Interviewing
You can do all the right things to get your foot in the door of a company, but in order to get hired, you need to have strong interviewing skills which include being able to sell the prospective employer on the benefits you can bring to the company.
Preparing your answers for common interview questions can help ease your nerves during the interview process. Don’t just wing it. Gain interview practice using Interview Prep., then make an appointment with a career development advisor for a mock interview.
Common Questions
Wouldn’t it be great if you knew exactly what questions you would be asked in a job interview? Even the most qualified candidate can be thrown off by a random interview question. Our advice? Prepare and practice. We’ve compiled some of the most common questions that might get asked during an interview. Write out your answers and practice out loud with a friend or a Career Development Advisor.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you choose your major?
- How has what you learned in school prepared you for this position?
- What are your top three strengths?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- How do you think a friend, classmate or professor who knows you well would describe you?
- Why should I hire you?
- What qualifications do you have that make you think you will be successful in this job?
- In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization?
- What work environment are you most comfortable in?
- Tell me two or three accomplishments that have given you the most satisfaction. Why?
- Describe an ideal relationship between a supervisor and subordinates.
- Why did you decide to seek a position with our organization?
- What were the most important contributions you made in your last job?
- Tell me about a time when you had to cope with strict deadlines or time demands.
- Give me an example of a time when you had a particularly challenging situation with a peer/co-worker/customer. How were you able to handle the situation, even when you were angry and frustrated?
- Describe a time when you were under pressure to make an immediate decision. Did you take action immediately, or were you more deliberate and slow?
- Tell me about a situation when you had to stand up for a decision you made even though it was unpopular.
- Tell me about a new idea, policy, or procedure that you implemented that was considerably different from an existing one. What approach did you take to gain buy-in from your peers? What was the end result?
- Tell me about your experience in dealing with routine work. What kinds of problems did you have to overcome in order to concentrate on the details of the job?
- Tell me about a time when you took the initiative to set goals and objectives even though you were not prompted or directed by others to do so.
- Describe a time when you had to bend the rules in order to be successful or accomplish a goal.
- Tell me about a time when your understanding of organizational climate or culture helped you to achieve your desired results.
- Tell me about a time when you were proud of your ability to be objective even though you were emotional about a problem situation.
- Describe a work situation where you set a positive example for others.
- What are the most challenging aspects of the job?
- What is the departmental structure?
- Where does this position fit in the organization?
- Why do you enjoy working for your organization?
- What initial training will I receive?
- What opportunities for professional growth does the organization offer?
- How is an employee evaluated and promoted?
- What are the characteristics of a successful person at your company?
- What are the organization’s plans for future growth?
- What are the biggest challenges facing the organization/department?
- What is the management style of the organization? Of the department?
- How would you describe your company culture?
Technical Interviews
Technical interviews vary by company. The questions aim to evaluate your ability to solve algorithmic problems you haven't seen before. You may have more than one technical interview during the application process. Think of these as problem-solving questions.
What you need to know
Data Structures
- Linked lists
- Trees, tries and graphs
- Stacks and queues
- Heaps
- Vectors/array lists
- Hash tables
Algorithms
- Breadth-first search
- Depth-first search
- Binary search
- Merge sort
- Quick sort
Concepts
- Bit manipulation
- Memory (stack vs. heap)
- Recursion
- Dynamic programming
- Big O time and space
Tips
- Do your best to talk out loud throughout the problem and explain your thought process
- If the interviewer jumps in to help, let them.
- Be prepared to answer “why did you do it this way?â€
- Do not ignore information given. Info is there for a reason.
- Do not try to solve problems in your head. Use an example.
- Do not push through code when confused. Stop and think.
- Do not dive into code without the interviewer "sign off."
Preparing for your technical interview
Technical Training
Practice Interview Questions
Interviewing Resources
Resources
Mock Interview Resources
- Interview Prep
- Schedule a Mock Interview appointment with an Engineering Career Advisor