COMMUNICATION

Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals

or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand
and retain the message.
Key Actions:

Organizes the communication Clarifies purpose and importance;

stresses major points; follows a logical sequence.
Maintains audience attention Keeps the audience engaged through
use of techniques such as analogies, illustrations, an appealing style,
body language, and voice inflection.
Adjusts to the audience Frames message in line with audience
experience, background, and expectations; uses terms, examples, and
analogies that are meaningful to the audience.
Ensures understanding Seeks input from audience; checks
understanding; presents message in different ways to enhance
understanding.
Adheres to accepted conventions Uses syntax, pace, volume,
diction, and mechanics appropriate to the media being used.
Comprehends communication from others Attends to messages from
others; correctly interprets messages and responds appropriately.

Evaluate the candidates behavior in the dimension of communication.

Review your notes and determine whether the candidates behavior in

the dimensions Key Actions was effective (+), neutral (o), or
ineffective/absent (-).
Place a check mark on the appropriate line for each Key Action.
Use a five-point scale (5 much more than acceptable; 4 more than
acceptable; 3 acceptable; 2 less than acceptable; and 1 much
less than acceptable) to rate the candidates behavior in the
dimension. Write the rating in the space provided.
+
___

o
___

___

Organizes the communication

___

___

___

Maintains audience attention

___

___

___

Adjusts to the audience

___

___

___

Ensures understanding

___

___

___

Adheres to accepted conventions

2

___

___

___

Comprehends communication from others

Communication Rating: _______

IMPERIAL QUESTIONS
Analytical
You answer should:
-Identifies issues, problems, and opportunities
- gathers information
-interprets information
-generates alternatives

-chooses appropriate action

-commits to action
-involves others

Give me an example of a time when you had to get someone to buy-in to your solution to
a problem with other people on a team. How did you convince them that your solution
was the best?
Often problems could have multiple solutions. Can you give me an example when you
had to choose on solution over another? How did you decide it was the best solution?

Interpersonal Effectiveness
You answer should:
-Opens discussions effectively
-Clarifies the current situation
-Develops others and own ideas
-Facilitates agreement
- Closes discussions with clear summaries
-Purposefully builds relationships

Give me an example when you were at _______ where you working with a group
that was having difficulty accomplishing a task/project. What did you do?
Not everyone we encounter is as cooperative as we would like. Tell me about a time
when someone refused to do something you needed to have done. How did you
respond?

Job Fit
You answer should:
- Challenging work, Continuous learning, high responsibility/accountability, relationship building,
task variety, details, practical results

Tell me about
Not everyone we encounter is as cooperative as we would like. Tell me about a time
when someone refused to do something you needed to have done. How did you
respond?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS BASED ON SKILL/COMPENENCY

ADAPTABILITY
Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the
work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures,
processes, requirements, or cultures.
Key Actions:

Tries to understand changes Tries to understand changes in work

tasks, situations, and environments as well as the logic or basis for
change; actively seeks information about new work situations.
Approaches change or newness positively Treats change and new
situations as opportunities for learning or growth;
focuses on the beneficial aspects of change; speaks
positively about the change to others.
Adjusts behavior Quickly modifies behavior to deal effectively with
changes in the work environment; readily tries new approaches
appropriate for new or changed situations; does not persist with
ineffective behaviors.
Questions:

1.

Tell me about a situation in which you had to adjust quickly to a

significant change in organization, department, or team priorities. How
did the change affect you? What did you do?

2.

Working with people from diverse backgrounds can be challenging.

Tell me about a time when you faced a significant challenge working
with people from different organizations. What did you do? What was
the result?
5

3.

New processes and procedures can be disruptive. What actions have

you taken when you've been asked to significantly change a work
process or procedure? What were the results?

4.

Going from ____ department to ____ department must have been

difficult. Describe the adjustments you made during the transition.

5.

Your assignment as ____ is certainly very different from what you were
doing before. Can you compare and contrast
the assignments? How long did it take you to feel
comfortable doing the new work?

6.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with an unexpected policy
change. How did it affect you? What did you do?

7.

Tell me about the most challenging change youve faced at work.

What did you do? What were the results?

8.

Sometimes we have to work under new policies or procedures we

don't agree with. Tell me about the last time you disagreed with a new
policy or procedure instituted by senior management. How did you
respond?

9.

Tell me about the time when you had to change your work schedule to
help a peer. How did this affect you? What happened?

10.

Tell me about the most diverse group/team that youve been a part of.
What problems did you encounter? What did you do? What
happened?

11.

Not all organizational changes are clearly explained and/or

communicated. What have you done when you found out about an
unexpected change or were confused by a change?

12.

Tell me about a situation in your job at _________when you had to

abruptly change what you were doing. What did you do? How did the
change affect you?

13.

Can you give me an example of a time when you recently made an

effective adjustment to a changing policy or procedure. What did you
do? Why was it effective?

14.

Unexpected absences can disrupt progress of a work

task/assignment/project. Tell me about a time when this happened to
you and explain what you did.
6

BUILDING STRATEGIC WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment
of work goals.
Key Actions:

Seeks opportunities - Proactively tries to build effective working

relationships with other people.
Clarifies the current situation - Probes for and provides information to
clarify situations.
Develops others' and own ideas - Seeks and expands on original
ideas, enhances others' ideas, and contributes own ideas about the
issues at hand.
Subordinates personal goals - Places higher priority on team or
organization goals than on own goals.
Facilitates agreement - Gains agreement from partners to support
ideas or take partnership-oriented action; uses sound rationale to
explain value of actions.
Uses Key Principles - Establishes good interpersonal relationships by
helping people feel valued, appreciated, and included in discussions
(enhances self-esteem, empathizes, involves, discloses, supports).
Questions:

1.

Describe a situation in which you needed to brainstorm

differing/conflicting ideas with others in order to help accomplish work
goals.

2.

Describe a time when your goals or preferences were not included in a

final team/group decision. How did you respond?

3.

Give me an example of a time when you worked with a group/team to

determine project responsibilities. What was your role? What process
did the group/team use? What difficulties or issues came up?

4.

Sometimes it can be difficult and frustrating to obtain information from

other people in order to solve a problem or achieve goals. Please
describe a situation you've had like this. What did you do?
7

5.

Occasionally other people's work priorities conflict with ours. Tell me

about a time when this happened to you. What did you do?

6.

Working with others usually involves some and give-andtake.

Describe a time when you worked out an agreement with a peer or
team member. What did you do?

7.

Describe a time when you wished you'd been more collaborative with
others at work. What did you do?

8.

Interacting with others can be challenging at times. Tell me about the

greatest difficulty you faced when trying to get along with peers, team
members, or others at work. How did you handle the situation?

9.

Leaders often have opportunities to foster positive relationships at

work. Give me an example of a time when you did this.

10.

Tell me about one of the toughest teams/groups that you've had to

work with. What made it difficult? What did you do?

11.

Have you ever helped a peer or tem member develop an idea? Tell
me about one of those times.

12.

Tell me about a time you worked with someone who wasn't as

cooperative as you needed them to be. What did you do?

13.

Have you ever spent a significant amount of your own time and effort
into helping a team/group complete a task? Give me an example.
What happened?

14.

Have you ever been on a team/group with an unproductive person?

What did you do?

15.

Can you describe a situation in which you dealt with a very sensitive
person. What did you do? What happened?

BUILDING TRUST

Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one's intentions
and those of the organization.
Key Actions:

Operates with integrity - Demonstrates honesty; keeps commitments;

behaves in a consistent manner.
Discloses own positions - Shares thoughts, feelings, and rationale so
that others understand personal positions.
Remains open to ideas - Listens to others and objectively considers
others' ideas and opinions, even when they conflict with one's own.
Supports others - Treats people with dignity, respect, and fairness;
gives proper credit to others; stands up for deserving others and their
ideas even in the face of resistance or challenge.
Questions:

1.

We don't always work with people who are ethical or honest. Give me
an example of a time when you saw another employee to something
that you thought was inappropriate. What did you do? What
happened?

CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking
advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on
the job and learning through their application.
Key Actions:

Targets learning needs - Seeks and uses feedback and other sources
of information to identify appropriate areas for learning.
Seeks learning activities - Identifies and participates in appropriate
learning activities (e.g., courses, reading, selfstudy, coaching,
experimental learning) that help fulfill learning needs.
Maximizes learning - Actively participates in learning activities in a way
that makes the most of the learning experience (e.g., takes notes, asks
questions, critically analyzes information, keeps on-the-job application
in mind, does required tasks).
Applies knowledge or skill - Pouts new knowledge, understanding, or
skill to practical use on the job; furthers learning through trial and error.
Takes risks in learning - Puts self in unfamiliar or uncomfortable
situation in order to learn; asks questions at the risk of appearing
foolish; takes on challenging or unfamiliar assignments.
9

Questions:
1.

Describe how you have identified and pursued learning opportunities in

new areas.

2.

What was the most difficult task you had to learn on your job at
______?

3.

In any new job there are some things we pick up quickly and other
things that take more time to learn. Think about your last job, and tell
me about something you learned quickly and something that took more
time.

4.

Describe a situation in which you capitalized on an opportunity to learn

a new skill.

5.

It's difficult to keep up with the rapid technical changes occurring in

almost every field. Tell me about an area that you don't completely
understand because of the number or complexity of changes.

6.

Even after working with a piece of equipment or machinery for a long

time, you might still have questions about how it operates. Tell me
about a piece of equipment or machinery you've worked with for a long
time, but still have questions about.

7.

Seemingly constant changes in processes, procedures, and

technology make it difficult to keep up with everything there is to know
about our jobs. How do you determine which areas to target for
learning?

8.

We've all had the experience of trying a new technique or process

we've learned in training, only to have difficulty making it work. Tell me
about a time when this happened to you. What did you do? What
happened?

9.

Learning new skills isn't always easy or fun. Tell me about the last
time you volunteered to work on a project even though it seemed
intimidating to you. What happened?

10.

What steps have you taken to make the most of a learning

experience?

11.

How did you learn everything you needed to know when you started in
your position as _______?

12.

Have you taken any steps to improve your skill or performance? Give
me an example of when you did this.
10

FOLLOW-UP
Monitoring the results of delegations, assignments, or projects, considering the
skills, knowledge, and experience of the assigned individual and the
characteristics of the assignment or project.
Key Actions:

Communicates time frames Builds due dates into assignments and

task delegations; effectively communicates milestones and expected
results.
Gathers appropriate information Asks questions to obtain relevant
information; convenes meetings to review progress and share
information; gets feedback on results from those directly involved.
11

Evaluates results Meets formally with peers, associates, and others

to review the results of an assignment, project, or delegated task.
Questions:

1.

We've all been surprised when we find out a deadline was missed
because someone didn't do what he or she was supposed to do. Tell
me about a time this happened to you.

GAINING COMMITMENT
Using appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of
ideas or plans; modifying one's own behavior to accommodate tasks, situations,
and individuals involved.
Key Actions:

Opens discussions effectively - Describes expectations, goals,

requests, or future states in a way that provides clarity and excites
interest.
Clarifies the current situation - Sees, gives, and summarizes
information; ensures that the situation/issue at hand is understood.
Develops others' and own ideas - Presents own ideas; seeks and
develops suggestions of others; makes procedural suggestions.
Facilitates agreement - Uses appropriate influence strategies (such as
demonstrating benefits or giving rewards) to gain genuine agreement;
persists by using different approaches as needed to gain commitment.
Closes discussions with clear summaries - Summarizes outcomes of
discussions and establishes next steps it needed.
Uses Key Principles - Establishes good interpersonal relationships by
helping people feel valued, appreciated, and included in discussions
(enhances self-esteem, empathizes, involves, discloses, supports).
Questions:

1.

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.

2.

Not everyone agrees with our decisions. Tell me about an unpopular

decision you made and how you gained acceptance from others.

3.

Describe a face-to-face meeting in which you had to influence a very

sensitive person. What techniques did you use? What happened?
12

4.

Tell me about one of the most difficult one-on-one meetings in which

you had to gain someone's agreement with or commitment to an idea
or plan. What did you do?

5.

What are the most successful techniques you've used to gain others'
agreement? Describe one or more of these techniques.

6.

Once you gain agreement to an idea or plan, how do you ensure that
the agreed-upon actions are taken?

7.

As managers, we are concerned about people whose performance is

less than satisfactory. Tell me about a time when you gained
commitment from a peer/team member/direct report to improve that
person's performance. What did you do?

8.

Occasionally we need information and contributions from other people

to be effective in our jobs. Describe whet you've done to ensure
others' participation in one of your projects.

9.

Often we must convince others of the benefits they will realize from
committing to an idea or plan. Describe how you've demonstrated the
benefits of a plan or idea to gain someone's commitment. What
happened?

10.

Tell me about a time when you influenced an associate to take on a

difficult assignment that was beyond the scope of the person's
responsibilities. What did you do? What happened?

11.

Tell me about a time when you worked with a direct report/team

member/peer to develop an idea or plan. Describe whet you did to
gain this person's commitment.

12.

Tell me about a time when you needed to persuade a team

member/peer to change his or her mind about something. What did
you do?

13.

Give me an example of a time when you influenced others to do a job

in a new and different way.

13

JOB FIT
The extent to which activities and responsibilities available in the job are
consistent with the activities and responsibilities that result in personal
satisfaction; the degree to which the work itself is personally satisfying.
Facets:

Achievement - Meeting increasing work challenges.

Center of attention - Working on high-profile assignments.
Challenging work - Working on difficult or demanding tasks requiring
substantial effort and commitment.
Coaching others - Fostering other people's job-related development
Commission - Working under a pay structure in which part of one's
income depends on measurable performance (e.g., commission
sales).
Compensation - Receiving a commensurate salary or monetary
compensation (e.g., stock options) for work.
Complexity - Performing complex tasks or working on complex
projects.
Continuous learning - Increasing knowledge and skill when
circumstances call for additional learning.
Details - Working on tasks requiring great attention to details.
Entrepreneurialism - Developing business by seeking out new
opportunities, taking risks, and initiating new ventures.
Formal recognition - Receiving formal recognition (inside and outside
the organization) for accomplishments.
High-involvement leader - Influencing others by creating a
participative, empowered environment.
14

High-involvement member - Working in a participative, empowered

environment.
High responsibility/accountability - Receiving primary
responsibility/accountability for completing tasks that might place
heavy demands on one's time and involvement.
Influencing others - Using appropriate interpersonal styles and
methods to inspire and guide individuals; gaining acceptance of ideas
or plans.
International exposure - Working with situations involving different
cultures/languages and responding to the ambiguity of
unexpected/unfamiliar approaches.
Interpersonal support - Receiving regular and abundant emotional
support, reassurance, and gestures of appreciation.
Physical environment - Working in a physically comfortable and
attractive environment.
Position/Status - Holding a position with a highly respected title or
status relative to others in the organization.
Practical results - Performing work that results in concrete outputs or
outcomes.
Promotion opportunities - Earning positions of greater
responsibility/status.
Recognition for expertise - Receiving rewards or recognition for
expertise in technical or others specialized skill areas.
Relationship building - Developing and maintaining ongoing working
relationships requiring personal interaction and mutual support.
Standardized work - Performing clearly defined, stable work
assignments with established goals and procedures.
Task variety - Working on several different tasks or projects.
Travel - Regularly traveling away from the office (i.e., flying, driving) to
conduct business.
General Questions:

1.

When were you most satisfied or dissatisfied in your work? What was
most satisfying or dissatisfying about that?

2.

Tell me about a time when work would have been more enjoyable if
there had been more or fewer aspects of the job (e.g., tasks,
relationships, opportunities) available.
Job Fit Facet Questions:
Use Question 1 when a facet is extremely present in job; use Question 2
when a facet is extremely absent from a job. Some facets have only one
question, which can be used in both situations.

15

Achievement
1.

Tell me about a time when you had difficult goals to achieve at work.
How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that?

2.

Tell me about a situation in which you easily achieved your work goals.
How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that?

Challenging Work
1.

Tell me about one of the most difficult and demanding tasks you've had
to complete. How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that?

2.

Describe a time when the tasks you were working on were not difficult
or demanding. How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that?

Complexity
1.

Tell me about a time when you had a lot of opportunities to work on

complex tasks. How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that, and
why?

Continuous learning
1.

Tell me about a job you had in which continuous learning was

necessary for you to be effective. How satisfied/dissatisfied were you
with that?

Details
1.

Tell me about a job you had that required high attention to details.
How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that, and why?

2.

Tell me about a time when your job did not require high attention to
details. How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that, and why?

16

Influencing Others
1. Tell me about a time when you had the opportunity to inspire or
motivate others to take action and achieve goals. How
satisfied/dissatisfied were you with that, and why?

MANAGING CONFLICT
Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using appropriate
interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or
more people.
Key Actions:

Opens discussions effectively - Establishes a clear and compelling

rationale for resolving the conflict.
Clarifies the current situation - Collects information from relevant
sources to understand the conflict.
Remains open to all sides - Objectively views the conflict from all
sides.
Stays focused on resolution - Stays focused on resolving the conflict
and avoids personal issues and attacks.
Develops others' and own ideas - Presents and seeks potential
solutions or positive courses of action.
Initiates action - Takes positive action to resolve the conflict in a way
that addresses the issue, dissipates the conflict, and maintains the
relationship.
Closes discussions with clear summaries - Summarizes to ensure that
all are aware of agreements and required actions.
Questions:

1.

Working on a project with others sometimes causes conflict. Describe

one of the most difficult situations you've had
involving conflict with another person. How did you handle
it?

2.

People in conflict often become antagonistic and unproductive. Tell

me about a time when you had a conflict with another person and
remained objective. Describe how you did this. What happened?

3.

Tell me about a time when you came up with an effective rationale for
resolving a conflict. What did you do? What happened?
17

4.

Describe the most difficult conflict you've been involved in. What
actions did you take to resolve the conflict? What happened?

5.

People in a conflict sometimes can't separate issues from

personalities. Tell me about a time when personal issues (yours or
someone else's) got in the way of resolving a conflict.

6.

Not every conflict we're involved in can be resolved. Tell me about a

conflict you couldn't resolve. What did you try?
What happened?

7.

Tell me about a time when you took positive action to resolve a conflict.
What did you do? What happened?

8.

Have you ever been a member of a group/team on which there was a

conflict? What did you do to encourage agreement? What happened?

9.

Open conflict can prevent a team/group from achieving objectives. Tell

me about a time when you were in this kind of a situation. What did
you do about it? What happened?

10.

Tell me about a time when you had to mediate a discussion among

people who were in conflict. How did you prepare?
What did you do?

11.

Can you tell me how you prepared for a meeting in which you
addressed conflict issues with another person? What did you do?
What happened?
Questions for people with little work experience:
1.

Interacting with others can be challenging at times. Describe

a student group you were a member of in which there was
conflict. What specifically did you do in this situation? What
happened?

MANAGING WORK (Includes Time Management)

Effectively managing ones time and resources to ensure that work is completed
efficiently.
Key Actions:
18

Prioritizes Identifies more critical and less critical activities and tasks;
adjusts priorities when appropriate.
Makes preparations Ensures that required equipment and/or
materials are in appropriate locations so that own and others work can
be done effectively.
Schedules Effectively allocates own time to complete work;
coordinates own and others schedules to avoid conflicts.
Leverages resources Takes advantage of available resources
(individuals, processes, departments, and tools) to complete work
efficiently.
Stays focused Uses time effectively and prevents irrelevant issues or
distractions from interfering with work completion.
Questions:

1.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting priorities.
How did you determine the top priority?

2.

Describe how you've organized materials (files, records, or other

information) so that you could find them easily.

3.

Describe a procedure you've used to keep track of items requiring your

attention. Tell me about a time when you used this procedure.

4.

At one time or another, weve all forgotten to do something important

for an internal/external customer. Tell me about a time when this
happened to you recently. What did you forget? Why? What
happened?

5.

Tell me about a time when you adjusted your work schedule because
you couldn't get all the necessary parts, materials, or equipment for a
project. How did this happen? What did you do?

6.

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.

7.

Give me a recent example of a time when your schedule was disrupted

by unforeseen circumstances. What did you do?

8.

What performance/production objectives were you expected to achieve

this year? What steps did you take to ensure that you were making
progress in all areas?

9.

Tell me about how you've scheduled meetings with other people so

you could complete your work more efficiently. What steps did you
take?
19

10.

Every once in a while, we all have idle time on the job because of
some unforeseen event (unexpected delays, etc.). Tell me about the
last time this happened to you.
What did you do?

11.

Prioritizing project/activities/responsibilities can be challenging. Tell

me about the last time you could've done a better job of prioritizing a
project/activity/responsibility. What happened?

12.

Describe how you plan your daily or weekly activities. Walk me

through the process for yesterday (or last week).

13.

Do you have a particular system for organizing your work area? Tell
me about a time when that system helped you in your job and a time
when it didn't.
Questions for people with little work experience:

1.

Tell me about a time when your school course load was very heavy.
What steps did you take to get all your work done?

2.

Describe how you scheduled your classes to meet your degree

requirements most effectively.

3.

Tell me how you balanced your schoolwork with extracurricular

activities.

4.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting priorities.
How did you determine the top priority?

20

ORGANIZATION FIT
The extent to which an organization's mode of operation and values are
consistent with the type of environment that provides personal satisfaction.
Facets:

Achievement recognition - Emphasis on appropriately rewarding

individual success.
Bias for action - Oriented toward aggressive, proactive responses to
problems and opportunities.
Challenging the status quo - Emphasis on asking questions and
challenges the norms and standard procedures for breakthrough
advances.
Civic responsibility - Support of and involvement in community
activities (e.g., volunteering).
Clarity of policies and procedures - Emphasis on carefully documented
organizational policies, procedures, and other rules for doing business.
Continuous improvement - Emphasis on constantly improving
processes, products, and services and exploring innovative ways to do
the job.
Customer focus - Emphasis on understanding, meeting, and
exceeding customer needs and maximizing customer satisfaction.
Employment security - Operation of a stable business that creates
employment security.
Environmental sensitivity - Encouragement of environmentally safe
work processes and proactive measures in protecting surroundings.
Fun and friendly environment - Orientation toward a size and style that
makes it possible for employees to be well acquainted in an upbeat
and energetic environment.
Geographic distribution - Possession of business units located
throughout a wide national and international geographic area.
Growth at any cost - Emphasis on the bottom line and increasing
organizational resources and assets.
High-technology orientation - Uses and/or development of state-of-theart, high-tech applications.
Intellectual focus - Emphasis on intellectual discussions, continuing
education, professional development, and idea exchange.
Interdepartmental cooperation - Cultivation of an atmosphere of
interdependence, collaboration, and reciprocal communication
between divisions within the company.
Lean and mean - Maintenance of minimum staff for efficiency and
effectiveness.
21

Minimum management structure - Orientation toward a simple, short,

decision-making infrastructure.
Openness to frequent change - Willingness to consider change and to
adapt; modification of job and roles within an organization to adapt to
change.
Participative management - Encouragement of an environment in
which individuals have a sense of ownership and influence over their
work.
Personal freedom - Emphasis on freedom from imposed constraints in
the work environment and on a healthy balance between work and
other activities.
Personal growth - Enhancement of individual effectiveness by
providing training and development opportunities.
Planning for long-term success - Orientation toward achieving future
success, long-term goals, and meeting timelines through careful
planning and well-established strategic direction.
Prestige - Orientation toward prominence, domination of the industry,
influential status, and/or contributions to society.
Quality focus - Emphasis on the production of high-quality goods and
services.
Quick reaction to business opportunities - Emphasis on responding
quickly to business needs and developing products, plans, and
strategies quickly and perfecting them later.
Resource consciousness - Emphasis on prudent use of resources and
avoiding waste.
Thriving on risk - Promotion of bold ventures to take advantage of
business opportunities.
Valuing diversity - Advancement of diversity in the workforce (with
regard to race, ethnicity, opinion, gender, physical ability, etc.) for the
achievement of common goals.
General Questions:

1.

When were you most satisfied or dissatisfied working in a company or

organization? What was it about the company or organization that
made it satisfying/dissatisfying?

2.

Tell me about a time when work would have been more enjoyable if
some characteristic of the company or organization had been different
(e.g., policies, environment, structure.)

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

Establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is
completed efficiently.
22

Key Actions:

Prioritizes Identifies more critical and less critical activities and

assignments; adjusts priorities when appropriate.
Determines tasks and resources Determines project/assignment
requirements by breaking them down into tasks and identifying types
of equipment, materials, and people needed.
Schedules Allocates appropriate amounts of time for completing own
and others work; avoids scheduling conflicts; develops timelines and
milestones.
Leverages resources Takes advantage of available resources
(individuals, processes, departments, and tools) to complete work
efficiently; coordinates with internal and external partners.
Stays focused Uses time effectively and prevents irrelevant issues or
distractions from interfering with work completion.
Questions:

1.

Tell me about a time when you faced conflicting priorities. How did you
determine the top priority?

2.

How have you avoided scheduling conflicts when working on a project

with several other people?

3.

Tell me about a time when you had to coordinate resources (people,

processes, departments, equipment) to complete a complex project.

4.

Tell me abut 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?

5.

What kinds of project planning or administration did you do in your job

at ________? Tell me about one of the projects you planned.

6.

What objectives were you expected to meet this year? What steps did
you take to make sure you were making progress on all of them?

7.

Prioritizing projects/activities/responsibilities can be challenging. Tell

me about the last time you could have
done a better job of prioritizing a
project/activity/responsibility. What happened?

8.

Tell me about a time when you adjusted your work schedule because
you couldn't get all the necessary parts, materials, or equipment for a
project. Tell me about one of those situations. What did you do?
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9.

Describe a time at _________when you needed to complete several

things at the same time. What did you do to get the work done?

10.

What have you done to make your department/group/team more

efficient or organized? Give me an example.

11.

Tell me about a long- or short-term plan you've developed for your

department.

12.

Have you ever prepared production or delivery schedules? Describe

how you did this.

13.

Have you planned any conferences, workshops, or retreats? Describe

the steps involved in planning one of these.

Questions for people with little work experience:

1.

What factors did you consider when setting up your class schedule?

2.

How did you balance you schoolwork with extracurricular activities?

3.

Tell me about a time at school when you faced conflicting priorities.

How did you determine the top priority?

4.

We've all been in situations in which we couldn't complete everything

we needed to one time. Tell me about a time when this happened to
you.

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SAFETY AWARENESS
Identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee safety; upholding
safety standards.
Key Actions:

Identifies safety issues and problems - Detects hazardous working

conditions and safety problems; checks equipment and/or work area
regularly.
Takes corrective action - Reports or corrects unsafe working
conditions; makes recommendations and/or improves safety and
security procedures; enforces safety regulations and procedures.
Monitors the corrective action - Monitors safety or security issues after
taking corrective action and ensures continued compliance.
Questions:
1. In your job at ____, did you ever notice any process or task
that was being performed unsafely? Give me an example.
How did you notice it? What did you do?

2. Have you ever seen a co-worker doing something unsafe?

Tell me about the situation. What did you do?

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STRESS TOLERANCE
Maintaining stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as time
pressure or job ambiguity); handling stress in a manner that is acceptable to
others and to the organization.
Key Actions:

Maintains focus - Stays focused on work tasks and productively uses

time and energy when under stress.
Maintains relationships - Presents a positive disposition and maintains
constructive interpersonal relationships when under stress.
Copes effectively - Develops appropriate strategies as needed to alter
conditions that create stress and to sustain physical and mental health.
Questions:

1.

Every job produces different levels of stress. What was the most
stressful aspect of your job at ____? How did you react to this?

2.

We all have times when the responsibilities of our jobs are

overwhelming. Give me an example of a time when you felt
overwhelmed at work. How did you react?

3.

Working with customers can be challenging at times. Describe one of

the most stressful interactions you've had with an internal/external
customer. How did you react?

4.

Have you ever been faced with an ethical or value conflict in your job?
Give me an example of when this happened to you. What did you do?

5.

Have you ever worked in a job with a high level of ambiguity? Give me
an example. How did you handle the situation?

6.

To what extent have you had to work in very unpleasant work

conditions (heat, dust, noise, etc.)? Give me an example of when you
worked under these conditions. How did you cope?

7.

Sometimes interacting with others at work can be difficult. Describe

the most stressful interaction you've had with your
management/supervisor/team leader or a peer/team member. How did
you respond?

8.

Tell me about a time when you were too busy at work to take a break.
How did you cope?
26

9.

Can you think of a time when you had unreasonable production goals?
How did you respond?

10.

Sometimes angry, internal customers make personal accusations or

attacks. Tell me about a time when this happened to you. How did it
affect you? How did you react?

11.

Tell me about an important project you were working on that had an

unreasonable deadline. How did it affect you? How did you react?

12.

Work can be filled with distractions or interruptions. Tell me about a

time when you wee distracted or interrupted often at work. How did
you react?

Questions for people with little work experience:

1.

Describe a time when your workload in school was particularly heavy.

How did you respond?

2.

We've all been in high-pressure situations at school. Describe a time

like this in your school experience. How did you react?

3.

Describe a time when you faced conflicting demands at school. What

were the demands? How did you respond?

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