Interview Question Examples


Now that you have either successfully selected  or created core values for your organization, you need to identify if job candidates share your organization’s core values and will fit in with your culture.

The best way to do this is to add your core values to your interview process by asking candidates core values interview questions.  You are looking for answers from candidates that match up well with your culture and the way your team works.  If I candidate answers core values interview questions in the same way your top team members would answer, then it is highly likely they are a cultural fit.

Here are 25 examples of core values interview questions to get your team started. 

If you would like help creating custom core values performance management criteria or core values interview questions for your organization please contact us to have a discussion with a member of the Threads team.


25 Examples of Core Values Based Interview Questions

  1. What would you do if a client came to you with an issue you didn’t know how to address?

  2. If you are hired for this position, tell me what you might hope to accomplish in the first 6 months.

  3. How would you handle a situation where you made a big mistake, but you were the only one who knew about it?

  4. What would you say if I thought you were giving a very poor interview today?

  5. When you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done, how do you keep moving forward and making progress?

  6. When someone describes a person as "self made," what does that mean to you?

  7. Give me an example of a time when you picked up the slack for a team member. What was the situation and why did you do it?

  8. You have been accused of some wrongdoing, but you are innocent. What do you do?

  9. How does someone become the best at what they do?

  10. How do you overcome resistance when working through a difficult problem?

  11. Is it primarily the manager's, the organization’s or the employee's responsibility to make sure someone gets to where they want to be?

  12. Give me an example of a time when competition made you a stronger person.

  13. What is the best team you have ever seen and what made them great?

  14. What is the worst team you have ever seen and what made them the worst?

  15. How would you define being "on-time" for work?

  16. How would you handle a situation where your manager assigned you tasks that were way outside of your job description and you weren’t sure how to complete the tasks successfully?

  17. Tell me about a time when you feel like you went above and beyond the scope of your job description or assigned duties.

  18. Who is the best leader or manager you have ever worked for? When made them the best?

  19. Who is the worst leader or manager you have ever worked for? When made them the worst?

  20. Describe the last time you received remarkable service as a customer. What was it that made the service remarkable to you?

  21. Tell me about a situation you wished you had handled differently based on the outcome. What was the situation? What would you change when faced with a similar situation in the future?

  22. How much feedback do you need to do your job well? What type of feedback suits you the best?

  23. Your manager or supervisor schedules you with more work than you feel like you can get done in the time-frame they require. What actions do you take?

  24. You have been struggling to solve a problem and you are going to get some help from your manager. How do you do it and what do you say?

  25. How would you go about encouraging acceptance or support with someone you felt was close minded about an issue?

Want even more examples?

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