5 Types of Interview Questions with Examples

The transcription discusses different types of interview questions and their purpose. The main types mentioned are behavioral interview questions, situational interview questions, and a combination of both. Behavioral questions focus on past performance and provide concrete examples of a candidate's skills and competencies. Situational questions evaluate problem-solving and decision-making abilities by presenting hypothetical scenarios. The combination of both types aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of a candidate's qualifications. The episode also promotes a Christian career coaching program that offers personalized guidance for career growth, work-life balance, and increasing salary. Interviews are hard, y'all. I get it. I totally understand. Interviews are the most nerve-wracking thing. When you have to go impress somebody to try to get a job, you're trying to sell yourself, you're trying to prove that you're the one, the best one for the position, I totally get it. And coming from all the years of experience, I know how many different types of interview questions there can be and how trying to figure out what exactly is the interviewer trying to figure out from this question? What are they trying to get from me? It can be very baffling for a job seeker, for someone that's sitting on the other side of the table. And so today's episode is all about interview questions and the different types of interview questions. So I've got kind of a little list that I want to go through. Obviously, I'm going to talk about behavioral interview questions, but what are the other types of questions? And I'm going to give you some examples, and I'm going to tell you why these types of questions are used and what they're best used for. So I hope you enjoy today's episode, and I hope you can take a lot from it, especially if you have a job interview coming up. Let's dive in. Hey there, you professional, ambitious, working mama. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Do you want to achieve remarkable success and experience unwavering faith in your professional journey? Do you find yourself up late at night searching for answers on how to make more money, maintain a positive work-life balance, and achieve exponential career growth? Do you wake up with big, ambitious goals, only to feel overwhelmed and uncertain when faced with setbacks, frustrations, and unexpected challenges? Well, you're in the right place. I'm Susan Edwards, and on this podcast, we tackle those exact concerns head-on. We dive deep into strategies to propel your income, accelerate your career growth, and help you align your work with your faith. So if you're tired of feeling stuck and you're ready to embrace extraordinary success, unwavering faith, and a purposeful life, then join me on the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Together, we'll navigate the obstacles, find clarity amidst chaos, and unlock your true potential. Get ready for inspiration, actionable advice, and powerful insights that will empower you to conquer your fears and create the fulfilling career you've always dreamed of. Let's walk this transformative journey together. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast, where ambition meets faith and your dreams find their wings. Hey, amazing listeners. I want to share an exciting opportunity that can help you thrive in your career while aligning with your Christian values. As a devoted Christian career coach, I offer personalized one-on-one coaching sessions designed to empower you to achieve remarkable career growth, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and increase your salary. If you find yourself yearning for more money, missing certifications, or lacking certain job qualifications, I'm here to guide you through the process. With my expertise and faith-based approach, we'll address these challenges head-on and help you overcome them. 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During this call, we'll dive into your goals, address any obstacles, and explore how Christian career coaching can accelerate your journey. Don't let missing certifications or qualifications, work-life balance concerns, or stagnant salary hold you back. Together, we'll navigate these challenges and unlock your God-given potential. To book your free career clarity call, simply visit my website at www.ForwardsCareerServices.com. Let's embark on this transformative journey towards more money, career growth, work-life balance, and a higher salary, all while staying rooted in your Christian faith. I can't wait to connect with you and guide you towards the abundant career you deserve. Visit www.ForwardsCareerServices.com today and take the leap towards a fulfilling and prosperous professional life. It's interview time. It's interview time. We are talking about the job interview today. I think we've all heard of behavioral interview, and I've even done an episode on exactly what that means, what that is. Actually, I don't know if I've done that on this podcast or not. But I have done a YouTube video several years ago. I did a YouTube video on behavioral interviews. But today, I want to talk about five different types of interviews and what it means, so what exactly is a behavioral interview question. I'm going to give you some examples of that type of question. Obviously, this number one on my list is going to be behavioral interview questions. However, I've got four others that I do want to talk about today. I'm going to give you some examples, and I want to tell you why these types of interview questions are used. What exactly are they used for? I'll preface this entire episode by stating that the ultimate goal of any job interview is to try to gain a holistic view of the candidate's qualifications, their skills, and to really diagnose if they are a potential fit within the organization. It is very common for different interviewers to tailor the approach that they use based on the position. So as I go through these, maybe it'll make a little bit more sense as I get through it. So why don't we do that? Why don't we just dive right in? So obviously, first on my list is the behavioral interview questions. These are widely used. They've become a standard part of many interview processes. Behavioral questions are prevalent because they provide concrete examples of a candidate's past performance. It allows interviewers to be able to assess skills, behaviors, and competencies in a real-world context. Almost every organization uses some sort of behavioral interview questions. Here's a couple of examples of interview questions that are behavioral in their style. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a challenging team member. And the next example question is, describe a situation where you had to meet a tight deadline. How did you prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion? So as you can tell, these two questions, they're open-ended questions, obviously. It's going to allow the person being interviewed to open up and provide a real-world example of something that they've done in their past work experience. Now, the person that's interviewing you is going to know if what you're talking about in your example is something that is similar to maybe some of the situations that they have in their current workplace. So if they know how you have dealt with it in the past, past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. So there's a saying that goes along with that. I don't know if I'm saying that correctly, but the way you handle things in the past is a good predictor of how you'll handle things in the future. So that is number one on the list, behavioral interview questions. All right, so the second type of interview questions that I want to talk to you about is situational interview questions. These are also very commonly used, especially when an interviewer wants to evaluate how candidates would handle specific scenarios related to the job. These questions, situational interview questions, they help assess problem-solving skills. They also help with decision-making ability, so it'll help showcase what your ability level is when it comes to decision-making and also how well that you can apply your knowledge to new situations. So here's a couple of examples of situational interview questions. Imagine you're working on a team project and there's a disagreement among team members on the best approach. How would you facilitate a resolution and ensure that the project stays on track? So that's the first question as an example of a situational interview question. The next example is, how would you handle a situation where a project deadline is approaching and unexpected issues arise that jeopardize the project's completion on time? So a couple of great examples there on situational interview questions, and you really need to think about being in the situation and how you would handle being in that situation. Overall, what they're looking for, though, is your problem-solving skills, your decision-making abilities, and then how well you can apply your knowledge to new situations with those types of questions. Okay, the third type of question on my list is actually kind of a cheat, but it's a combination of both behavioral and situational. And a lot of times these questions are used to gain a comprehensive understanding of your qualifications. If I can ask about past experiences and presenting hypothetical scenarios, then I can assess both historical performance and your future potential. So here's a couple of examples of how I would combine both behavioral and situational questions into my interview. Describe a specific situation in your previous role where you had to adapt to unexpected changes. How did you handle it and what was the outcome? So that is example number one. And example number two is, imagine you are leading a team project and one team member is consistently not meeting expectations. Provide an example of when you faced a similar situation in the past. How did you address the performance issue and what was the outcome? So there's a couple of examples where you can actually combine both behavioral and situational questions into the interview. And if you're going to an executive level or a manager-level position, if that's the type of position that you're applying for, you can certainly expect these types of questions. Okay, number four on my list is traditional and technical questions. So obviously behavioral and situational questions are all about behaviors and patterns and almost more about soft skills where traditional and technical questions are going to be more about hard skills. These questions are going to be about your background, what your motivation is, and what your career goals are. For technical interviews, it could involve questions that obviously are related to skills, knowledge, or tasks relevant to the job. So here are a couple of questions. Can you walk me through your resume and highlight key experiences that make you a strong fit for this position? I love this question. That's a great one. Because you're talking about yourself, how could you fail that question? You know, you're talking about what's on your resume. And as long as you didn't lie about what's on your resume, you should be able to answer this one really good, really well. Okay, the second example would be, what do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement and how did you contribute to the success of that project or accomplishment? I don't think I've had a managerial interview where I did not ask that question. I always want to know what makes a manager most proud of themselves. And it's interesting because I'll get a wide array of answers. I have heard everything from, you know, achieving these great awards at their companies to promotions at their companies to personal things like having kids and, you know, raising their kids in church and seeing them, you know, be Christ followers. Or, you know, it could be, you know, the ability to be a stay-at-home mom for, you know, five years when her children were little or, you know, various examples. I've heard the whole gamut. A couple of other examples that I want to give because technically this kind of covers two different things. But traditional questions, that was really, the two examples that I just gave are really more traditional questions, whereas these two examples that I'm about to give are more technical questions. My next example is, can you explain the process of implementing, this is where you're going to insert a specific technology or methodology that's relevant to the job, and describe a situation where you successfully applied it in your previous role? So, obviously, I would fill in, you know, in my case, it would be, let's say, if I was interviewing an HR manager, I would say, can you explain the process of implementing Paylocity or Paycom or Workday or ADP? If you work in HR, then you know what I'm talking about. Those are HR ISs, HR information systems, and then describe a situation where you successfully applied it in your previous role. And the second example for a technical question would be, given a scenario where the system encounters a specific technical issue, how would you troubleshoot and resolve it? So, I don't think there's any job that can be done nowadays without some sort of technology. I mean, even the housekeepers that worked at the hotel that I previously worked at had devices that they were to use for every room that they went into. They could enter maintenance tickets. They could enter when they were finished cleaning that room. They could enter special requests if they needed additional towels, if they needed whatever they needed, you know, more supplies or anything like that. I'm just saying, even the positions that you would think don't use technology, they do. Your food and beverage servers obviously use technology. Many of them are bringing the technology to the table nowadays and literally entering your order as you speak it. So, technology is definitely something that you can ask about in every single position, those technical questions. Okay, so moving on, and my fifth and final interview questions are competency-based. These types of questions are good because they assess specific competencies required for a role, and they often incorporate both behavioral and situational elements. These interviews focus on core skills and behaviors essential for success in the job. So, here are a couple of examples. Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals to achieve a common goal. How did you contribute to the team's success? And then my second example is, can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt to a significant change in the workplace? How did you approach the change, and what was the outcome? So, in recapping, five different types of interview questions. Some kind of bleed into others, but I think that every interview that you go to, since you're managerial level and above, senior director, maybe a VP, these are definitely the types of questions that you are going to be asked. You're not just going to be asked basic questions like, tell me about your background, and the simple questions that you're used to. A good interviewer is going to spend some time with you and ask you these types of questions, because the goal is to make sure that you are the best fit for this position. And so, sometimes the specific emphasis on behavioral or situational questions is also influenced by the level of the position. Like, entry level positions may have a stronger focus on behavioral questions to assess foundational skills, while your more senior leader roles are going to involve more situational questions to evaluate strategic thinking and decision making. Ultimately, though, the combination of questions used in job interviews, again, it's designed to provide a holistic view of your qualifications, your skills, and the potential fit within the organization. It is common for interviewers to tailor their approach. It's going to be based on the requirements of the position and what would be most relevant for that specific position. And what their hiring strategy is, if there's layers to an interview, if there's one shot where they can only really afford to have one person do these interviews and they can't lose anybody else out of operation, so one person is the entire interview process and they have to make the decisions, then there is likely going to be a combination of all of these types of interview questions. Whereas, if you've got more layers and you've got more people that you're speaking to, these types of questions can be split up, and you want to make sure that, from an organizational standpoint, the same questions are not being asked in the interviews. So, just to recap the five different types of interview questions, the first being the behavioral interview questions. My second example was situational interview questions. The third was a combination of both. The fourth was traditional and technical questions. And then the fifth interview question type is competency-based. And I'll also say that a lot of times it's based on the comfort level of the person conducting the interview and what their preferences are. If they really enjoy asking technical questions, then they're going to be designated as the technical person in the interview process. So, the technical person is going to have to find out everything about your technical skills in their interview, but you may not know that ahead of time going into the interview. So, it's good for you to have knowledge about all of these types of interview questions and be familiar with the variety that exists and how long the process is. So, it's important for you to kind of dive into that in the first conversation that you have when they call you originally and just to find out what the interview process is going to be like and, you know, how long should you expect to be there. And, you know, as the interview process progresses, you can certainly expect your interviews to take a bit longer. So, while that very first initial interview where they're just getting to know you, they're asking some behavioral interview questions, it might only last 30 minutes. But, by the time you get to that third or fourth interview, you're definitely going to be spending an hour to two hours, sometimes more if needed, when you're interviewing for these types of, you know, senior leadership roles. So, this one was a little bit longer than a few of the past episodes, but I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you were able to take some notes. And, if not, then certainly pause it, rewind it, and then go back and listen to it, you know, those pieces. If you want to practice these interview questions that I gave throughout the episode, then certainly it would be a great way for you to practice before you go in for your next interview. The best piece of advice that I can give you when you're job searching is don't forget to pray. And, pray about not just the interview, but the questions that you're going to be asked and the way you represent yourself. And, certainly as a Christ follower, the way you're going to, you're representing other Christ followers as one yourself. So, I wish you the best of luck in your next job interview, in your upcoming job interview, and I can't wait to see you next week. Hey there, Ambitious Mama. I hope you enjoyed today's episode of the Christian Career Coach Podcast. If it resonated with you and provided valuable insights, I'd love for you to take just 30 seconds and share this episode with a fellow Christian professional who may benefit from the career advice and inspiration. Together, we can uplift and empower more women on their professional journeys. And, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Oh, and one more thing that would mean the world to me. Could you leave a review? Your feedback and support light me up and let me know that this podcast is making a positive impact in your life. As we continue this journey together, remember that you're not alone. I understand the joys and challenges of being an ambitious mama, and I'm here to cheer you on every step of the way. So, march your calendar because I'll meet you back here next Tuesday for another episode filled with valuable insights and practical tips. Until then, keep chasing your dreams, balancing your roles with grace, and shining brightly in your career and family life. I'll see you next week.