Common Interview Questions

You have sent out resumes and now the time has come for an interview. The best approach is to put a game plan together and practice answering questions in front of a mirror or with a friend. Remember to talk about the challenges of being a student athlete as well as any job experience you may have. The following is a list of commonly asked questions you can expect:

1. Tell me about yourself.
This is a common first question to ease the tension. Remember to not get long winded and keep your answer relatively short.

2. Tell me about your education?
This is a great opportunity to elaborate on the lessons you learned while being a student athlete.

3. Why would you like to work for this company?
Show the employer you spent the time to research the company and correlate your skill set and values to those of the company.

4. Describe your best and worst boss (or coach).
Always try to stay positive and talk about your best boss. If the employer pressures you to talk about a boss you disliked, talk about how you tried to adapt to work with them.

5. What are your strengths?
This is the best time to really talk about you. Make sure you use examples about when your strengths paid off. It is also important to correlate the lessons you learned from being a student athlete to the requirements of the job.

6. What are your weaknesses?
It is important to understand your strengths and weaknesses. By being able to talk about your weaknesses the employer will know you are open minded and willing to improve.

7. How do others describe you?
Take some time to think about how your peers may perceive you. You may even want to ask some friends or coaches how they would describe you.

8. What is your greatest accomplishment in life?
Think about an accomplishment that required the same skill set as the job for which you are applying.

9. Where do you see yourself in five years?
It is not a good idea to tell the interviewer that you will be in the same position for which you are applying. This is an opportunity to elaborate on your ambition, drive, and competitiveness.

10. Tell me about a time you gave something everything you had and failed.
Everybody fails at something, so be honest with your answer. However, make sure you follow up the failure with lessons learned and show how you used those lessons to succeed at something else. Always follow a negative with a positive.

11. Give an example where you showed leadership and initiative.
Use examples from previous jobs or athletics when you recognized something needed to be done and you took the initiative to do it.

12. What do you do to make sure you are always improving?
Always show you are willing to learn. Talk about instances when you went out of your way to improve and ambitious opportunities you have pursued. It is important to talk about the significance of setting goals.

13. What would your greatest contribution be to our company?
Go back to the values of the company and relate them to your values and strengths. Give examples of success and try to create a visual picture of you succeeding in the company.

14. Tell me about a time you gave something everything you had and succeeded.
This is another great opportunity to show how you are able to set goals and accomplish them. Walk the employer through the steps you implemented to make sure you accomplished the task.

15. Sell me an object.
Many managers will ask you to sell them an object in an interview. It is important to find out what they are looking for in a product and then satisfy their needs with your product.

16. Do you have any questions for me?
This is your opportunity to ask for the job. Let the employer know you are excited about the opportunity and tell them why you are the right candidate for the job. Always leave an interview with the employer smiling.