Job Interview Prep
Introduction
Although it’s impossible to prepare for every possible question that might come up during an interview, there are a few that are fairly common and that you can expect to answer at some point. It’s not a bad idea to reflect on these questions and plan for the core themes you want to touch on in your responses (although be aware that over-preparing for a particular question can lead to an answer that sounds scripted - try to avoid this). Over time, practicing for interviews will help you get better at communicating your value effectively, regardless of the specific question you get asked!
(Note: This page focuses on preparing for behavioral and cultural fit interviews. For guidance on preparing for your technical interviews, see the resources page for your cohort’s learning path.)
Resources
The following resources and practice questions are intended as a general guide to job interview preparation. Remember that your actual experiences may vary widely!
Have questions you’d like to add to the list? See the “Contributing” section at the bottom of the page.
Personal/Getting to Know You
- Tell me about yourself.
- Explain what you’re passionate about.
- What motivates you?
- What is your spirit animal?
Character and Behavioral
- Do you prefer to work in teams or individually?
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Tell me about a time you part of a project that failed, and what happened.
- What was your least favorite thing about your previous job?
- Why did you leave a previous job?
- How do you handle working with people who annoy you?
- What is your approach to being the newest member of a team?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager or supervisor, and what the outcome was.
- How do you deal with ambiguity?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a company or organizational policy, but had to implement it anyway.
- What do you do when your schedule is interrupted?
Experience and Skills
- Tell me about the MSSA program.
- What were your responsibilities in your last position?
- Tell me about a project you’ve been working on.
- Tell me about your experience with _____ on your resume.
- What do you know about _____?
- Describe a time when you used your _____ skills.
Company and Role
- Why do you want to work for our company?
- What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?
- What does your ideal job look like?
- If I let you write your own job description, what would it be?
- Where do you plan to be in one/five/ten years, and how do you plan to get there?
- If you could change one thing about our company or a specific product or service, what would it be?
Wrap-Up
- Do you have any questions for me?
Other Interview Prep Resources
Coming soon!
Contributing
This site is designed with MSSA students in mind, and aims to make contributions easy even for those who have minimal coding experience. Students and mentors alike are all welcome to submit pull requests.
Take a look at the Guide to Contributing page for ideas on how you can help and instructions for getting started!