Commonly Asked Interview Questions for Co-op
Tell me about yourself. (#1 most frequently asked, similar to an elevator pitch.)
How do you fit the qualifications for this position?
Why are you interested in this position?
How have you prepared yourself for this position?
Why should we hire you?
What do you know about this company/department?
What are your professional goals? What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
What’s the most difficult challenge you have faced in life?
How long can we expect you to stay with us?
What part of your co-op/previous position did you enjoy most/least?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Describe a typical day in your previous co-op/position.
Which area of your performance has been criticized?
How have you helped reduce costs in an organization or team project?
What was your greatest achievement so far?
Tell us how your experience, skills, coursework, and/or capabilities tie in with our job requirements.
Have you ever done any _____? (a specific function that is mentioned in the job responsibilities, e.g. AutoCAD, budget forecasting, programming, purchasing, etc.)
How does your current (or past) manager rate your performance?
What are the reasons for your success?
How would your friends describe you?
What do you do when you have trouble solving a problem?
How do you spend your spare time?
Are you active in the community?
What was the last book you read?
What motivates you?
What frustrates you the most? How do you handle it?
Tell me about a time you worked on a team and things didn’t go so well. What did you do?
Tell me about a time you managed a project. What was the process and the outcome?
Tell me more about how you led and managed a team.
Tell me about a time that you failed or did not meet a goal. What did you do?
Tell me about a time you had to persuade others to consider your idea on how to solve a problem. What did you do?
Describe your management style.
How effective are you as a motivator?
What decisions do you delegate?
How do you foster teamwork?
How do you handle confrontation?
What are some things you and your manager disagreed about?
What are some of the things your supervisor did that you liked? How about those you disliked?
Why did you choose your major/Wentworth Institute of Technology?
What subject did you enjoy most? Least?
Do your grades reflect your abilities? Why/Why not?
What other activities were you involved in?
What specialized training have you had?
How did you finance your education?
How have your education and training prepared you for this job?
What are your salary expectations? How did you arrive at that figure?
What do you consider satisfactory earnings professionally at this point?
If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?
What piece of advice or question would you ask the CEO of our company?
If you were a kitchen utensil, which would you be and why?
Reminders
- Remember, always provide examples of your work, skills and abilities. • Speak slowly, clearly and enunciate.
- It is okay to ask the interviewer to repeat a question.
- If you didn’t understand the question, you can ask the interviewer for clarification or to rephrase the question.
- If you need time to think about your answer, you can say, “What an interesting question! Let me think about that for a moment.” and then take some time to compose your answer.
- If you blank on a question and can’t answer it at the moment, it is okay to revisit it later in the interview by saying something like, “I’d like to revisit that earlier question re: X. I’ve thought about it and . . . “ or answer it the thank you note.
- If they ask you something you just don’t know, it is okay to say, “I don’t know, but I will look into that and get back to you.” Then provide the answer in your thank you note.
- Note: Questions about salary come up less often in a co-op interview, but it is always better to be prepared.
- The first time they ask you about salary, don’t let them make it about the money. Say something like: “For me, it is not about compensation, I am more interested in the development opportunity.” If they ask you again, then never give a number, always give a range. Most co-ops are paid on an hourly basis.
- Take notes during your interview. They will be useful when writing your thank you note, and it indicates that you are diligent and interested in the position.
- Ask prepared questions (3-4) during your interview to express your interest and have at least one question that demonstrates that you’ve done research on the company.
- Always close the interview by thanking them, restate your interest in the position and why (top 3 qualifications that make you a strong candidate), ask for a business card or contact information so you can send a thank you note.
