Displaying Interview Questions 73-80

73. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?

Sample excellent response:
My senior research was my most complex assignment. It took two semesters to complete and was made up of many components. I had to make many critical decisions along the way that would affect the outcome of my research. I made these decisions independently with minimal influence from my professor. I was very successful and happy with my final product.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

74. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?

Sample excellent response:
The transition was somewhat challenging for me because I traveled a great distance to attend college. To help myself adapt, I got involved with as many organizations as I could. I also made it a point to get to know my professors. I used my interpersonal and communication skills to the best of my ability to make a lot of friends, and college became one of the best experiences of my life despite a beginning that seemed a bit overwhelming.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

75. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?

Sample excellent response:
The bank in which I worked instituted a policy that centralized the lending process. An application was to be taken from the client and sent off to be approved/declined, processed, prepared, and returned to the branch to be signed by the client. While the process was streamlined, it also took away valuable face-to-face knowledge about the client and the loan. If the employee did not have any prior lending experience, he or she couldn't answer simple loan questions from the client. While I appreciated the newly created time on my schedule, I felt that the clients were being slighted. I did adjust quickly to the new procedure and did my best to help those around me by sharing my knowledge.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

76. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.

Sample excellent response:
I was involved in two group projects in a psychology class. In the first, we had to decide on a research experiment to conduct and garner results from it. The group I was in was not very motivated, and the members wanted to do a simplistic comparison on color preferences of men and women. I felt that project was below the standard I was capable of. For the second project, I proposed a study in which we compared how people of different age ranges valued money. I knew the project would go over well with the teacher and would not be difficult to conduct. I proposed the idea in a way that sounded fun. Instead of collecting data in someplace boring, I suggested we could go to the mall. The group agreed and worked relatively well on the project. Discussion is the key to mediation, and the key to my achieving a second project that I felt was above the standard.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

77. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?

Sample excellent response:
I failed my first business calculus test, which made me very unhappy. I wasn't going to let this incident set the trend for the rest of the semester. I went to my counselor and arranged to meet with a tutor once a week. My tutor helped me out incredibly. My grades soon improved, and I went on to redeem myself from my one slip-up on the first test.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

78. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?

Sample excellent response:
I don't believe in trying to get by with the least possible effort, and I am always willing to ask questions to learn how to perform an assignment successfully. In my human-resources management class, for example, we were assigned a paper on "Why corporate culture is a practical way to increase income and productivity." All of the literature on the subject was written in the language of PhDs. I asked some other students what they were doing, and they said just writing their opinions and not doing any research to back up the claims. I felt I could do better. So I worked closely with my professor, who "translated" the academic literature for me, and over time I understood what was being written. Working with the professor's guidance, I turned in a very good paper. Asking questions is one thing I am not afraid to do and realize that without them I will be turning in work that is not as beneficial as it could be.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

79. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?

Sample excellent response:
After I wrote a paper for an English class, my professor told me that I was not doing the paper in the proper format or with the proper content. I went to him and asked if he would help me learn the correct way so that I could succeed with the paper. He did help me, and I ended up doing well in the course.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

80. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.

Sample excellent response:
I turned a dissatisfying experience into a satisfying one when I was on the cross-country team in college and had never run the whole race in under 30 minutes. With only a month left in the season, I decided that I would run the race in 25 minutes. I ran every day to build up my stamina, and in that last race I achieved my goal time of 25 minutes, which was a very satisfying experience.

Also, remember the S-A-R (situation-action-result) technique and see a sample S-A-R story.

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