Usually the first question:
- Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Motivation:
- Why are you applying for this particular job?
- Which tasks in this position appeal to you the most?
- Can you tell me about your personal goals and future plans?
- How do you feel about routine work?
- Why did you choose this field of study?
- What engages/motivates you?
- How would you like to further develop your competence?
- What kind of job do you hope to have in five years?
- What kinds of work tasks do you enjoy the most?
- What kinds of work tasks do you enjoy the least?
Education:
- What can you contribute as a bachelor’s/master’s graduate in …?
- In what ways will your education be useful in this job?
- What is your greatest academic strength?
- Skills/experience/contributions:
- What experience do you have that you can use in this job?
- What do you think will be your most important contribution here?
- Do you have other experience outside your education that could be useful in this job?
- Tell me about a difficult task and how you solved it.
- Why should we hire you?
- Can you tell me about something you are proud to have accomplished?
Personal qualities:
- What keywords do you think your friends would use to describe you?
- Are you creative? Can you give an example?
- What would you say is your greatest personal strength?
- What makes you angry?
- Describe a person you admire. Why do you admire them?
- Do you work best alone or in a team?
- Can you give an example of a time you took initiative?
- Which personal qualities in yourself do you appreciate the most?
- What annoys you?
- How do you function under pressure? Give an example.
- What role do you usually take when you work in a team?
- What type of people do you collaborate best with?
- Tell me about two strengths and two weaknesses you have.
- Tell me about one strength and one weakness you have that will affect how you perform in this job.
- Do you prefer to give or receive instructions?
- Tell me about a conflict situation you have been in and how you handled it.
- What have you been interested in outside of studies and work?
- How will you contribute to the working environment here?
About the employer:
- What expectations do you have of us?
- How long do you think you will work for us?
- What is important to you in a work environment?
- What do you expect from your manager?
- What do you know about our industry?
Challenging questions:
- Due to health or other reasons, do you need any special accommodation if you are offered this job?
- You have taken longer than the standard time to complete your studies. Can you tell us the reason for that?
- What salary do you expect in this position?
- Is there anything we should have asked you that we haven’t asked?