Washington State University Career Guide - Flipbook - Page 38
Career & Resume Guide
for Cougs, 2024 Edition
PREPARING FOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Overview:
Traditional interviews are an
interactive process allowing you
and the employer to get to know
each other, build a rapport,
exchange information, and
evaluate whether or not there is
a fit between you, the hiring
officials, the organization and the
position.
Overview:
Behavioral interviews focus on
you demonstrating specific
experiences and tasks you have
completed and/or engaged in
that provide evidence of your
skills and abilities that are
pertinent to the position you are
interviewing for
Traditional Interview Questions
Employers are evaluating your:
• Attitude
• Confidence
• Appearance
• Personality
• And more
Behavioral Interview Questions
Employers are evaluating your:
• Knowledge
• Skills/Abilities
• Work Experiences
• Transferrable skills
• And more
Sample Questions:
• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you interested in
working for
?
• How does this position fit
into your career goals?
• What can you bring to the
position and organization?
• What do you expect from
the position/organization?
Sample Questions:
• Tell me about a time when
you have demonstrated
project management skills.
• Provide an example of your
communication skills and
abilities.
• What past experience have
you had that best
demonstrates your conflict
management skills?
STAR METHOD
EXAMPLE BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTION: Describe a recent work related problem and the
actions you took to solve it.
SITUATION: Advertising revenue was falling off for the Evergreen, WSU’s school newspaper,
and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.
TASK: My goal was to increase advertising revenues.
ACTION: I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the
benefits of Evergreen circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special
training session for the account executives with a professor who discussed competitive selling
strategies.
RESULT: We signed contracts with fifteen former advertisers for daily ads and five for special
supplements. We increased our new advertisers by twenty percent over the same period last
year.
38 | Career & Resume Guide for Cougs, 2024 Edition
