1. Advanced Job Search
2. Communication
3. Documents
4. Getting Interviews
5. Interviewing
6. Research
7. Miscellaneous
8. Tools

The list of most commonly asked interview questions has been very stable over the past decades.  However, these gut-reaction interviews are notoriously invalid as predictors of job success.  HR has finally figured out that past performance is the best indicator of future performance.  So they have begun to ask, and directing others’ to ask, behavioral-based interview questions.  These are of the form ‘Tell me about a time when …’ and they are intended to discern your attainment on a list of traits and skills. 

Theoretically HR does a detailed job analysis and determines the salient knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform each line in the job description.  Then they rate the importance of these factors along with the degree of attainment required to do the job.  Next they make up questions to probe the same areas, directly or indirectly, and ask for specific examples of a time when you performed that skill or demonstrated that trait.  After the question is asked they assess if you possess the trait and if so, how much.  That is the theoretical ideal with corporate practice falling short by some degree. 

I say Great!  They are directly asking the questions to which we have prepared answers.  This is exactly why we looked deeply into your past work record to get a good inventory of accomplishment stories.  This is why we have you practice delivery of these and your other evidence of skills and personal qualities.  Recently Merck mailed a list of interview questions three weeks ahead of the meeting.  Those were the only ones asked during the interview.

Here is an example of the script that an interviewer is given.  Sophisticated practitioners of behavioral-based interviews indicate how to listen to the responses and think about the answers. 

Decision making and problem solving

• How did you make the decision to go to Harvard and major in Business?

Leadership

• Have you ever been a member of a group where two members did not work well together? How did you handle this?

Motivation

• Give me an example of when you went above and beyond the call of duty.

Communication

• Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to a group? How did you do it? Did they buy it?

Interpersonal Skills

• Tell me about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you have ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with that person.

Planning and Organization

• What do you do when your schedule is suddenly interrupted?  Give a specific example.

1. Advanced Job Search  2. Communication  3. Documents  4. Getting Interviews  5. Interviewing  6. Research  7. Miscellaneous  8. Tools