Harvard business review interview questions

Then, ask questions that point the discussion to how the organization works. General questions — "What's the culture like?" or "Are people treated well?" — seldom work. I've come up with specific sample questions you can ask as you're interviewing for a job or talking with others who know the institution. They're grouped into six topic areas.

1. Purpose. Seek an institution whose purpose you could find inspiring. Consider asking:

• Is the institution's purpose being met? What happens if there are gaps?
• When has the purpose changed a decision? What if purpose conflicts with financials?
• Who are the heroes?

Form an opinion whether people are proud of their product or service, and of their institution. Do people use the word "we" when mentioning it?

2. Teamwork. Consider how people work together, especially if you prefer to work in a highly collaborative environment or more independently. Ask:

• How much do you work with your colleagues? What team accomplishments make you proud?
• Are there special activities to promote teamwork? Are they voluntary?
• Are people mostly competing for promotion and credit, or are they selflessly united behind the institution?

At their best, teams can be a strength, but some can be a problem. Weigh the answers to these questions against what you want out of your work environment.

3. Colleagues. Who you'll be working with and how they interact with each other is an important aspect of culture. Find out:

• Who in your institution do you spend time with outside work? What do you do together?
• Who in your institution do you expect to be part of your professional network over time?
• Who are your mentors? Do leaders continuously engage with you or coach you?

Judge how much deference people give to senior people and whether that feels right. Consider your past experiences, and ask yourself how the talent compares to your classmates in college or in earlier positions.

4. Communication. How people communicate with others — and how they expect you to communicate with them — will affect your day-to-day life. Consider asking:

• Except for sensitive information, do people know what's going on?
• Do people say what they think? Are they direct and blunt, even if others are offended?
• Is everyone encouraged to participate in discussions and have dissenting opinions? Does the boss listen?
• Are people careful what they say and how they say it? Do they avoid controversial issues?

Consider how well people's communications styles fit with your preferences. See if the communication during the interview matches the answers to your questions.
5. Performance. Before taking a job, you need to know how fair or demanding performance management is and how supervisors will be looking at your work. Ask:

• How would I be successful here?
• What determines performance evaluations?
• How is negative feedback communicated? Is it private, respectful, and focused on improvement, or negative and embarrassing?
• Do performance measures reflect differences in difficulty? Are measures adjusted when employees have limited influence on results?

Some like it when there's no doubt what's on the line. Others prefer a more nuanced view of performance. How do they compare to your preference?

6. Productivity. A good match of process and policy against your preferences will significantly affect your productivity.

• Are the right people involved in decisions at the right time? What steps must be taken before a big decision is made?
• Do supervisors have an open-door policy? Can people drop in with questions, or do they require appointments?
• What policies does the institution have on day-to-day activities (e.g., dress code, work hours, office environment)?

Stand Out in Your Interview

You've just landed a job interview for a position you really want. Congratulations. Now, you know you only get one chance to impress, but how exactly do you do that? Given all of the conflicting advice out there and the changing rules of getting a job, it's no wonder that job seekers are confused about how to best prepare for and perform in an interview.

What the Experts Say

One common piece of advice is to "take charge" of the interview. John Lees, a career strategist and author of The Interview Expert: How to Get the Job You Want and Job Interviews: Top Answers to Tough Questions, says this advice is misleading: "The reality is that the interviewer is in control. Your job is to be as helpful as you can." Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser at Egon Zehnder International and the author of Great People Decisions, agrees: "You need to help interviewers do the right thing since most of them don't follow best practices." According to Fernández-Aráoz, who has interviewed more than 20,000 candidates in his 26 years as a search consultant, most interviewers fall prey to unconscious biases and focus too heavily on experience rather than competence. It's your responsibility to make sure this doesn't happen. Here's how.

Prepare, prepare, prepare

Most people know they need to show up to the interview having done their homework, but both Fernández-Aráoz and Lees agree that people rarely prepare enough. "You can never invest enough in terms of preparation. You should find out as much as possible about the company, how it's organized, its culture, the relevant industry trends, and some information about the interviewer," says Fernández-Aráoz. He also advises researching the specific job challenges. This will allow you to demonstrate you have what it takes to fill the role.

Formulate a strategy

Before you enter the room, decide what three or four messages you want to convey to the interviewer. These should "show the connection between what you have achieved and what is really needed to succeed in the specific job and context," says Fernández-Aráoz. Lees says the best way to do this is to draft narratives ahead of time. "People buy into stories far more than they do evidence or data," he says. Your stories should be concise and interesting. Make sure they have a good opening line, such as, "I'm going to tell you about a time that I rescued the organization." Then, learn them like the back of your hand. Know how they begin and end so you can relay them without stumbling or sounding like a robot. Whenever possible, use one of your stories to answer an interview question.

Emphasize your potential

"No candidate will ever be perfect, and you will be no exception," says Fernández-Aráoz. Instead of harping on where your resume might fall short — or letting the interviewer do the same — focus on your potential. This is often a far better indicator of future job performance. "If your past achievements are not directly related to the job, but you've demonstrated a great ability to learn and adapt to new situations, you should very clearly articulate that," says Fernández-Aráoz. For example, if you're interviewing for an international role but have no global experience, you might explain how your ability to influence others in a cross-functional role, such as between production and sales, proves your ability to collaborate with different types of people from different cultures.

Healthcare business analyst interview questions

If you are in the market for a Health Care Business Analyst job or you are interested in advancing your Health Care Business Analyst career then this article is for you.

Finding a Health Care Business Analyst job is not as hard as it sounds inspite of the competitive Health Care Business Analyst job market! You have to be analytical with your job search so that you can figure what part of the job search you need to improve (cover letter, resume, Health Care Business Analyst job).

This is a step-by-step, comprehensive, detailed helpful guide on how to get hired or advance your career as a Health Care Business Analyst.

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How to prepare for Health Care Business Analyst job interview questions

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How to advance from junior or mid-level to senior Health Care Business Analyst positions

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If you are in the market for a Health Care Business Analyst job or you are interested in advancing your

Health Care Business Analyst career then this article is for you.

Finding a Health Care Business Analyst job is not as hard as it sounds inspite of the competitive Health

Care Business Analyst job market! You have to be analytical with your job search so that you can figure what part of the job search you need to improve (cover letter, resume, Health Care Business Analyst job).

This is a step-by-step, comprehensive, detailed helpful guide on how to get hired or advance your career as a Health Care Business Analyst.

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Business Analyst Interview Questions

The person who acts as a liaison between the product developer and the business user is called a business analyst. Taking this into account, a business analyst handles several responsibilities, right from the analysis of a business requirement of a project to the proper documentation of the project. Also known as functional analyst, business system analyst, or system architect, a business analyst is required to sketch different diagrams, such as case diagram, activity diagram, sequence diagram, and collaboration diagram. This makes the position of a business analyst one of the most significant job titles in any company. Thus, if you are looking for the best way to boost your business analysis skills or increase the chances of clearing your business analyst interview, it is best to start a practice test. Having a sample of the type of questions asked during a business analyst interview will give you a boost of confidence and help you prepare better for the answers. Further, they will enable you to formulate your thoughts and give you the right answers to present to the recruiters. Below are some sample questions for a business analyst interview, along with their answers, that might just help you crack the interview successfully.

 

Sample Business Analyst Interview Questions

 

Can you tell me why are you considering leaving your present job?

Just as the question is put to you, do not start blabbering bad about your current employer and company. On the other hand, you can begin off with stating that you have no growth prospects in your present company and plus, you are looking for an organization with long-term growth opportunities. This will induce the recruiter to get a step closer towards short-listing you. Or probably, you can list the long distance or relocation of the office as one of the strong reasons for quitting your present company. Talking about job security can be yet another powerful explanation about looking for a job change.

 

We have met several business analysts. Why are you the one we should hire?

Present all your positive skills and accomplishments to indicate your strength and confidence of handling the position better than other candidates. State how well your background matches with the job description laid by the organization. Mentioning any specific software packages and spreadsheet software that you are familiar with will be an added advantage. Let your recruiters know about all the advanced knowledge of all software that you are capable of handling and working with.

 

What do you know about our company?

This question will definitely be put to you to test how well you have prepared for the interview. Hence, before you face the interview, do a thorough research about the company so that it presents a good impression about you to the recruiters. Remember, all companies like prepared and organized candidates.

 

How do you handle stress and pressure?

Now this one is a tricky question. The company seeks to know your work culture and how well are you able to work under pressure. Be diplomatic and cautious while answering this question. Let your interviewer know that you are accustomed to working under pressure and enjoy working in an environment filled with challenges. Or you can state that you have been working in a demanding environment with deadlines and hence, would have no difficulties in continuing with the same work culture. 

Others

General Questions

• Can you brief us about yourself, your education, qualifications and work experience?
• What are your professional strengths and weaknesses?
• What sets you apart from the other candidates?
• How long can we expect you to work for us?
• Tell me about a project you worked on that you were very proud of, and what you did to contribute to it.
• What are your goals for the future?
• Describe your responsibilities as a business analyst in your last job.
• What are the challenges faced by a business analyst?

Questions for Head of Department Interview

How will we notice that you’re head of department?

• GCSE raw grades and value added scores will increase. However, it has to be accepted that this is a long term development and realistically it will take five years (ie a whole school cohort) to be able to fully recognise the impact of a new HoD.
• There’ll be a greater take up at GCSE, and a change in the calibre of students taking the subject, moving away from those who see it as a least worst option to those who actively choose the subject.
• We’ll have to take on an NQT in a couple of years to cater for increased numbers at GCSE and A level. ALternatively, the core members are supplemented by part timers who are supported by the HoD.
• ITT students will contribute to our professional development.
• Ideas and techniques of peer observation and support will become more acceptable and used in the department. The department will become teacher researchers and pioneer the latest developments in pedagogy with a strong focus on improving independent learning, group work and thinking skills.
• There will be fully planned schemes of work at KS3 which include plans for progression and assessment. These will reflect a commitment to teaching a diverse, inclusive History curriculum in line with the 2008 NC.
• Higher profile of the department – assemblies, displays, competitions, trips

How will you motivate your staff?

How will you improve the practice of your staff?

Ask the students what they think.

How could you improve our Value Added scores / raw grades at GCSE?

How could you improve take-up at GCSE?

How will you use pupil data to improve attainement?

Why do you want the job/why should we give you the job ? – Vision for the dept

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson I taught in the morning or a recently taught lesson

How would I improve learning within the department

What would you do if a member of your dept was not following school/department policy?

As a matter of professional courtesy I would assume firstly that they felt there was some aspect of the policy that was threatening the learning of the students, or that they were having difficulty in being able to implement it, so I’d do my best to discuss the matter with them – to find out what their objections or difficulties were. It is highly likely that I would learn something from this discussion, which might solve the issue and improve the policy in question or offer some support. If this did not sort things out, if it turned out there were serious compentancy issues, or this person was merely being awkward, then I would refer the matter to my line manager, for advice or further action, after warning the person in question.

Business honors program + interview questions

The College of Business Honors Program is focused on developing future leaders who will bring energy, optimism, and enthusiasm to the business world.

At the end of their freshmen year, each class takes an international trip to learn more about the increasingly global business world. In May 2011, the Honors Class of 2014 visited Brazil. The Honors Class of 2015 will be heading to Turkey in May 2012.

About

Learning to develop and nurture a diverse network of colleagues upon whom you can rely for advice, support, and encouragement throughout your business career is an essential leadership skill. The Honors Program in the College of Business is designed to develop high-potential students into strong business leaders who not only excel intellectually, but also understand that with success comes responsibility to serve their communities, their alma mater, and each other. The Honors Program for the College of Business should benefit all undergraduates and not just the students in the honors cohort.

The heart of the Honors Program is the group of students selected to be College of Business Honors Program students. Those students will work with the Assistant Dean for Honors to develop the leadership skills that will be used to encourage all business undergraduates to participate fully in honors activities and to utilize the resources of the College of Business to prepare for professional careers. Students identified for the Honors Program should demonstrate qualities that put them in the top rank of the college. Such qualities may include leadership, intellectual talent, community service, etc. Most of the activities for the honors cohort will be concentrated in the students' freshman and sophomore years. Juniors and seniors in the Honors Program will participate in leadership teams that will work with faculty and administrators of the College of Business and the University of Illinois to encourage broader participation in programs that better prepare students for their professional futures. The framework of the Honors Program for juniors and seniors will recognize the commitment to major that is required of these students.

The Honors Program provides significant experiences for the Honors Program students and expects the students to make the College of Business a better place by using the skills learned from those experiences to be undergraduate leaders of the college. Advantages of membership in the Honors Program include:

• A 4-year, renewable merit scholarship.
• A seminar series, “Conversation with Leaders,” for honors students with national and international business leaders.
• A mentorship program based on the idea of “mentoring chain reaction” to teach students to rely on each other for support and council and begin to develop a life-long network of business contacts.
• Representing the College of Business a Business Student Ambassador.
• An international experience, largely funded by the College of Business, at the end of the freshman year. Students are expected to pay $1,000 of the nearly $4,000 cost. Financial aid is available for students with significant demonstrated need. In 2012, the students will be visiting Turkey.
• A job shadow program during winter break of freshman year.
• Social activities for honors students—dinner at the home of the assistant dean for honors, pizza nights, games nights, etc.
• The Assistant Dean for Honors serves as an advisor for honors students.

Weirdest Job Interview Questions

The survey of 1,000 adults by recruitment firm Michael Page also found that many jobseekers were failing to prepare properly, saying that their main concern was making a good first impression.
Appearance was a key concern for two out of five people, with just one in four saying they spent a lot of their preparation time practising interview questions or researching interview techniques.

Dean Ball of Michael Page said: "It's understandable that weird interview questions are unnerving for some candidates but they are becoming increasingly common in interview situations so it's important that candidates are prepared for them.

"Being able to tackle these questions confidently can help candidates stand out to prospective employers, who are looking at ways to differentiate between similarly qualified candidates.

"They can also provide a moment of light-heartedness in an otherwise formal situation so should be embraced by candidates as a chance to show their originality, creativity, how they apply logic and their sense of humour."

The company has provided some top tips to help you prepare for your next interview:

• Whilst it’s useful to practise with friends and family and learn from their experiences, it’s important to seek advice from outside of your immediate networks so you get a complete picture of what your interview could involve.
• Practice answering difficult questions – anything from ‘where do you want to be in five years’ through to explaining a gap in your work experience.
• Get a friend to test your lateral thinking by asking you weird, unexpected questions – even if they don’t have an obvious answer. The important thing is to demonstrate your creativity, logical thinking and ability to confidently make decisions on the spot without getting flustered.
• Interviews are a two-way street – as much as you need to answer a future employer’s questions, you also have the chance to steer the conversation to really show off your potential and make sure all elements of your experience are covered.

And, if you think you can answer "What do you think of garden gnomes?", visit Michael Page's Facebook for the chance to win a Kindle.

Honors Program Frequently Asked Questions

How does one gain admission into the Honors Program?

To be admitted to the program, one must, in addition to meeting the requirements for admission into English I, meet ONE of the following:

• Have a 3.5 High school GPA (on a 4.0 scale) or...
• Have graduated from the top 20% of one's High School class or...
• Have a 3.5 college GPA after 12 credits (in transfer courses only) or...
• Get a recommendation from someone familiar with one's academic abilities and have an interview with the coordinator of the honors program.

How do I know if the Honors Program is right for me?

If you can meet any of the above admissions requirements, and you can answer yes to at least half of the following questions, the honors program is likely to be a great choice for you:

• Are you a serious student who cares about learning for its own sake?
• Would you like to compile the most impressive transcript you can in preparation for transfer to a four-year institution?
• Are you looking for the most dynamic, innovative, and exciting educational experiences available at NCC?
• Do you thrive in environments in which you get to take responsibility for your own work and learning experience?
• Would you like a chance to take small, seminar-style classes with other students with strong academic skills?

Again, if this generally sounds like you, you should consider the honors program.

What are the benefits of being in the Honors Program?

• The honors classes at NCC provide our most exciting educational opportunities. Honors classes are smaller, so they afford much more intimate ties between teachers and students. Honors learning experiences regularly take place outside the campus and students have the chance to take charge of, and responsibility for, their education, often actually choosing texts themselves or leading class discussions and presentations and even "playing teacher for a day."
• But beyond their intrinsic benefit, having the distinction of completing, or even participating, in the honors program, will prove to transfer institutions that you are a highly motivated and academically skilled student ready to take on any of the challenges they have to offer.
• In addition, a select number of $1000 scholarships are available to honors program participants.

Competency based HR interview questions

Core elements of HR competency questions

Competency based interviews are considered a standard interview technique in today’s selection processes since their introduction in the late 1980s. At their heart is the premise that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour and interviewers specifically measure responses against a role’s competency framework to ascertain a candidate’s suitability.

In HR the extensive experience you gain on the interviewer’s side of the table ensures you become highly skilled in posing those probing questions to establish a candidate’s capabilities and suitability for a particular role, but sitting in the spotlight yourself can be another matter. You are under its glare with your experience and skills being taken out and scrutinised in the light for a role that you really want; it’s a daunting prospect regardless of your level of seniority.

Competencies range widely dependent on company identify, however the current school of thought as promulgated by leading HR thinker Professor Dave Ulrich of the University of Michigan as based on his 2011 study of Human Resources Competencies, details a competency model with six core elements relevant specifically to the HR function today.

• Strategic Positioner: Successful HR professionals have extensive knowledge of their external marketplace along with external and internal business trends. They are able to contextualise these and transform them into strategic responses that provide a framework in which the business can make tactical decisions. (Think along the lines of Alan Jones from Dragons Den).
• Credible Activist: To be an effective HR professional you must be a “credible activist” in building relationships and generating trust through commercial acumen. “HR professionals who are credible but not activists are admired, but do not have much impact. Those who are activists but not credible may have good ideas, but not much attention will be given to them.”1 (Margaret Thatcher was perhaps the ultimate Credible Activist.)
• Capability Builder: A capability is often described as a business identity, culture or process. An HR professional should aid in establishing and defining their business capabilities, ultimately reflecting the entrenched values of the whole. (Anita Roddick for example embodied the true values of the Body Shop brand.)
• Change Champion: One of the most widely advocated competencies, an HR professional’s capacity to initiate and integrate sustainable, valuable change is highly valued. “HR professionals help change happen at institutional (changing patterns), initiative (making things happen) and individual (enabling personal change) levels.”2 (Most definitely has to be Richard Branson.)
• HR Innovator and Integrator: A broad knowledge of established HR practices and employment law ensures an effective HR professional can innovate and integrate practices into cohesive solutions that resolve future business challenges. (Steve Jobs was the fore runner of innovation in recent times.)
• Technology Proponent: Technology has insinuated its way into all aspects of our lives and “in recent years, technology has changed the ways in which HR people think.”3 Not just in relation to the manner in which administrative work is carried out, but also strategic planning and relationship building need to be considered in a technological light. (In a business environment, no one has done more in integrate up to date technology than Bill Gates.)

Practical preparation - tips

The most practical piece of preparation that you can do is to establish exactly what competencies your interviewer will assess you against. These may be related directly to the job, in which case your first port of call should be to revisit the job description for the role. If however, you will be assessed against the company’s established competency framework your consultant may have a copy or be able to discuss them with you, alternatively you will be able to glean a lot of insight from the company research you have carried out previously.

When you have a good grasp of the competencies involved, consider your own experience and where you can use examples to highlight your expertise in these areas. This will aid you greatly in clearly communicating them under pressure.

When discussing competencies during interviews, one of the most common pieces of negative feedback that we receive about a candidate is the tendency to talk around the question asked, and not actually provide the interviewer with an answer. It is understandable that this does happen, it is a pressurised environment and you are trying to demonstrate the breadth and depth of your experience and knowledge.

Communicating your competencies: SOAR technique

There are lots of different models that are recommended by various sources that can aid you in providing a highly relevant answer that is succinct and to the point. They all follow a similar method, but we recommend the SOAR technique as it has the additional focus on ownership that the others don’t. When you are describing the scenario, action and result, it’s essential that you become au fait with the use of “I” rather than “we”. The focus on ownership within the SOAR technique helps to remind you that the interviewer is interested in your actions and results, not that of your team.

• ‘S’ - Scenario: Choose a scenario that most appropriately fits the question. It could be an enquiry about your experience in a specific remit, or when you have implemented new ideas or processes, keep it relevant.
• ‘O’ – Ownership: Ensure that it is clear who took ownership of the scenario (hint: this should be you).
• ‘A’ – Action: What action did you take to resolve the situation and bring about a satisfactory conclusion?
• ‘R’ – Result: How did the outcome have an effect on the company or department?

This technique will help you to formulate an answer that is succinct, lasting about two minutes, contextualised and most importantly, actually answers the question.

Business hr interview questions

Here are some questions we recommend. But remember - as obvious as it might seem - the important and challenging aspect of interviewing is evaluating the candidates' answers based on needs of the position - not just asking the questions themselves.

1. Have you ever built a talent strategy to support an organization's business strategy? [If so, describe how you went about doing it. What was your approach? What stakeholders did you work most closely with? What was the outcome? How did you measure success?] If not, describe how you'd go about doing it. Which stakeholders would be most important to work with? What outcomes would you want to achieve? How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy?
Answers to look for:

• A cogent approach to understanding the near-term business strategy (plan for growth, new products or services, infrastructure requirements, etc. - and how those map to specific talent needs.)
• A practical method for assessing the existing talent in the organization and identifying where gaps exist and the criticality of those gaps.
• A plan for closing the gap using a multi-pronged approach such as build, borrow, buy, etc.
• A partnership mindset in which close ties to - and input from - the business leaders is leveraged throughout the process.
• An objective way to measure results through decreased vacancy rates for mission critical roles, higher rates of successful internal promotions, reduced attrition in key parts of the business, higher customer service ratings, etc.

2. Tell me about a situation in which you took an unpopular stand on what you believed represented an important strategy for your business, and you were able to convince others who initially disagreed with you. What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
Answers to look for:

• A strategic situation that impacts talent in the organization (e.g., candidate pipeline, employees' access to social media, driving support for new technology, etc.) - versus a tactical, old-school HR issue. 
• A knowledge of economic, industry and business trends.
• A willingness to take risks and an ability to influence others.
• A sense of confidence, smarts and initiative.
• The ability to make data-based decisions and recommendations, and assess the ROI of business outcomes.

3. Describe your approach to managing the range of work an HRBP faces - from strategic to tactical. What process do you use? What resources do you leverage? How do you know you're focusing on the things and driving the right results?
Answers to look for:

• A structured approach to prioritizing work, managing time, following up, and staging deadlines.
• A creative method for managing resources, delegating tactical issues, using web-based (even free) tools for task and project management, regular updates with peers, business leaders or direct reports to manage the right priorities, a process for managing expectations of business leaders regarding their role and responsibilities.
• A business-based approach for working proactively vs. reactively - e.g., attending business updates, field visits with leaders, keeping up the financials of the business, etc.
• An openness to feedback in which their input, deliverables and value to the business is assessed through surveys, interviews, objective measures, etc.

Typical interview questions answers

Technically, not every item is a question; some are statements; but all are intended to prompt you for a response.

Better questions are not those that can be answered with a "yes" or "no," but are open-ended questions that invite thoughtful response. Even if you are asked a question that can be answered with a "yes" or "no," (e.g. "Are you comfortable with the amount of travel this job involves?"), you can certainly add a word of explanation to back up your answer (e.g., "Yes. I actually look forward to the opportuntity to travel and to work with the staff members in some of the other offices.)

Best questions are those that ask you how you behaved in the past, because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. These are referred to as behavioral interview questions; read more.

Not every interviewer will ask you every one of these questions.  However, if you are prepared to address these questions, you will leave the impression that you were prepared for your job interview, even if additional questions take you by surprise. 

• What are your long-range goals and objectives for the next seven to ten years?

• What are your short-range goals and objectives for the next one to three years?

• How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

• What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?

• Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?

• What are your strengths, weaknesses, and interests?

• How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?

• Describe a situation in which you had to work with a difficult person (another student, co-worker, customer, supervisor, etc.). How did you handle the situation? Is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?

• What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort? Describe a situation in which you did so.

• In what ways have your college experiences prepared you for a career?

• How do you determine or evaluate success?

• In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization?

• Describe a contribution you have made to a project on which you worked.

• What qualities should a successful manager/leader/supervisor/etc. possess?

• Was there an occasion when you disagreed with a supervisor's decision or company policy? Describe how you handled the situation.

• What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?

• Describe your most rewarding college experience.

• What interests you about our product or service?

• Why did you select your college or university?

• What led you to choose your major or field of study?

• What college subjects did you like best? Why?

• What college subjects did you like least? Why?

• If you could do so, how would you plan your academic studies differently?

• Do you think your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement?

• What have you learned from participation in extracurricular activities?

• In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?

• How do you work under pressure?

• Describe a situation in which you worked as part of a team. What role did you take on? What went well and what didn't?

• In what part-time, co-op, or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?

• How would you describe the ideal job for you following graduation?

• Why did you decide to seek a position with our organization?

• What two or three things would be most important to you in your job?

• What criteria are you using to evaluate the organization for which you hope to work?

• How would you view needing to relocate for the job? Do you have any constraints on relocation?

• Are you comfortable with the amount of travel this job requires?

• Are you willing to spend at least six months as a trainee?

Job Interview Questions and Answers

When you are applying for a retail or customer service position a typical job interview question is "What is good customer service?" The interviewer wants to know what you consider quality customer service and how you would be willing to provide it to customers. 

Here is a selection of sample answers you can use to respond to questions about good customer service.

• Good customer service means having thorough knowledge of your inventory, experience with your products, and being able to help customers make the best choices for them.
• Good customer service is treating customers with a friendly, helpful attitude.
• Good customer service means helping customers efficiently, in a friendly manner. It's one of the things that can set your business apart from the others of it's kind.

More Retail Interview Questions and Answers
 
More common retail and customer service interview questions and sample answers. 

More Interview Questions and Answers
 
Questions you'll be asked when interviewing, how to prepare answers to interview questions, along with sample answers to typical job interview questions.

Business insider google interview questions

Increasingly, I'm turning to Google+ as a source of news, and it looks like I'm not the only one. On Thursday, news of a small earthquake broke on both Twitter and Google+. One curious user, +Keith Barrett, decided to try and find out which social network was faster with the news. Turns out it was a tie. As Google integrates Google+ more closely with the rest of its services, and more users post relevant stories, I think we'll start to see Google+ as a place that can create and break stories, as well as share them.

Hashtags to Track

This week was a great week for news, and luckily, since Google+ enabled hashtags, many people are starting to tag their posts. Below, some of the most interesting ones to follow this week:

• #googleplusupdate
• #googlephotos
• #FoodFriday
• #gaddafi
• #earthquake
• #stevejobs

Google+ Photos Gets a Few Tweaks

Google seems to be really focused on tweaking Google+ Photos. With over 3.4 billion uploaded photos, it may be the most popular feature from Google+, aside from Hangouts. Friday evening, +Roshni Malani announced a minor but significant change to Google+ Photos. When you open a Google+ Photo album, you'll also see at the bottom, the very first post that shared the album, along with +1s and comments.
Earlier in the week, +Tim St. Clair told us that now we can change how our albums are shared, and from one menu, lock the album, change who the album is shared with, and hide geographical information on the album itself.

Business insider google interview questions

1. Set aside the time every day. Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Raison told CNN that meditating for even five minutes a day can lead to major benefits. "What you should begin to notice if you’re doing it correctly [is that] you’ll feel like things are a little bit more slowed down, you’ll feel a little bit less stressed out, you’ll have a larger perspective on things," he says. "So rather than getting sort of stuck on little irritating details, you’ll find it easier to take a look at the whole picture and stay calmer in dealing with all the things you have to deal with every day.”

Raison says that while meditating, "Some people find it useful to have a little clock that they can put in front of them where they can just glance at it so they know [how much time] has passed."
On the other hand, Business Insider's Pennell—who meditates for 45 minutes every morning—uses an iPhone app called a "Zen Timer" because "it stills feels like a distraction having to worry about time," she says.

2. Create a specific space to meditate. Just like going to the gym or the office, having a designated space to perform a task is psychologically motivating. This could be as simple as having a cushion at the end of your bed, or a corner of a room decorated in a way that calms your mind. 

"There have been times when I've had a really busy week and a lot has been going on and I'll sit down on the cushion and then I'll just start crying and I'll realize that I'm so sad about this one thing, but I had no space to grieve, no space to think about it; I was zipping from one thing to the other all week," says Pennell, who has studied at Insight Meditation Society, one of the top meditation centers in the country. "One of my meditation teachers likened it to a washing machine. You put the laundry in, maybe all the water comes out gray and the laundry comes out clean. It gives you space to experience what is happening, too."

3. Focus on your breathing. The key to any meditation practice is focusing on the breath. Controlled breathing stabilizes blood pressure and increases oxygen flow, thereby increasing alertness, reports Pooja Biraia at medimanage.com. She says to "stay silent and focus. Inhale and exhale in controlled and deep breaths ... your stomach should rise as you inhale; and you need to draw your navel in as you exhale." This is known as mindful breathing or pranayama.

"Meditation is a word like 'exercise,'" says Pennell. "If someone says 'exercise,' there are 3,000 ways you could do it. A very simple type of meditation for beginners is mindfulness, which is watching your breath. Find your own way and what works for you."

Pennell also says that, even after a few years of practicing, "I get distracted, too, but one of the things that meditation teaches is muscle memory, repetition. You sit on the cushion so many times, your body and nervous system start to learn the practice. It trains the brain to notice when you're getting distracted. Meditation creates more decision space around everyday tasks."

4. Read about meditation. To develop a truly successful meditation practice, it's important to understand the philosophy behind it. Pennell recommends reading "Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom," by Rick Hanson, and books by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

But there's a lot of literature out there. Browse the bookstore aisles to find something that resonates and infuses your spirit. Even reading a few simple passages from a daily meditation guide can dramatically improve your perspective.

140 Google Interview Questions

Google Interview Questions: Product Marketing Manager

• Why do you want to join Google?
• What do you know about Google’s product and technology?
• If you are Product Manager for Google’s Adwords, how do you plan to market this?
• What would you say during an AdWords or AdSense product seminar?
• Who are Google’s competitors, and how does Google compete with them?
• Have you ever used Google’s products? Gmail?
• What’s a creative way of marketing Google’s brand name and product?
• If you are the product marketing manager for Google’s Gmail product, how do you plan to market it so as to achieve 100 million customers in 6 months?
• How much money you think Google makes daily from Gmail ads?
• Name a piece of technology you’ve read about recently. Now tell me your own creative execution for an ad for that product.
• Say an advertiser makes $0.10 every time someone clicks on their ad. Only 20% of people who visit the site click on their ad. How many people need to visit the site for the advertiser to make $20?
• Estimate the number of students who are college seniors, attend four-year schools, and graduate with a job in the United States every year.

Google Interview Questions: Product Manager

• How would you boost the GMail subscription base?
• What is the most efficient way to sort a million integers?
• How would you re-position Google’s offerings to counteract competitive threats from Microsoft?
• How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?
• You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?
• How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?
• How would you find out if a machine’s stack grows up or down in memory?
• Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew.
• How many times a day does a clock’s hands overlap?
• You have to get from point A to point B. You don’t know if you can get there. What would you do?
• Imagine you have a closet full of shirts. It’s very hard to find a shirt. So what can you do to organize your shirts for easy retrieval?
• Every man in a village of 100 married couples has cheated on his wife. Every wife in the village instantly knows when a man other than her husband has cheated, but does not know when her own husband has. The village has a law that does not allow for adultery. Any wife who can prove that her husband is unfaithful must kill him that very day. The women of the village would never disobey this law. One day, the queen of the village visits and announces that at least one husband has been unfaithful. What happens?
• In a country in which people only want boys, every family continues to have children until they have a boy. If they have a girl, they have another child. If they have a boy, they stop. What is the proportion of boys to girls in the country?
• If the probability of observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway is 0.95, what is the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes (assuming constant default probability)?
• If you look at a clock and the time is 3:15, what is the angle between the hour and the minute hands? (The answer to this is not zero!)
• Four people need to cross a rickety rope bridge to get back to their camp at night. Unfortunately, they only have one flashlight and it only has enough light left for seventeen minutes. The bridge is too dangerous to cross without a flashlight, and it’s only strong enough to support two people at any given time. Each of the campers walks at a different speed. One can cross the bridge in 1 minute, another in 2 minutes, the third in 5 minutes, and the slow poke takes 10 minutes to cross. How do the campers make it across in 17 minutes?
• You are at a party with a friend and 10 people are present including you and the friend. your friend makes you a wager that for every person you find that has the same birthday as you, you get $1; for every person he finds that does not have the same birthday as you, he gets $2. would you accept the wager?
• How many piano tuners are there in the entire world?
• You have eight balls all of the same size. 7 of them weigh the same, and one of them weighs slightly more. How can you find the ball that is heavier by using a balance and only two weighings?
• You have five pirates, ranked from 5 to 1 in descending order. The top pirate has the right to propose how 100 gold coins should be divided among them. But the others get to vote on his plan, and if fewer than half agree with him, he gets killed. How should he allocate the gold in order to maximize his share but live to enjoy it? (Hint: One pirate ends up with 98 percent of the gold.)
• You are given 2 eggs. You have access to a 100-story building. Eggs can be very hard or very fragile means it may break if dropped from the first floor or may not even break if dropped from 100th floor. Both eggs are identical. You need to figure out the highest floor of a 100-story building an egg can be dropped without breaking. The question is how many drops you need to make. You are allowed to break 2 eggs in the process.
• Describe a technical problem you had and how you solved it.
• How would you design a simple search engine?
• Design an evacuation plan for San Francisco.
• There’s a latency problem in South Africa. Diagnose it.
• What are three long term challenges facing Google?
• Name three non-Google websites that you visit often and like. What do you like about the user interface and design? Choose one of the three sites and comment on what new feature or project you would work on. How would you design it?
• If there is only one elevator in the building, how would you change the design? How about if there are only two elevators in the building?
• How many vacuum’s are made per year in USA?

Business systems analyst interview questions

Are you a small business owner? If you are, how is your business currently going? When first starting a small business, there are many small business owners who decide to start out small. This often involves being the only employee or just hiring family members. Limiting the number of employees that you start off with is a great way to limit your business expenses, but there may come a time when you need to hire additional help. If and when that time comes, do you know what you should do? If not, you will want to continue reading on.

Whether you run an online store, a storefront retail store, or an office-like business, you will need all job applicants to either submit their resumes or fill out a job application. In all honesty, it might be easier to have them do both. You can easily make your own job applications or you can purchase standard job applications from many office supplies stores, either on or offline. Once you have a collection of resumes and job applications, you may then want to think about going through those papers to find applicants that you would like to schedule a job interview with.

When it comes to finding the perfect employee or employees for your small business, the interview process plays an important role. It is during an interview where you are able to learn as much as you can about a job applicant, particularly if he or she is right for you and your small business. The best way that is this is done is by asking the right questions. Just a few of the many that questions that you will want to think about asking your job applicants are outlined below.

As a small business owner, you already know that you need to compete with larger businesses, ones that may have more money and resources than you do. The way that you can do this is with good customer service. Although it is important that you know this, your employees need to know this as well. You will want to ask your applicants if they know the difference between a large business and a small business, as well as what sets a small business apart from a large one. Also, ask them if they know why some customers prefer doing business with small businesses, like yours. If you cannot get the answers that you were looking for, it may be best to move on to the next applicant right away.

Since customer service is what often sets small businesses, like yours, apart from large corporations, you need to make sure that you hire employees who have good customer service skills. During a job interview, you will want to ask all of your applicants about their people skills. Do they think that they have good people skills? Do they find it easy to strike up conversations with customers or those who they don’t personally know? You will want to hire an employee or employees who are easily able to communicate with customers, on a wide variety of different topics, including business topics and silly topics like the weather.

Fifteen Questions to Ask at a Job Interview

Develop a list of questions designed to elicit responses that will be most helpful in evaluating a candidate's suitability for your position and organization. These questions can get you started:

• Can you tell me a little about yourself? A confident applicant can give a brief summary of his or her strengths, significant achievements, and career goals.
  
  
• What interests you about this job, and what skills and strengths can you bring to it? Stronger candidates should be able to correlate their skills with specific job requirements.
  
  
• Can you tell me a little about your current job? Strong candidates should be able to give you a short and precise summary of duties and responsibilities.
  
  
• In a way that anyone could understand, can you describe a professional success you are proud of? The answer shows the applicant’s ability to explain what he or she does clearly.
  
  
• How have you changed the nature of your current job? A convincing answer here shows adaptability and a willingness to “take the bull by the horns,” if necessary.
  
  
• What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make on the job? The answer to this question tells you the person’s decision-making style and how it fits into your company culture.
  
  
• Why did you decide to pursue a new job? This question is just a different way of asking, “What are you looking for in a job?”
  
  
• Why did you leave your last job, and what have you been doing since then? It isn’t really unusual for highly competent people to find themselves unemployed through no fault of their own. Try to get specific, factual answers that you can verify later.
  
  
• Who was your best boss ever and why? Who was the worst, and looking back, what could you have done to make that relationship better? These answers give you insight into how the candidate views and responds to supervision.
  
  
• Which do you enjoy the most: working alone with information or working with other people? An excellent candidate might say the different perspectives within a group produce more innovative ideas than one person working alone can, but without information, a team can’t get very far.
  
  
• What sort of things do you think your current (past) company could do to be more successful? You’re probing to find out whether the candidate has a clear understanding of his or her current or past employer’s missions and goals and whether he or she thinks in terms of those goals.
  
  
• Can you describe a typical day at work in your last job? See how the applicant’s current (or most recent) routine compares with the requirements of the job in question.
  
  
• What sort of work environment do you prefer? What brings out your best performance? Probe for specifics. You want to find out whether this person is going to fit into your company.
  
  
• How do you handle conflict? Can you give me an example of how you handled a workplace conflict in the past? You want candidates who try to be reasonable but nonetheless stand up for what’s right.
  
  
• How would you respond if you were put in a situation you felt presented a conflict of interest or was unethical? Have you ever had this experience in previous positions? No rational candidate today is going to say that sometimes it’s okay to be unethical. But how individuals approach this question can offer valuable insights.

Top 5 insightful interview questions

1. Describe a work situation where you were at your happiest
 
Nobody is going to admit being a poor team player in an interview but this question will reveal whether they prefer to work independently, in a team or as a manager. Notice what role they have in the scenario they describe. 

2. Why are you choosing to do what you’re doing?
 
This question gives you an insight in to whether a candidate is at ‘cause or effect’ ie. Do they make their life happen or are they a victim to it? Small businesses want to recruit people who take responsibility and are proactive rather than people who make excuses. Notice whether they talk about opportunities and possibilities or obligation and duty? 


3. What do you want in a job?
 
Again, listen out for whether they’re using positive or negative language ie are they telling you what they want or what they want to avoid? People who are positively motivated towards goals tend to produce more consistent results. For example, someone motivated by achievement will be more consistent than someone who is motivated by not wanting to get fired! 

4. What is the relationship between what you’re doing this year in your career and last year?
 
The responses you get to this will vary in terms of whether they highlight things that are the same or different. People who only talk about the differences between this year and last year are likely to be more creative but probably won’t stay in the job so long. Conversely those who talk about everything that’s the same will be less innovative – they won’t see the point in changing things unless they’re broken. A mixture is probably ideal. 


5. What was your biggest mistake and how did you handle it?
 
You don't want people on your team who points fingers at other people when something goes wrong. If they can't take personal responsibility it will undermine your team. 

So, this is one of those good interview questions that can be very revealing. What you really want to hear is someone being honest about their mistakes but also sharing what they learned from the experience.