Practice Questions for Interviews

Why Practice? Because Winging It is So Last Season

Let's face it: walking into an interview feeling like a deer in headlights is about as fun as stubbing your toe on purpose. That's where practice comes in. It's like preparing for a marathon, except instead of running, you're talking about yourself for an hour straight. Fun times!

Don't take yourself too seriously in your practice, but don't do yourself the disservice of not practicing.  Here's why:

1. Improves Confidence

Repeatedly answering interview questions can significantly boost your confidence. According to research on performance psychology, practicing under realistic conditions reduces anxiety.

2. Enhances Communication Skills

Practicing responses helps refine how you communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely, keeping your answer focused on you. Research shows that verbal fluency improves with rehearsal, allowing you to express yourself more effectively under pressure, ensuring that you avoid rambling or over-explaining.

3. Refines Your Narrative

Crafting answers in advance allows you to curate your personal narrative. Behavioral interviews often focus on how past experiences demonstrate certain competencies. Your practice helps you structure your responses.

4. Identifies Gaps in Knowledge

Mock interviews can reveal knowledge gaps or experiences you may have overlooked. By rehearsing, you might discover areas where your knowledge or experience is thin, giving you a chance to review relevant materials or reconsider how to frame certain experiences.

5. Improves Adaptability

While no one can predict every question, practicing a range of common and challenging questions builds mental flexibility. Studies on cognitive preparedness indicate that rehearsal enhances your ability to think on your feet, allowing you to better pivot and adapt to unexpected questions during the actual interview.

6. Reduces Cognitive Load

When you have practiced answers, your brain processes information more efficiently under stress. Research in cognitive load theory shows that preparation minimises the mental energy required to formulate responses during the interview, freeing up cognitive resources to focus on the interviewer’s questions and cues.

Here's some questions you can practice with. Add to these with any you think would be particularly useful for the roles you are interested in.

• Tell us about yourself.
• Why do you want to work here/do this role?
• Describe a time you faced a challenge that you had to respond to.
• What do you do to support yourself in stressful times?
• How would others describe your leadership style?
• Conflict is inevitable in any relationship.  When has conflict strengthened a workplace relationship for you?
• When have you corrected a mistake you made?
• What are the work conditions that support you to do your best work?
• How do you support yourself to prioritise your work?
• What is the most challenging decision you have had to make professionally?
• What is it about this role that will most motivate you?
• How do your values align with this work?
• Tell us about a time you responded well to criticism.
• How do you ensure you continue to learn and grow professionally?
• If you overheard your team members talking about your contribution to the team what would you hear?
• Tight deadlines are common in this role.  How do you ensure you are working on the most important thing rather than the most urgent thing?
• How do you keep your industry knowledge current?
• Describe a time you influenced up.
• Describe the most innovative solution you have bought to a problem.
• Give us an example of a time you took initiative when it was not expected.
• Describe a time when you had to learn something quickly.
• Tell us about a time you have changed your approach to a challenge.
• How do you ensure you delegate well?
• Keeping your people accountable will be important in this role. What approach will you use and how do you believe it will be received by staff?
• When have you had to keep yourself and others motivated?
• How would you handle a situation in which your manager gave you unclear instructions on how to proceed on a project?
• A client is at the front desk and is unhappy with the service they have received.  As the manager how would you intervene?
• You are being directed to undertake work that will take a project in a direction you do not agree with.  What approach are you likely to take?
• What was the most challenging piece of feedback you have received and how did you handle it?
• Talk us through a time you have dealt with someones objections.
• Give an example of a time you have explained a difficult concept to someone.
• When have you had to pivot in the middle of a project?
• What is your level of agreement to the maxim that culture eats strategy for breakfast?
• When have you achieved the impossible?
• Describe your own level of creativity and innovation expanding on how you maintain this level.

Practice will make you less awkward. So grab a friend, a mirror, or a particularly attentive houseplant, and start rehearsing. Who knows? With enough practice, you might even start to enjoy interviews.

Also reach out and take advantage of my interview ping pong process.  I'll send you 10 questions one at a time.  You answer each on the voice recorder of your smartphone and send it to me.  Within 24hours I'll listen and send you some pointers for improvement.