Interview Questions

Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.

Because I work with younger kids within the Children’s Ministry at my church, I constantly run into various problems. Many kids often do not want to cooperate every single time, and a lot of the time they have meltdowns when they do not get what they want. With this problem, I use logic by negotiating with the children. For example, when some of the kids are not ready to leave the play structure after “play-time” has ended, I tell them that they will be able to go play again after they complete their assigned activity. With this logic, I am able to solve the problem at hand by still keeping everyone content with the situation.

Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.

When I first joined drum line in my freshman year, I had a main goal of reaching the highest instrument position. Of course, because I did not have much experience, I knew I would not automatically achieve this and would have to work up to it. For a semester, I worked tirelessly toward improving in my performance and technique and finally in just my second season of drum line, I was put on the instrument position I wanted.

Give an example of a goal you didn't meet and how you handled it.

Within my academic journey, I have enrolled in multiple advanced placement classes with the intention of boosting my GPA as well as gaining college credit. In order to guarantee college credit in almost any university, I strove to get a 5 on all of my AP exams. My first AP class, AP Chemistry, was especially difficult for me because I took it as only a freshman and had not fully developed my mathematical skills that would have helped me in the course. Although I worked toward scoring a 5 on the AP test all year, I only scored a 4 in the end. I was disappointed that I had not achieved the goal that I had originally set, however I still handled it well because I was proud of my effort and discipline toward reaching my goal.

Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.

When I work with kids in my church’s Children’s Ministry, there is usually a large about of kids all trying to talk to me at the same time and it is very difficult and stressful to address all of their problems at the same time. However, I handle this by keeping myself calm and also kindly telling the kids that I care about their problems and also address what time I will be able to talk to them, usually explaining that it will happen after I talk to the other children.

Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.

Being a high school sophomore with multiple advanced classes, I am constantly put under pressure and a time crunch for all of my assignments and tasks. With this pressure I can still work effectively by keeping myself organized and calm, making sure not to panic with any assignment that might seem difficult and overwhelming.

How do you handle a challenge?

I handle challenges by keeping myself organized and calm. I find that when I get overwhelmed by a task that seems difficult, my brain will shut down and not allow me to keep moving forward. However, if I keep myself from getting stressed out and believing in my abilities, I can easily overcome any challenge that comes my way.

Have you been in a situation where you didn't have enough work to do?

Yes, I have been in situations where I have not had enough work to do. Many of these times, I have quickly and efficiently completed my assigned tasks, and have found myself with nothing else to keep myself occupied, or to get ahead on any work. This applies to both my schoolwork, volunteering in my church, and my chores at home. When I find myself in this situation, I decide to make myself useful to others by offering to help anyone who is still in progress or struggling with their assigned tasks.

Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?

As a human being, I constantly make mistakes, especially in my school work. Despite the fact that I am very organized and keep track of all of my school assignments and tests, from time to time I will forget about an assignment. When this happens, I complete the “late” assignment as fast as possible, and then explain to my teacher my mistake. With this honesty and integrity, many times my teachers will show grace to me and still give me credit for my late assignment.

Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.

After 2 seasons of being in drum line, I decided to not continue on with my journey due to the fact that the administration staff was not the best fit for me. Because I had many friends within the program that were staying, they were not happy with my decision and wanted me to stay. However, I implemented this decision by explaining to them the reasoning behind my decision. In the end, I decided to rejoin the program when I had realized that it would be under new administration, so I would be able to continue my journey as well as stay with my friends.

Did you ever make a risky decision? Why? How did you handle it?

I made a risky decision a few months ago when I decided to select 6 AP courses for my upcoming school year. With my busy schedule including drum line, church, and family, I knew that the work load would be extremely heavy and I would have to work extra hard in order to maintain straight A’s. However, I know that I will be able to handle it because I know that this work load is within my mental capacity and I can be successful if I put my mind to it.

Did you ever postpone making a decision? Why?

I do not usually postpone making decisions. I believe that postponing decisions not only negatively affects you, but also others as well. Procrastination builds distrust and unreliability within relationships, especially if others are waiting on you to make a decision. Of course, there are always factors in large decisions that make it difficult to conclude, however, I always make sure to consider all factors and submit my conclusion as soon as possible.

Have you ever dealt with company policy you weren't in agreement with? How?

Last year in my first season of drum line, the program was under administration that I wasn’t particularly happy with. Our director was incredibly demanding, and required us to go to every single practice without fail or excuse, even if a member was sick. This happened to me toward the middle of the season when I asked if I could skip practice to rest and my request was declined. I was not in agreement with this policy because although commitment is very important to any company or group, I prioritize my health over the quality of my performance.

Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?

Yes, I have gone above and beyond the call of duty. I do this by making sure that my work is organized and analyzed as much as possible, as well as completing any relevant tasks that are not assigned to me. I do this in order to make the workload smaller for others and to contribute to my company as much as possible.

When you worked on multiple projects how did you prioritize?

When I work on multiple projects, I prioritize depending on size, worth, and deadline. If the projects are all around the same size and worth, I will complete them in order of what needs to be finished first. However, the amount of time it will take to finish a project along with its importance usually drives me to complete them first, even if they have a later deadline than the others.

How did you handle meeting a tight deadline?

I handle meeting a tight deadline by staying organized and calm. With the added pressure of an upcoming due date, my brain is already stressed. However, by setting “checkpoints” where I have to complete parts of a large task at certain times, as well as not letting the pressure affect my performance, I am always able to meet my deadlines.

Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.

I set my goals to be realistic and within my boundaries. I always make sure to create them in a timely manner so that I do not create any more stress or pressure than what is necessary. With these rules, achieving my goals is very doable for me and within my limitations so I know I can strive to do the very best.

Did you ever not meet your goals? Why?

Despite my efforts for striving for excellence and reaching my goals, I am not always successful. This is due to the fact that although I am very disciplined and I keep myself organized, I may procrastinate my work, I run out of time, or there is an interruption in my work that does not allow me to keep moving forward. However, I make sure that these small letdowns do not greatly affect me and I continue to strive to do better.

What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.

When my schedule is interrupted, I handle it by staying calm and not letting any challenges or setbacks affect me. I always make sure that I continue to strive toward my goal despite my circumstances.

Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?

When in comes to birthdays, Christmas, and Mother’s and Father’s Day, it is extremely difficult to shop for my parents and buy them things that they would want, because they are very content people. However, one activity that my parents always ask for and love is having a clean house. With this, I usually have to convince my siblings to work as a team to clean the house before any parent’s celebration day. My siblings are rarely excited to do this, as cleaning is not their favorite task, so I convince them by explaining the joy of my parents when they wake up to clean and spotless home.

Give an example of how you've worked on a team.

I have worked on multiple teams throughout my lifetime, especially when I played many sports when I was younger. When I was in swim, dance basketball, and others I had to learn how to cooperate and work with others toward a common goal while also pushing each other to be better and to improve. I also participate in team activities and assignments in high school. Being on a team has taught me dependable and useful social skills that allow me to easily communicate and work with others.

Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?

No, I have not handled a difficult situation with a co-worker. Although I have had to work with people that I did not exactly get along with, I have never been in a situation where I had an opposing view to a co-worker. However, if I were to, I believe that communication would be the most effective way to solve a disagreement and an open mind to both ideas.

What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?

If I disagree with a co-worker, I know that communication and the preservation of a healthy work relationship is the most important when working out the disagreement. I stay open to hear what their opinion and ideas are, while also respectfully and calmly stating my own ideas.

Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.

No season of drum line is the same, and we get a different experience every single year. This also means that some seasons we perform better or worse than others. This past drum line season, there were many complications to our show-piece as well as a lack of motivation across multiple members, especially coming up to a competition. When I observed this, I knew that we would perform and score higher if we were to go into our performance confident. I used my social and communication skills to motivate the other members so that we could perform the best we could.

Do you listen? Give an example of when you did or when you didn't listen.

Before attempting any task, knowledge of the situation is the most important thing. For example, whenever I serve in my church’s Children’s Ministry, I am assigned a number of tasks in order to make each day go smoothly for the program and for the best possible experience for the kids. Every time I make sure to listen and follow all instructions given to me, to reduce the chances of me making a mistake.

Have you handled a difficult situation with a supervisor? How?

No, I have not had to handle a difficult situation with a supervisor. If I were to be in this situation, I would respect and listen to the supervisor’s instructions because they are of a higher position to me, meaning they most likely have more knowledge and experience in the field.

Have you handled a difficult situation with another department? How?

Because I do not currently have any other job experience, I have never been in this situation. If I were to be in this situation, I would respectfully and calmly communicate to the other department my point of view in the conflict, and also be open to hearing what they believe is right for the situation.

Have you handled a difficult situation with a client or vendor? How?

Because I have do not have any job experience, I have never been put in this situation. However, I have been in a similar situation where I have had to negotiate with others during my work. For example, working with younger kids in my church’s Children’s Ministry, many of them often do not want to cooperate with what is asked of them. With this, I have to negotiate and offer a proposition that is appealing to them while still addressing the main goal.

What do you do if you disagree with your boss?

If I disagree with my boss, I believe that the possibilities of my boss being correct in a situation is higher because they are of a higher position than myself and they have more experience within the field. However, I also think that an explanation of my point of view could be beneficial to the situation, because it respectfully shows my boss an alternate opinion in a situation that could potentially be better.

Why are you applying for this job?

I am applying for this job because I see it as a wonderful opportunity to gain work experience and build social connections. I feel that I would be a strong asset to this company and I can contribute unique and helpful skills that cannot be offered by many others. I also see this job as a gateway to other job opportunities in the future.

Why are you interested in working for our company?

How has school prepared you for working at our company?

My educational journey has prepared me to work for this company through the development of critical thinking skills. Within my advanced placement classes, I have ran into roadblocks and challenges that required me to think outside of the box and take my time in order to figure out how to overcome it. The school environment has also led to me developing key collaboration skills as a result of being required to communicate with my peers.

Why should we hire you?

You should hire me because I believe that I can be a powerful asset to your company. I can provide skills that very few obtain, and my strong organization abilities will ensure that procedures and tasks run smoothly.

What do you think it takes to be successful in this position?

How would you describe your ability to work as a team member?

What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?

Tell me about a major problem you recently handled.

Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.