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Interview Techniques - Article 3 of 4 - "Outside the box Questions"

Interviews

Here are some outside the box questions to prepare for in your next interview as indicated in my first article.

 Tell me about a time when you had to analyze or interpret numerical or financial information.
 Tell me about a problem you uncovered in your job/ internship. What sources of information did you use to identify this problem?
 What kind of information have you been required to analyze? Describe one of your most difficult analyses.
 Describe the most complex problem you've recently been asked to solve. What did you do? What alternatives did you consider?
 What sources of information have you used to solve problems? Tell me about a time when you used one of those sources.
 Tell me about a time when you faced conflicting priorities. How did you determine the top priority?
 Tell me about a time when you had to coordinate resources (people, processes, departments, equipment) to complete a complex project.
 We've all been in situations in which we couldn't complete everything we needed to on time. Tell me about a time when this happened to you.
 Tell me about a time when you were responsible for determining assignments, schedules, and timelines for a project you were managing. Describe how you worked out a project plan. What happened?
 Give me an example of a good decision you made recently. What alternatives did you consider? Why was it a good decision?
 We all make decisions that turn out to be mistakes. Describe a work decision you regret making.
 Sometimes we have to make decisions very quickly. Tell me about a time when you made a decision too quickly. What happened?
 Tell me about a decision you thought about for a long time. How did you finally make your decision?
 Tell me about a time when you did more than was required in your current/previous job.
 What steps have you taken to improve your skills or performance? Give me an example of when you did this.
 While you were at __, what change were you able to bring about? How did you do that?
 Describe a situation in which you identified a problem and took action to correct it rather than wait for someone else to do so.
 Tell me about a time when you took action to exceed an internal/external customer's expectations. Specifically, what did you do?
 Sharing information is critical to partnership success. Can you think of a time when important information wasn't shared? What happened?
 Describe a situation where limited resources (people or money) forced you to make a prioritization decision that resulted in halting work on a project or product. What was your thought process? What was your decision process?
 Tell me about a time when you weren't satisfied with your work because of quality defects. How did you handle the situation?
 Working with others usually involves some give and take. Describe a time when you worked out an agreement with a peer or team member. What did you do?
 Have you ever spent a significant amount of your own time and effort helping a team/group complete a task? Give me an example. What happened?
 Can you describe a situation when you needed to cooperate with others to solve a problem? What did you do?
 Describe how you've worked with a team to set specific and measurable goals and objectives. What process did you use?
 What have you done to ensure that your team clearly understood its charter/goal?
 Tell me about a time you were on a team and had to involve other team members in decisions and actions. What was your approach?
 Tell me about a time when you made a specific contribution to a team's success. What was your role? What did you do?
 Give me an example of a time when you have inspired someone to work hard to do a good job. How did you do that?
 What techniques have you used to gain acceptance of ideas or plans? Give me an example of a time when you used one of these techniques.

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