IMPROPER/ILLEGAL QUESTIONS

 Improper interview questions are those that do not pertain to the nature of the job or to the applicant’s ability to perform that job, or those which are not asked of every candidate. They are illegal when the information is used in a discriminatory manner to make a hiring decision. Federal, state, and sometimes even local laws exist which prohibit employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, citizenship, and disabilities. The following are examples of some of the specific areas that employers cannot ask or inquire about during an interview: 

•Race: Any question related to complexion, color of skin, or other inquiries directly or indirectly indicating race or color 

•Religion: Any question related to religion or religious preferences or affiliations 

•National Origin/Citizenship: Questions related to your nationality, lineage, ancestry, national origin, birthplace, descent or parentage 

•Disabilities: General inquiries about disabilities or health conditions that do not relate to job performance 

•Arrest Record: Employers cannot ask you if you have ever been arrested but they can ask you if you have ever been convicted of a crime that is reasonably related to the performance of the job 

•Family Obligations: Questions regarding marital status, family plans, children, elder care

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to improper and illegal interview questions. Should you be asked a question on one of the above topics, you may tell the employer that you are uncomfortable answering because it may reveal your membership in a protected group. If you prefer a less direct approach, you might instead try one of the following strategies: answer in brief and move on to a new topic area, or ignore the question altogether and redirect the discussion to a new topic area.

QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK

 •What specific skills or personal characteristics do you believe are important for successful performance in this position? 

•What are the things you like most/least about working here? 

•What qualifications are most important to a person’s advancement within your company? 

•What type(s) of training programs will be made available to me as a new employee? 

•What do you consider to be the biggest challenge(s) I would face if I am hired? 

•What would a typical day be like? 

•How often will my performance be evaluated? 

•Why are you looking to fill this position? Is it a newly created position? 

•Can I let you know why I want this job?

•How do you typically make a decision? 

•What has been your career path in the organization? 

•What will be the measurements for my success in this position? 

•What business problems keep you awake at night? 

•What would you consider to be exceptional performance from someone in the first 90 days in this position? 

•What is your vision for your department over the next two to three years? 

•What are your organizational values? 

•When can I expect to hear from you on your decision? 

•How would you describe your organizational culture?

ACADEMIC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

 •Tell us about your dissertation. 

•How does your research relate or compare to what has been written already? How did you contribute to the field? 

•What has been the most difficult challenge you have faced? 

•If you were going to begin again, what changes would you make in your dissertation? 

•What are your future research plans? What resources do you need to conduct that research? 

•What is your most important publication? Do you have plans for others? Why don't you have any publications? 

•What makes you a good teacher? 

•What’s your teaching philosophy? 

•What about teaching has been challenging? Enjoyable? 

•How would you teach a survey course in your field? 

•What special seminars could you offer? 

•Having not taught a large lecture course, how would you? 

•What would be your favorite course to teach? 

•What are your strengths outside of the classroom, such as in volunteer/community service projects? 

•What contribution can you make to the department? 

•Why are you interested in this school? 

•If you have more than one job offer, how will you decide? 

•What limitations might you have in the selection process?

BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

 •Describe how you organize your work day and week. 

•Give an example of your leadership experience. 

•Give an example of a time when you were able to communicate with another person or group, even though they may not have liked what you were saying. 

•How do you ensure someone understands what you are saying? Give an example. 

•How do you measure success? Give an example. 

•Give examples of some of decisions that you have had to make rapidly and those that took more time. 

•Describe a major project in which you needed help. What did you do? Why did you ask particular people to help?

•Describe a situation where you had to adapt to an initially uncomfortable environment. 

•Tell me about a time when you had a personality conflict or disagreement with a co-worker. How did it resolve? 

•Tell me about a time when you had to manage multiple projects simultaneously. 

•Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way. 

•Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. 

•Give a specific example of when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. 

•Give an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it. 

•Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion. 

•Give a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree. 

•Describe how you learn a new technical skill. 

•Describe the most significant technical report or presentation you have completed. 

•Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done. 

•Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks. 

•Give an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision. 

•What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give an example. 

•Tell me about a difficult decision you made this last year. 

•Give an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish failed. 

•Give an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead. 

•Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker. 

•Give an example of when you motivated others. 

•Tell me about a project that you delegated effectively. 

•Tell me how you handled an ethical dilemma.

COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

•Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

•What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses? 

•How would you describe your best day? 

•After attending this school, what single most important statement conveys your experiences while enrolled? 

•What do you think determines an individual's success in a work situation? 

•Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Why? 

•Do you prefer working with others or by yourself? Why? 

•How do you work under pressure? 

•Why are you interested in this organization? What about this job do you find the most attractive? Least attractive? 

•What are your short-term goals? Long-range plans? 

•What major problem(s) have you faced in the workplace? 

•How long would it take for you to make big contributions? 

•What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment? Why? 

•Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of and why. 

•What will be the most difficult aspect of making the transition from college to your career? Why? 

•Are you willing to relocate? To travel? 

•What would your references say about you? 

•Why should we hire you? 

ACTION VERBS

 

RESUME CHECKLIST

 HEADER 

□ Does your header contain one email, one phone number, and one 

address? (LinkedIn URL optional) 

□ Is your email appropriate? 

□ Have you set up your voicemail with a professional message? 

□ Is your name slightly larger and bold? 

 

INVENTORY YOUR EXPERIENCE 

□ Education, Trainings, Certifications 

□ Research, Relevant Coursework, Projects 

□ Previous Employment (Experience), Internships 

□ Military Experience 

□ International Experience 

□ Community Service, Volunteer Work 

□ Activities, Campus Involvement 

□ Leadership Experience, Honors, Awards 

□ Technical Skills 

□ Languages (not including English-if applying in the U.S.) 

□ Professional Associations 

 

ORDERING YOUR EXPERIENCES 

□ Are your most relevant experiences (paid or unpaid) to the top and 

left of your resume? 

□ Did you use section headers related to YOUR experiences (paid or 

unpaid)? 

□ Do you have more than one item in each section? If not, can you 

combine sections? 

□ Are your bullet points formatted similar to the examples in the Career 

Center Resume & Interview Guide? 

□ Do your bullet points include transferable skills as well as job duties?  

□ Are the job duties you’ve included relevant to the position you are 

applying for? 

□ Have you exaggerated any of your experiences? If so, revision is 

recommended. Honesty is very important.

FORMAT 

□ Have you used a template? If so, it is typically recommended to start 

over with your own original document. 

□ Have you double-checked grammar and spelling? 

□ Are you on one page? This is the standard for undergraduates. If you 

are on two pages, you might want to check with a Career Center 

advisor or faculty member. 

□ Have you included your high school or activities from high school 

(recommended to remove after the end of your sophomore year)? 

□ Did you use a font size of 10 or larger?  

□ Is your main font a consistent size (you could include larger section 

headers)? 

□ Are your dates aligned?  

□ Have you used a consistent format for all of your dates (12/2018, Dec. 

2018, or December 2018)? 

□ Are you utilizing white or neutral paper (or resume paper, if possible) 

and black text? 

□ Have you left off pictures, graphics, and color text/lines (if you’re not 

in a design-oriented field)? 

 

PROOFING 

□ Have you had someone else review your resume? 

□ Have you used the Career Center Resume & Interview Guide to view 

examples? 

□ Does your resume appear balanced on the page (not a lot of white 

space on the left or right sides)? 

□ Is your degree and GPA (if you wish to include/ typically if it’s 3.0 or 

higher) listed correctly according to KSIS? 

□ Have you used capitalization/punctuation/bolding/italics consistently? 

□ Have you used different action verbs (at the beginning of each bullet 

point)? (pg. 9-10) 

□ Did you change your bullet points or move your sections to tailor your 

resume to the position? (pg. 7) 

□ If you are applying for Federal positions on usajobs.gov are you aware 

that your resume could be different? Have you researched the 

differences? 

□ ARE YOU PROUD TO PRESENT THIS DOCUMENT TO AN EMPLOYER OR 

GRADUATE SCHOOL?