of birth, citizen status, or racial origin?
• Have you served in a foreign military?
• What is your age?
• What is your current health condition?

If one of these questions arise in an interview, you can gently remind the interviewer in a tactful manner that the question is not appropriate and highlight the skills and experiences that deal with the concerns directly.

Interviewer: What are your plans for marriage?

Interviewee: I know you realize that you cannot base your hiring decision on whether someone is married or not. If you are wondering about my future commitment for this work position, I can reassure you I intend to follow through with my employment commitments. As indicated in my previous work history, I have stayed with every job I had in the past for at least a minimum of ..

Questions to ask:

If you questions have already been answered during the interview tell them that. Don't ask too many questions as their time is precious. You should be expected to know a reasonable amount of information about the position before the interview, you can always ask more at the time of offer. Questions should reflect your interest rather than ones that could be answered easily through research.

Examples:

• What are the next stages or timelines for this interviewing process?
• What does a typical day look like for a person in this position?
  
• Where do you see this company in five years time?
• Who are your major competitors and how do you deal with them?
• What is your company's policy on professional training and development?