Reliability and Organizational Skills Interview
Author:
Haya Bakour, MSc I/OAn interview designed to assess your candidates on their tendency to organize their time and space, work in a disciplined way toward their goals, strive for accuracy and perfection in their tasks, and deliberate carefully when making decisions - all facets of conscientiousness.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to [Insert Company Name] as [Insert Role Name]? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Exhibits fit and motivation to join the company
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- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
- Exhibits awareness of the role expectations and the organizational context
Question
2
Can you give me an example of a very ambitious goal/objective you set for yourself? What steps did you take to achieve it? What did you learn?
What does this question reveal?
Is diligent and works hard to achieve goals
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- Explains goal and discusses establishing challenging short- and long-term goals
- Used SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely)
- Monitored their behavior and performance toward the goal
- Shares any obstacles and explains how they overcame them
- Shares learnings or key takeaways from their experience
Question
3
When looking back on your previous role, what three things do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments and why?
What does this question reveal?
Achieve success and have an impact
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- Clearly communicates three specific accomplishments
- Discusses how their contributions achieved specific goals
- Explains any challenges that came up along the way
- Exhibits pride in their accomplishments and satisfaction with their success
- Discusses achievements that align with this role/organization
Question
4
Tell me about a recent situation where you were faced with multiple high-priority projects with tight deadlines. How did you prioritize them? How did you organize your own/your team's responsibilities?
What does this question reveal?
Prioritizes and align projects with business goals
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- Considers urgency and importance when prioritizing tasks
- Differentiates between most and least critical tasks based on business goals
- Breaks down tasks for efficiency and delegates as appropriate
- Demonstrates a structured approach and uses metrics to track progress/success
- Communicates progress/updates to all relevant stakeholders in a timely manner
Question
5
Describe how you would plan a work stream for a new project you are working on.
What does this question reveal?
Efficiently plans and executes work schedules
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- Breaks down the project into smaller tasks and prioritizes them
- Demonstrates logical thinking in deciding what is important
- Differentiates between what is most critical and least critical
- Develops a method for tracking their progress toward the project goals
- Formulates clear, structured plans and a schedule
Question
6
Imagine you have a tight deadline coming up in one hour. You haven't finished your work, and you only have one hour to complete it. What would you focus on?
What does this question reveal?
Prioritizes quality of work and minimizes errors/inaccuracies
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- Emphasizes the importance of delivering high quality work
- Analyzes context to decide whether the deadline can be pushed
- Spends the final hour minimizing errors and ensuring quality
- Monitors quality of work as they work/develop projects
Question
7
What would you do if you noticed a minor mistake made by your supervisor?
What does this question reveal?
Notices minor mistakes and communicates issues effectively
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Question
8
Tell me about a time you had to take on additional responsibilities to ensure a project deadline was met. What responsibilities did you take on and how did you manage the additional workload successfully?
What does this question reveal?
Commits to doing what is needed for a project
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- Explains how they supported others by taking on additional responsibilities
- Exhibits flexibility and willingness to take on extra commitments
- Describes how the actions they took contributed to the project's success
Question
9
What is your definition of hard work?
What does this question reveal?
Fit the organization's work style and pace
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- Explains how they exert effort and are committed to achieving success
- Discusses consistently aligning work with achieving goals
- Confronts challenges eagerly and optimistically
- Discusses being careful and focused when directing efforts
Question
10
Describe a time your initiative was particularly effective in helping a project succeed. What were you responsible for, specifically, and how did this help the project achieve success?
What does this question reveal?
Uses initiative to drive impact
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- Independently identified resources to support the project's success
- Sought professional/operational improvements where appropriate
- Took a forward-thinking approach to spot opportunities and take action
- Took action to make things happen before others did
- Went above and beyond what was expected of them
Question
11
Tell me about a time you found a new way to help a team member or client. What did you do, and how did this benefit your company?
What does this question reveal?
Proactive and applies initiative in helping business development
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- Demonstrates a willingness to seek out and address pain points
- Exhibits a forward-thinking nature and can identify opportunities/take action
- Shows they can create solutions that address client/team member needs
- Shows they consider company values, targets and goals
- Demonstrates flexibility, adaptability and creative thinking
Question
12
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
