Career Success Strategies

Practice Interview Questions

Directions: write answers directly into this document. Each answer should be a
paragraph (3-5 sentences). When you are finished, save it and upload it to blackboard.
(30 points each question is worth 6 points).

1. Tell me about yourself. Be sure to include education, work experience,

involvement, community services, etc. Remember: what makes you uniquely
qualified for the position you want?

My name is Ethan Moran, I am currently a freshman in the Lindner College of

Business at the University of Cincinnati and I am majoring in Information Systems. My
prior job experience includes working at a local golf course where I did everything
from working the register, to grounds keeping work throughout the property. Also, Im
very active in my parish and my college community where I volunteer for a variety of
organizations.

2. What are your top 3 greatest strengths? Include examples of how you have
demonstrated these strengths.

My top three strengths include being organized, problem solving, and working with
teams. I have always been an organized person, which has in turn helped my time
management skills. I am also a strong problem solver. I am a very analytical
thinker, which has helped me in difficult situations whether it be for a school
assignment or personal conflict. I believe has also helped another of my strengths
which is being able to work with a team. Through many school projects and
volunteer activities I can assess situations quickly and give much needed input
while maintaining the team chemistry.

3. What is your greatest weakness? Include how you have worked on improving
in this area.

I believe my greatest weakness is public speaking. However, I have taken

communications courses in high school and in college. I have also had many
instances where I have had to present a project in class and I believe these
experiences have made me a stronger public speaker.

4. Tell me about a time you led a team and what you accomplished.
Remember to tell a story using the STAR method: include the Situation, Task,
Action, and Result.

Senior year in high school physics class, we had a semester long project that
was worth one-third of our grade. We had to devise functional Rube
Goldberg machine along with an extensive paper, while also completing
assignments and tests for other classes and working around work, sports,
and personal schedules. I took charge of my team of three, and devised a
plan of which days of the week we can meet and what our goal was for each
 meeting. I also made sure the team was always on the same page and
whenever we had some sort of conflict I would calmly help the three of us
find the best solution. At the end of the semester we had everything
together and working functionally and we achieved an exceptional grade on
the project.

5. Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake, how you handled the
situation, and what you learned from the experience. Remember to tell a
story using the STAR method: include the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

In my junior year of high school, I applied to go on a mission trip to Belize over the
summer through my parish. I went through the entire application process and
ended up not making the 8-person group. I was very upset about this news and
wondered what I did wrong, but then quickly realized I could learn from that
experience. I talked to others about boosting my resume and other organizations I
could possibly work or volunteer for. Overall, I learned how to accept failure and
move on quickly, and learn from my mistakes to help in future situations.