• See Also

  Interviewing Guidelines Other Types of Interviews Questions Employers Ask Etiquette & Attire Negative Factors Thank You Notes Evaluating Job Offers

  What are your long range and short range goals and objectives, when and why did you establish these goals and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
• What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
• How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
• Did you choose the career for which you are preparing?
• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
• How would you describe yourself?
• How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?
• What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
• How has your college experience prepared you for a business career?
• What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in___?
• What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours?
• In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our company?
• What qualities should a successful manager possess?
• What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
• Describe your most rewarding college experience?
• Why did you select your college or university?
• What led you to choose your field or major study?
• What college subject did you like best? Why?
• What college subject did you like least? Why?
• If you could do so, how would you plan your study differently? Why?
• What changes would you make in your college or university? Why?
• Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievement?
• What have you learned from participating in extra-curricular activities?
• In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
• How do you work under pressure?
• In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?
• What do you know about our company?
• What two or three things are most important to you in your job?
• Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is located?
• What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
• What have you learned from your mistakes?

Want more? See Monster.com's 100 Potential Interview Questions.

Examples of Unlawful Questions

Federal, state and city laws prohibit discrimination or making job-related decisions about an application on the basis of age, birthplace, residence, race, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation. Most EEO (equal employment opportunity) complaints are not caused by acts of conscious or overt discrimination but are frequently caused by a lack of familiarity with the EEO laws or by not understanding their implications. Hopefully you will never be asked any of these questions by a potential employer, but if you are, you are not required to answer them.

• How old are you? What is your date of birth?
• Where did you grow up?
• What is your race? (all inquiries are unlawful)
• Have you ever received Worker’s Compensation?
• All inquires about gender are unlawful.
• Are you married? How many children do you have?
• Where were your parents from? What is your nationality?
• What does your father/relative do for a living? How many brothers and sisters do you have?
• Do you need to observe any religious holidays?
• Are you gay/lesbian/bisexual? (varies by state but it is generally prohibited to ask such a question)

For more information about illegal questions, please review the article "Handling Illegal Questions" from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.