Sample Job Interview Questions for Any Function

---

The sample job interview questions that follow drill down on functional specialties. Think through the real point of the question and modify it for your area of expertise. I help with the first one. See what you come up with. If you're struggling, ask for one on one help, or add your question to our tough interview questions section. If you have a question, chances are another visitor might be wondering the same thing. Our content is free. But it would be great if you would pay it forward!

TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHEN...YOU LOST THE DEAL; WENT OVER BUDGET; FAILED TO MEET AN IMPORTANT PRODUCTION DEADLINE; LOST A CASE... WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

All good people have had bad things happen. Don't be afraid to tell the interviewer about a time when something went wrong. The most important part of this question is addressing what you learned from the experience. Think about a couple of specific examples. What could you have done differently to affect the outcome? If you reflect on this experience and feel that you did everything right, you're going to lack credibility and will seem a little arrogant as well. Really good people learn from their mistakes.

The key here is to take a critical piece of your job responsibility and think about things going wrong. What did you do?

WHAT IS YOUR ANNUAL QUOTA...OR PRODUCTION TARGET...OR EMPLOYEE RETENTION RATE? WHAT WERE YOUR RESULTS LAST YEAR? WHERE ARE YOU YTD?

If you can't answer these sample job interview questions, you're not going to be hired. No sugar coating...no debate! You must know your metrics cold. You must understand how your most recent numbers compare to what you've done in the past. If your results are not stellar, you must have an explanation -- but one that doesn't sound defensive. If you need to look these numbers up, you're not going to be hired!

I have never interviewed a top professional in any discipline who did not know their numbers. Usually, I can't ask a numbers question that they can't answer. They know where their business is coming from, what's in the pipeline, how much of that is likely to close and in what time frame. They have a good sense of where they will end up this fiscal year relative to quota, and most importantly, how they'll get there.

I can't stress this enough! Know your numbers.

Here are some examples of how this question might be asked across disciplines. Adjust this question to fit your situation. For example:

Finance -- What is your organization's annual budget? What were your results last year? Where are you YTD?
Operations -- How many widgets are manufactured in your plant each year? What were you results...etc.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR VOLUME IS NEW BUSINESS VS. REPEAT BUSINESS WITH EXISTING CUSTOMERS?

I love this question! While this is primarily a sales question, if you're in a management role, most companies will expect you to know where your business is coming from. For sales professionals, good candidates know where I'm going with this. It's not unusual for someone to walk into an existing territory and get handed a book of business. What companies usually want in a business developer is someone who can open new accounts. So, your track record relative to new business is key. Keeping existing business is easier -- important, but easier. Be prepared to tell the interviewer what percentage of your business comes from totally new relationships. If you really want to impress the hiring manager, quote volume coming out of new relationships, volume coming from expanding relationships with existing clients, and finally, volume coming from repeat business.

Not in sales? Remember. Think about the metrics that are important to your discipline, and shape these sample job interview questions around them.