MOCK INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Note to CEN Mentors: The following interview questions were developed by a team of
CEN executives to be representative of the kinds of questions students will likely get
during an interview. The questions begin with a mock phone interview, followed by
more in-depth questions for four academic concentrations: Human Resources, Finance,
International Business, and Marketing, although as you will see each of the
concentrations shares a common set of typical questions. The questions can be adapted
for other concentrations.
Mock interviews are a valuable and meaningful experience for students. Accordingly, it
is strongly recommended that you discuss these questions with your mentees and assist
them in developing appropriate answers. Additional resources are available at the Career
Center for videotaping interviews. Reservations at that facility can be made through
Leslie Wright, at wrightlk@uncw.edu.
PHONE INTERVIEW
(Looking for professional phone projection and etiquette.)
1. Use multiple adjectives that describe you to others.
2. What makes you stand out and why should we consider you for any entry level
position with our firm?
Notes:
(Looking for success.)
1. Tell me a story of an experience (academic, sports, church, work, etc.) that
demonstrates your drive and that resulted in a highly successful conclusion.
Notes:
(Looking for passion.)
1. Why did you pick UNCW?
2. Why did you pick your major?
3. What is your short term professional vision and why are you interested in us?
Notes:
HUMAN RESOURCES INTERVIEW
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your strongest skill/ability and give me an example of a time you used it.
3. Based on feedback from others, what do you consider to be your most important
developmental needs?
4. What was a key learning from a class project? What would you have done
differently?
5. When have you had competing demands on your time and how did you handle
them?
Notes:
The human resources career requires a professional who possesses strong powers of
persuasion, a keen business mind, and the ability to relate and be sensitive to people.
Give me an example of your background/experiences that demonstrates these behavioral
traits:
Strong power of persuasion
Keen business or analytical mind
Ability to relate and be sensitive to people.
Notes:
Human resource professionals are often required to conduct training programs, to
communicate effectively in large groups, and to take a leadership role in very sensitive
small group meetings regarding discipline, employee complaints, legal matters, etc. I
want to try and picture you in action and your communication skills based on your past
experiences. Let’s talk about your communications/leadership style, and give me
examples of your experiences in:
Presentation skills
Leadership in a large meeting venue
One on one or small group meetings
Example of being involved with a friend or associate in a very sensitive matter
Notes:
Next the interviewer should ask resume-specific questions based on the individual’s
resume.
Notes:
Finally, the interviewer should close by asking if the candidate has any further questions.
Notes:
FINANCE INTERVIEW
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your strongest skill/ability and give me an example of a time you used
it.
3. Based on feedback from others, what do you consider to be your most
important developmental needs?
4. What was a key learning from a class project? What would you have done
differently?
5. When have you had competing demands on your time and how did you handle
them?
Notes:
Give me an example that demonstrates your problem-solving skills. What were the
conclusions, and how did you arrive at the conclusions?
Notes:
Tell me about your most rewarding or challenging team project. What was your role, and
how did you resolve internal conflict or differences of opinion?
Notes:
What was your most challenging finance course at UNCW? What made it so challenging
and what did you take away from this course?
Notes:
Next the interviewer should ask resume-specific questions based on the individual’s
resume.
Notes:
Finally, the interviewer should close by asking if the candidate has any further questions.
Notes:
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INTERVIEW
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your strongest skill/ability and give me an example of a time you used
it.
3. Based on feedback from others, what do you consider to be your most
important developmental needs?
4. What was a key learning from a class project? What would you have done
differently?
5. When have you had competing demands on your time and how did you handle
them?
Notes:
What appeals to you about international business?
Notes:
Tell me about your international experiences (looking for language, cultural diversity,
work experiences, study abroad), and how do you feel they will benefit our firm?
Notes:
How would you build trust between yourself and a peer abroad given the possible
language and cultural differences?
Notes:
Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a new environment. What happened and
how did you make the transition?
Notes:
Next the interviewer should ask resume-specific questions based on the individual’s
resume.
Notes:
Finally, the interviewer should close by asking if the candidate has any further questions.
Notes:
MARKETING INTERVIEW
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your strongest skill/ability and give me an example of a time you used
it.
3. Based on feedback from others, what do you consider to be your most
important developmental needs?
4. What was a key learning from a class project? What would you have done
differently?
5. When have you had competing demands on your time and how did you handle
them?
Notes:
Marketing requires significant amounts of teamwork to complete projects, often working
under tight deadlines. Marketing and sales are held responsible for meeting sales
projections for the company and contributing directly to the bottom line. Every project is
measured by Return on Investment. You are often on the hot seat. The ability to stay
cool under pressure is a valuable quality.
1. Tell me about a time you worked on a team. What was your role? Did you have
any challenges (team member not producing?), and if so, how did you handle it?
What was final result of the project? What did you learn?
2. Priorities often change in marketing. How do you handle change? Have you ever
been engrossed in a project and needed to change direction? Give me an example
of dealing with pressure and how you handled it.
Your job is to educate and engage the customer, but first you must catch the customer’s
eye. You must differentiate your product, selling the features and benefits. The
marketing team prepares the sales materials and helps to train the sales reps.
1. Have you ever been in sales (even in a retail store)? Did you have goals/targets to
reach? If so, what percentage of time were you able to meet them? If you
couldn’t meet them, what do you think the reason was? (i.e., poor training, no
incentive, etc.)
2. Tell me about a time you needed to engage someone to complete a deal. What is
your style? How do you establish rapport?
Marketing is not all glitz, it takes analytical skills as well. You need to review survey
data and determine which niche you are targeting. You will be looking at the daily,
weekly and monthly sales numbers and need to determine when a campaign is working
and when to switch strategies.
1. How strong are your analytical skills? Did you take any statistics courses? Did
you take marketing research courses? If you are seeing numbers trending
downward, what questions would you ask yourself
Next the interviewer should ask resume-specific questions based on the individual’s
resume.
Notes:
Finally, the interviewer should close by asking if the candidate has any further questions.
Notes:
MOCK INTERVIEW EVALUATION
Suggest rating on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high)
1. Initial introduction (firm handshake, eye contact, smile)
2. Appropriate dress
3. Body language
4. Voice level, projection
5. Motivation
6. Self-Confidence
7. Oral Communication Skill
8. Resume
9. Quality of supplemental materials, if any
10. Overall rating
Would/would not hire?
MOCK INTERVIEW EVALUATION