The Terrifying Interview!

No one preps you in Medical School for an interview which is most unfortunate. Most people learn the hard way by being interviewed multiple times. This is a laundry list of interview questions, some of which have left me stumped in interviews, others that I’ve heard of from peers and some that I’ve read about on the internet.

Tips before you look at the questions:

Don’t have one standard response for each question, instead tailor it as per the role you’re applying for, the company in question and the interviewer.
Use the STAR Framework as much as possible (Situtation – Task- Action – Result)

Tell me about yourself
How did you hear of us/the position
What do you know about us?
Why do you want this job?
Why should we hire you?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What is your greatest achievement?
Tell me about a challenge or conflict and how you dealt with it?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What is your dream job?
What other companies are you interviewing with?
Why are you leaving your current job/Why were you fired?
What are you looking for in the new position?
What type of work environment do you prefer?
What is your management/leadership style?
Give me an example of how you exercised leadership?
What’s a time you disagreed with a decision that was made at work?
How would your boss describe you?
How would your coworkers describe you?
Why is there a gap in employment?
Why are you changing/did you change career paths?
How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days look like in this role?
What are your salary requirements?
What do you like to do outside of work?
If you were an animal which one would you choose to be and why?
How many tennis balls can you fit into a limousine?
What could we do better/differently?
Do you have any questions for us?
What makes you unique?
Why do you want to work here?
What motivates you?
What are you passionate about?
What you like something to drink? (This may sound like a silly job interview question but experts say that when someone does something for you, they are actually slightly more positively inclined towards you. It’s called the Ben Franklin effect: a person who has performed a favour for someone is more likely to do another favour for that person. So even if you’re not thirsty just take the water, for goodness sake!)
Do you prefer working independently or in a team?
When you’re working on multiple projects, how do you keep yourself organized and on track?
What are you reading?
Tell me about someone you admire and why?
You don’t have a Masters degree, don’t you think you need one?
What is your greatest fear?
How do you feel about working late nights and/or night shifts?
How do you feel about extensive work-related travel?
How quickly do you adapt to new settings?
How quickly do you adapt to new technology?
Are you an organised person?
If you won a 10cr/$10M lottery would you still work?
What is your biggest regret?
Can you describe your time management skills?
What’s your absenteeism record like?
Are you reliable? or Can I trust you with responsibilities?
What are the three things that are most important for you in a job?
What makes you happy?
What do you know about our company?