A high percentage of ‘trained’ interviewer’s structure questions which ask you to use examples from your past experience. Looking at the way you have done things in the past is seen to be a window into how you would operate in the future. To prepare fully for this style of questioning we suggest that you study the following questions – and rehearse answers before an interview. The more you practice the more confident you will be.

Written communication skills

· What kind of written proposals or submissions have you prepared? Give me an example.

· Tell me about the content and the outcome when it was reviewed.

Energy

· What do you do with your spare time?

· What do you do for exercise?

Career ambition

· What do you see yourself doing in five years’ time?

· What self-development have you undertaken during the past year?

Creativity

· Can you think of a recent problem in which old solutions wouldn’t work? How did you solve

it?

· What is the most imaginative or innovative thing you have done in your present position?

Work standards

· How do you determine that you are doing a good job? Give me an example.

· What is the difference between a good employee and an average employee?

Keeping up to date

· How do you keep informed about what’s going on in other parts of the organisation/industry?

· Describe an article of particular interest that you have read recently?

· What is the most important change going on in the organisation/industry?

Stress tolerance

· Under what conditions do you work best?

· Do you feel pressure in your job? How do you deal with it?

· How do you relax or get away from it all (relieve work tensions) after a hard day at work?

Listening skills

· How good are your listening skills? How do you know?

Leadership

· Tell me about a position of leadership that you have held.

· Do you consider you have leadership qualities? Why?

· What sort of leader would others say you are?

Motivation for work

· Why did you choose this career?

· Give me examples of experiences on the job or in your study that you felt were satisfying?

· What do you like least about your job or your course?

· What event or who has been the most important in influencing your career development?

Persistence

· What is the biggest obstacle you overcame to get to where you are today?

· Describe an experience in which you felt you gained something because you persisted.

· Describe a situation where you gave your all, but failed? What did you learn from this

incident?

Initiative

· Have you ever found any way to make your job easier or more rewarding?

· What did you do to prepare for this interview?

Independence

· Describe an incident in which you disagreed with your supervisor. How was it settled?

· Why did you go to the particular TAFE you attended?

· Why did you decide to leave your most recent job or studies?

Planning and Organisation

· How do you schedule your time? Set priorities?

· What were your objectives for the last year? Were they achieved?

· What are your objectives for this year? What are you doing to ensure that they are achieved?

Integrity

· In order to make it in the world, people have to bend a little bit. What is the farthest you have

had to bend your standards in order to succeed?

· Sometimes we have to bend the truth a little when dealing with people. Can you give me an

example of when you have had to bend the truth?

· Everyone has to break some rules sometimes. Can you give me an example of an occasion

when you have had to do so?

Ability to learn

· When starting a new job/course how did you learn the technical aspects of it?

· How do you like to be taught a new task/skill?

· Are you a quick learner? Give me an example.

Resilience

· What was your biggest disappointment? How did you cope with it?

· How do you pick yourself up after a disappointment?

Job Interest and Suitability

· Why did you apply for this position?

· Why do you think you are the best person for the job?

· What aspects of the job do you think you will find the most difficult?

· What interests you about this company?

Skills

· What skills do you have that directly relate to this position?

· Do you have any other skills, which could be an asset to this company?

· In your previous job was there a skill that you were lacking and what did you do about it?