Job Interview Questions

Here are some examples of illegal job interview questions.

How old are you?
Are you married?
How many times have you been married?
Are you in a committed relationship right now?
How does your spouse feel about your working here?
Do you rent or own your home?
Whom do you live with?
What is your sexual orientation?
What's your ethnicity/nationality?
What is your first language?
Were your parents born in this country?
What is your racial background?
Are you religious? Do you attend church?
Do you intend to have children? How many?
Do you have children?
What are your child care arrangements?
Are you pregnant?
Do you have any disabilities?
Have you had any recent illnesses or surgeries?
Do you work out regularly?
Do you smoke?
Have you ever been addicted to drugs?
What is your political affiliation?
What organizations do you belong to?
Have you been injured on the job?
Have you ever filed for workers' compensation before?
Have you ever declared bankruptcy?
Where do you bank?
Have you ever been arrested? (Questions about convictions are legal, however, and are considered to be security measures.)

The Do's:

1) Tailor your questions to a specific job position. Before showing up for any interview, research as much as you can for the position you are interviewing, the industry, the company, the mission statement, the recent news and the job nature. Formulate your questions according to the requirement of the specific job and the goals of the company.

2) Ask intelligent open-ended questions and be a good listener. Let the interviewers do the talking and bring about giving you the information that you want. Allow the conversation to flow naturally and build some rapport with the employer. The employer will want to hire those they feel most comfortable with.

3) You may need to attend a few interviews for a specific position before getting hire. You should shape your questions intelligently according to the different stages in the interview process. If you're in the screening stage, you will probably ask general questions. If you have a chance to attend the 2nd or 3rd interviews, your questions can be very targeted. Likewise, you'll expect similar concise questions from the interviewers.

4) Read the interviewers' reaction for what you say or ask. Observe their body language, eye contacts and listen to their verbal signals. All these will provide indication for how well you're really doing.

The Don'ts

1) Don't ask multi-part questions all at once. You should ask concise and to-the-point questions one at a time and wait for the interviewers to answer before asking another. You can continue with your follow up questions and let the interviewers bring out more information before switching to another one. If not the interviewers may confuse or have the choice of which one to answer.

2) Don't ask questions where the answers are easily available to the public such as from the company's website or on the internet. For example, "Who is the Managing Director of this company?"  read more »

Here is more input and examples people have given for strengths:

Your strengths should already be noted in your resume and cover letter. Go over them (i.e., the strengths) again with the interviewer.

One of my biggest strengths is my communication skills. I work very well with all kinds of people, and understand that everyone has different perspectives about projects and work tasks -- so when I work with others I realize that everyone comes to the table with different priorities and objectives. I keep this in mind when I communicate tasks that need to be accomplished with positive reinforcement and awareness of what others are working on.

A positive attitude will not differentiate you from the crowd. A good attitude is expected of every employee. Also you should back up what you say with an example. For example, don't just say you have good customer service skills prove it by also telling them how you won a comapny award or received positive customer comment letters for your good service.

"My strength is my flexibility to handle change. As customer service manager at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team.

Hard worker.

Punctual.

Determined.

Able to prioritize.

Believe in myself; self-confidence.

I have ability to cope with failures and try to learn from my mistakes.

I like to work in team and have been an active participant and organizer at several places.

One of my greatest strengths which I've acquired during my education is good analytical and planning skills. This has always benefited me to set goals and try to achieve them. But at the same time I'm driven by the thoughts of success.

Full commitment to my work.

Highly energetic.

Love to learn new things.

Having good interpersonal skills.

Well organized and like to be neat with all of my work.  read more »

1. Focus the discussion on how you've improved over time. Instead of hashing over a current weakness (assuming you can think of one), talk about a past shortcoming and how you resolved it. Maybe you used to have trouble meeting deadlines, for instance, until you took a time-management course that helped you get your schedule under control. "The idea is to show that you are interested in getting better and better at what you do," says Dattner.

2. Talk about how the job you're applying for will help you stretch and build your skills. Again, no matter how good you already are, you can always improve - and you may see specific ways in which this particular job will help you do that. If so, the interview is a good time to mention it.

3. Describe a valuable piece of advice someone gave you, and how it has helped your career. "This could be, for example, a boss who once told you not to give people the answers but to let them figure things out on their own," says Dattner. "Or maybe a mentor once pointed out to you that not everyone is motivated by the same things you are, and that insight helped you become a better manager." Whatever the pearl of wisdom you received, a willingness to talk about its effect on you "shows that you want to learn and grow," Dattner notes. "And that's really what hiring managers are trying to find out."

Q#1 - How long have you been looking for a job? (Concern - is there something wrong with you that other employers have picked up?)

A#1 - “After I was laid off from my last job, I took the opportunity to take some time out to examine my career goals and where I was going with my life. I have just begun my search in the last few weeks. I have a definite goal in mind and have been selective about the positions I consider. Your company and this position are of great interest to me.”

Q#2 - How did you prepare for this interview? (Concern - are you interested enough to do some research, or are you going to “wing it”?)

A#2 - “When I found this position posted on the internet (monster.com) I was immediately interested. I checked out the company website and mission statement, looked at the bios of company founders and executives, and was impressed. Once I had the interview appointment, I talked with friends and acquaintances in the industry. And, I’m sure I’ll find out a lot more in today’s meetings.”

Q#3 - What is your salary expectation for this job? (Concern - Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than budgeted?)

A#3 - “I’ll need more information about the job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for this position?”

Q#4 - How do you keep current and informed about your job and the industries that you have worked in? (Concern - Once you get the job do you continue to learn and grow - stay challenged and motivated?)

A#4 - “I pride myself on my ability to stay on top of what is happening in my industry. I do a lot of reading - the business section of the newspapers and magazines. I belong to a couple of professional organizations and network with colleagues at the meetings. I take classes and seminars whenever they are of interest, or offer new information or technology.”  read more »

Different colors influence people in different ways, emotions from trust to aloof and everything in between. Color psychologists and scientists have been studying the impact of colors for years and how people respond to different colors listed below. Keep this in mind when choosing what colors to wear to the job interview.

Black: Represents authority, power, and drama. Black can also make you appear unapproachable and overpowering. So avoid it when interviewing, unless in small amounts or as an accent color.

White: Symbolizes of purity, chastity, and cleanliness. White is a neutral color that goes with everything. It's usually worn in shirts and blouses year round.

Blue: Signifies tranquility, authority, trust, and loyalty. It's the best-selling color globally, and the one with the biggest success rate in job interviews. Blue is the ultimate "power color".

Brown: Addresses credibility and stability. It's the color of the earth and abundant in nature. Brown creates a neutral environment for open discussion.

Beige and tan: Similar to brown, are calming, stress reducing, earthy colors that invite communication. These colors are perceived as nonassertive and passive.

Gray: Denotes neutrality and sophistication. After blue, it's the second most popular color to wear to a job interview. If you want to look confident without being overpowering in black, go for gray.

Red; Implies heat, danger, power, passion, and strength. The most emotionally intense color, red can stimulate a faster heartbeat and breathing. Use red as an accent color to motivate people to make quick decisions and increase expectations. It can also increase emotions during job interviews, so avoid wearing large amounts of red.  read more »