University s Common Purpose: At the U, we transform lives through teaching, research, and service. University Values

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1 University s Common Purpose: At the U, we transform lives through teaching, research, and service University Values Diversity, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence, Compassion, Creativity, and Teamwork Sample Questions (Please ensure as you develop your interview questionnaire, that you incorporate the questions that identify candidates that meet the University Values) Diversity In what ways have you modified your approach to managing your team members in order to accommodate their differences? Provide some specific examples. Describe a time when you needed to deal with someone very different from yourself. What was the difference? What actions did you take? What was the outcome? Tell me how you have promoted an acceptance of diversity in the workplace. What was has been the result? One of the ways people are different is in their style of relating with each other. Give some examples of different types of people you have worked with, and how you got along with each. Tell me about a diversity situation that you wish you had handled differently? What happened? Sometimes it can be challenging to understand people who speak little English or with a heavy accent. Tell me about a time when you encountered this situation and what you did? Please describe how you would work to create a campus environment that is welcoming, inclusive and increasingly diverse. What is your definition of diversity? How do you encourage people to honor the uniqueness of each individual? How do you challenge stereotypes and promote sensitivity and inclusion? Page 1 of 11

2 Tell us about a time when you had to work with someone who had the direct opposite personality of yours? Give an example of how you walk in the shoes of people we serve and those with whom we work. Tell us about a time when you changed your style to work more effectively with a person from a different background. Creativity When was the last time you thought outside the box and how did you do it? Why? Tell me about a problem that you ve solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or satisfied with it? Give me an example of when someone brought you a new idea that was odd or unusual. What did you do? When have you brought an innovative idea into your team? How was it received? Unfortunately, not all our new ideas are good ones. Tell me about a time when you thought you had a good idea and it didn't turn out to be so good. Describe for me how you have come up with a new or innovative way to solve a business problem. What was the idea and what happened with it? What is one of the most imaginative or innovative things you have done in your present position? Give me an example of a time when your frustration with a product or process led to making positive changes. Relate an approach that you have used that is different from your normal approach to solve a problem. How did you come up with the approach? What other options did you consider? Tell me about ways that you have improved the efficiency or effectiveness of your work unit. What creative/innovative ways have you found to reward excellent performance or results? In what ways have you helped your team to become more creative or innovative? Give me some specific examples. Page 2 of 11

3 Teamwork Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do? Tell me about a time when you worked with a colleague who was not doing their share of the work. How did you handle it? Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result? Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? What was the biggest mistake you have made when delegating work as part of a team project? Tell me about a time when you had settle a dispute between team members. How did you go about identifying the issues? What was the result? What have you found to be the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team? How did you handle this? We don't always work with people we'd consider ethical or honest. Describe a time when you have seen another employee do something that you thought was inappropriate? What did you do? Tell me about some situations in which you became frustrated or impatient when dealing with a co-worker. What did you do? Tell me about the best example of your willingness to help out another person. What was the situation? What was the outcome? Tell me about a time you had to work on a team and it was particularly challenging or didn't work well. Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have done to prevent this? Describe a team experience you found rewarding. Describe the types of teams you've been involved with. What were your roles? Page 3 of 11

4 Describe your leadership style and give an example of a situation when you successfully led a group. Give an example of how you have been successful at empowering a group of people in accomplishing a task. Give an example of how you worked effectively with people to accomplish an important result. Have you ever been a project leader? Give examples of problems you experienced and how you reacted. Have you ever been in a position where you had to lead a group of peers? How did you handle it? Have you ever participated in a task group? What was your role? How did you contribute? Please give your best example of working cooperatively as a team member to accomplish an important goal. What was the goal or objective? To what extent did you interact with others on this project? Some people work best as part of a group - others prefer the role of individual contributor. How would you describe yourself? Give an example of a situation where you felt you were most effective. Communication What do you like about being in Customer Service? What do you find is the most difficult part of being in Customer Service? What obstacles or difficulties have you ever faced in communicating your ideas to a manager? Tell me about a time when you went out of your way to give great service to a customer. Describe a process or system that you improved so customers would be better served. Tell me about a time when you asked for feedback on your customer service skills from your manager or co-worker and then used that response to improve your work. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). Page 4 of 11

5 Tell me about a time when you knew that your customer might not get what he or she needed on time. How did you handle this? Tell me about a time when you had to say No to a customer because it was against company policy. Tell me about a time when you had trouble working with a difficult or demanding customer. When have you had to present to a group of people with little or no preparation? What obstacles did you face? How did you handle them? Have you ever had to sell an idea to your co-workers? How did you do it? Tell me about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across. When have you had to deal with an irate customer? What did you do? How did the situation end up? Tell me about a time you have inherited a customer. What steps did you take to establish rapport with them? What did you do to gain their trust? Change Management Have you ever had to champion an unpopular change? What was the situation and how did you handle it? Have you ever had to persuade a peer or superior to accept an idea that you knew he/she would not like? Tell me about the resistance you met and how you overcame it. Have you ever had to persuade a group to accept a proposal or idea? How did you go about doing it? What was the result and how did you feel about it? Describe a time you recommended a change to procedure. What did you learn from that experience? How did you apply that learning in other situations? Tell me about a time when big changes took place in your job. What did you do to adjust to the change? Adaptability Tell me about a situation in which you have had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you handle it? Page 5 of 11

6 Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a colleague s working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives. How was your transition from high school to university? Did you face any particular problems? How did you handle them? Analytical Skills Describe the project or situation that best demonstrates your analytical abilities. What was your role? Tell me about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation. What kind of thought process did you go through? Was the recommendation accepted? If not, why? Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently? What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision? Why? Attention to Detail What process do you use to check that you have the right details from a customer? Give me an example of a time you discovered an error that been overlooked by a colleague. What did you do? What was the outcome? Tell me about a time that you were confused by a customer s request. What steps did you take to clarify things? When have you ever gone out on a limb to defend a customer? What happened? Decision Making Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it? Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision. What obstacles did you face? What is the most difficult decision you ve ever had to make at work? How did you arrive at your decision? What was the result? Page 6 of 11

7 Give me an example of a business decision you made that you ultimately regretted. What happened? Goals Give me an example of an important career goal which you set yourself and tell me how you reached it. What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome the obstacles? Tell me about a professional goal that you set that you did not reach. How did it make you feel? How have you gone about setting short-term goals and long-term goals for yourself or your team? What steps did you take along the way to keep yourself accountable? Initiative Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What was the outcome? Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity. What did you do? What was the result? What, if anything, do you wish you had done differently? Tell me about a project you initiated. What did you do? Why? What was the outcome? Were you happy with the result? Tell me about a time when your initiative caused a change to occur. What has been the best idea you have come up with during your professional career? Integrity/Ethics Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it? Tell me about a time when you experienced a loss for doing what is right. How did you react? Tell me about a business situation when you felt honesty was inappropriate. Why? What did you do? Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree. Why? Page 7 of 11

8 Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something that you didn't think was right? What did you do? Describe a time when you faced an ethical or values conflict in your job? Explain. How did you react? It is often easy to blur the distinction between confidential information and public knowledge. Tell me about a time you were faced with this? What did you do? Describe a time when you were asked to keep information confidential. Give examples of how you have acted with integrity in your job/work relationship. If you can, tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond? On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace. Tell about such an occurrence and how you handled it. Tell us about a specific time when you had to handle a tough problem which challenged fairness or ethnical issues. Trust requires personal accountability. Can you tell about a time when you chose to trust someone? What was the outcome? Excellence What work standards have you established? How did you ensure that the standards are being met? Give me an example. Tell me what project or assignment you've done that you were most proud of and why? How have you used data to identify problems? Tell me about a specific time. What did you do after identifying the problem? How have you monitored the quality of your employees' work? Give me a specific example. Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline. Why was the deadline missed? What steps have you taken to ensure customer satisfaction? Give some specific examples. Tell me about a time when some of the details in your work slipped through the crack. What happened and what did you do? Page 8 of 11

9 Tell me about a time when you were proud of the quality of your work and a time when you were not. What was the difference? Tell me about a time when your work required close attention to details. What process did you follow to ensure nothing was missed or got through incorrectly? There comes a time for everyone when you have to sacrifice quality in order to meet a deadline. Tell me about a time when you had to cut some corners and what resulted. Tell me about a time when you had numerous assignments due at the same time. How would you describe the quality of each? Tell me about a project or paper you handed in that you wish had been better? Why did you hand it in that way? What standards of performance were required at your current/past job? How have you done with meeting those standards? Tell me about a specific time that you met them and a time when you failed to meet the desired standards. What made the difference? Describe a situation or process that required your close attention or adherence to a prescribed procedure. Tell me about a time when the details of something you were doing were especially important. How did you attend to them? Describe a very detailed or complex project you had to complete for school. How did you approach it? How did it turn out? We have all had to miss a day of work from time to time. Tell me how you have handled this in the past. Getting Along Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress? Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn t like you. How did you handle it? Describe a recent unpopular decision you made. How was it received? How did you handle it? Page 9 of 11

10 What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful business relationships? Give me examples of how you have made these work for you. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team with someone you did not get along with. What happened? Describe a situation where you had a conflict with another individual, and how you dealt with it. What was the outcome? How did you feel about it? Leading the Way Tell me about a team project when you had to take charge of the project? What did you do? What was the result? Describe a leadership role of yours outside of work. Why did you commit your time to it? How did you feel about it? What is the toughest group that you have ever had to lead? What were the obstacles? How did you handle the situation? What has been your greatest leadership achievement in a professional environment? Talk through the steps you took to reach it. What have been the greatest obstacles you have faced in building/growing a team? Describe a time when you have not only been responsible for leading a team of people but for also doing the same job as your team members? How did you juggle/balance your time? Organizational Describe a situation that required you to do a number of things at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result? How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples. Tell me about a project that you planned. How did your organize and schedule the tasks? Tell me about your action plan. Page 10 of 11

11 Resilience Tell me about a particular work-related setback you have faced. How did you deal with it? When have you ever found yourself in a competitive situation professionally? How did you handle it? When have you seen your tenacity or resilience really pay off in a professional setting? What was the outcome? No matter how hard we try, we all occasionally make mistakes. Tell me about a mistake that you have made and what you did when you realized it was a mistake. Tell me about a time when you took a stand for something you believed in even if it was an unpopular position. What happened? Describe a risk you have taken that worked out well and one that didn't work out so well. Have you had to fire an employee? Describe the circumstances around the situation. Page 11 of 11