Here is a list of questions you can use for your next interview to test for various character traits.
Perseverance
- Tell me about a time when you were able to maintain your motivation even when significant obstacles were in your way. What did you learn?
- To what extent does your motivation, commitment and accomplishment of tasks or projects drive your persistence? Give an example.
- Tell me about a time when your pursued a project or assignment and did not achieve the desired end result. What were the reasons and what action did you take?
- Getting the job done may necessitate unusual persistence or dedication to results, especially when faced with obstacles or distractions. Tell me about a time in which you were able to be very persistent in order to reach goals. Be specific.
- What are some large obstacles you had to overcome in your work career to get where you are today
Listening
- Describe a good listener.
- How good are your listening skills and how do you know?
- Give an example of when you were picking up some non-verbals. Were they positive or negative and how did they impact your actions?
- Tell me about a time when you were listening to someone and weren’t clear on what they were trying to communicate. How did you handle it?
- Describe a time when you and someone else ended a conversation with a different understanding. How did you learn about the miscommunication, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
Emotional Intelligence
- Tell me about a time when you gave a direct report something that they found difficult or were not interested in doing. How did you handle their concerns?
- Give an example of hen you had to give some difficult feedback to another person. How did you handle it and what was the result?
- Describe a time when you disagreed strongly with another’s’ point of view. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
- Give some examples of how you build a team member’s self esteem.
- Describe the kind of impact you and your style have on others around you. How do you adjust your style to getting your work done?
Effective Communicator
- Tell me about a time when you had to explain something you knew well to someone who had difficulty understanding the subject. What did you do?
- Describe a time when you were not effective in getting your point across. What contributed to this?
- Describe a time when you were very effective in getting you point across and convinced others to change their positions.
- Describe a time when you had to adjust your communication style to your audience. What specifically did you do and how did you determine it helped?
- Give an example of when you picked up on non-verbal cues from your listener(s) that told you to change your communication approach.
Results Oriented
- How do you go about setting goals and objectives for yourself and/or your team?
- Give me an example of a time when you thought you were going to miss an approaching critical target date, process or procedure you had committed to. What was the outcome?
- Give me an example of when you had to go outside the normal system to get the results you have committed to? What was the outcome?
- How do you manage to stay up on all the work and projects you are involved in?
- When setting goals, do you tend to make them “stretching” (touch to achieve) or achievable? Give me an example.
Teamwork
- Tell me about a time when you were working as part of a team and felt that you could achieve better or faster results on your own. How did you handle it? What was the outcome?
- Tell me about a time when you were a part of a team that worked very well together. What did you do to foster the success of that team?
- Describe a time when you were part of a team but were not clear as to your role. What did you do about it and what was the outcome?
- Tell me about a specific time when you experienced conflict with another team member and how you handled it. What did you learn from the experience?
- Describe a situation where a project did not go as well as planned due to a lack of teamwork. What did you attribute the lack of teamwork to? What action did you take and what was the outcome?
Responsive
- Describe your style in responding to requests, ideas, suggestions, etc. Why have you felt this has worked effectively for you?
- Overall, how would you rate yourself in responsiveness on your current job? Why and give an example.
- What have you done to eliminate/reduce the amount of resistance or discomfort with new ideas or changes, etc.? Give an example.
- How do you manage your time so that you can be responsive; act quickly on requests and suggestions?
- How do you make the decisions about who to respond to, when and how much?
Source: saintpeters.edu
