Extreme Interviewing Questions

General Interview Questions for Leadership

These interview questions are kindly provided care of Renee Freedman of Renee Freedman and Company. She is also a SupporTED co-founder and organizer.

Interview Questions

1. What are your short-range objectives?
2. What are your long-range objectives?
3. What do you look for in a job?
4. What is your difference between a job and a career?
5. How long will you stay with us?
6. What new goals or objectives have you established recently?
7. Which goals or objectives have you achieved recently?
8. What position do you expect to have in 5 years?
9. How would you describe personal success?
10. How would you describe professional success?
11. What qualities would you like in your colleagues and team mates?
12. Why do you want to work for this company?
13. What interests you most about this position?
14. What interests you least about this position?
15. What can you offer that someone else does not?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. Describe your work and communication skills in an ideal work situation.
18. Describe your work and communication skills in a stressful work situation.
19. How long would it take you to make a contribution to this company?
20. What do you imagine that contribution would be?
21. What problems have you identified in your present job that were previously overlooked?
22. What did you learn in your present position?
23. What did you teach others in your present position?
24. How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your present employer in the marketplace?
25. How would you evaluate the corporate culture of your present employer?
26. How would you evaluate your capability to grow, learn, and express yourself with your present employer?
27. Why are you leaving your present position?
28. How would you describe the leadership and management styles of your current boss?
29. How would you describe the communications style and effectiveness of your current boss?
30. What features of your previous jobs have you disliked?
31. What features of your previous jobs have you loved?
32. How do you prepare for working under pressure and meeting deadlines?
33. What salary are you worth? Why?
34. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
35. Describe your personality – what type of people do you connect with best?
36. What makes you believe that you have top management potential?
37. What types of strategic decisions have you recently made?  How did you choose?
38. Would you rather create strategy, design a solution, solve a problem, or create a process?  Why that?
39. Tell us about yourself.
40. What are your 5 favorite books and which was the last book you read?
41. What is your management philosophy?
42. What is your leadership style?  
43. Who are your favorite leadership gurus?
44. How have you changed the nature of your current job?
45. What do you look for when hiring someone?
46. Illustrate your creativity.
47. What is an example of a major challenge you navigated (lead)?
48. How have you reduced costs?
49. How do you add value?
50. What are 5 of your greatest accomplishments in your professional history?
51. What are 5 of your greatest failures in your professional history?
52. What did you learn from each and how have you incorporated those lessons?
53. What are your outside interests?
54. What is your dream car?
55. What motivates you?
56. What style of communication do you prefer?
57. What inspires you?
58. What is the best way to manage you?
59. What opportunities are you hoping to get?
60. How will you make those happen?
61. How do you motivate others?
62. What are the qualities that are inspiring about you?
63. How do you prevent/mitigate burn out?
64. What are your budgeting skills?
65. What is your profit/loss strategy?
66. How do you introduce new ideas to your team? Marketplace?
67. What is your method for influencing people?
68. Describe your sales skills?
69. Describe your listening skills – what do you primarily listen for?
70. How do you effectively handle public relations?
71. If you could investigate anything, what would it be?
72. What are your most important resources?
73. What do you think is the best use of your time?
74. What is your opinion to the presence of emotions in the workplace?
75. Where does emotional intelligence play a role professionally?
76. What are your professional accomplishments that you are most proud about?
77. What processes do you use most often for accountability?
78. How do you make decisions when you are under the gun?
79. What are the principles you use as guidance?
80. What are your expectations of your team members?
81. What do you perceive as your responsibility as a team member?
82. What situations do you find difficult?
83. What do you do when you are confronted?
84. What are your three strongest skills that you bring to this position?
85. How do you set / shift the mood of your organization?

Logistics and Practical Checklist

1. Did you submit a resume?
2. Please introduce yourself and what position you are applying for (if not clear on position, it will be covered later)
3. Are you interested in working on-site at FeF or are you interested in remote collaboration.
4. Are you applying as a volunteer or for a paid position?
5. Are you ok with a 2 week trial period? One month trial period?
6. If it's the paid position, is $2000/month acceptable to you?
7. Which track are you interested in (management or admin/apprentice/entrepreneur)
8. When are you available?
9. How long will you stay with us?
10. How did you find out about us?
11. How are you getting to Factor e Farm? How are you returning from Factor e Farm?
12. Will you be doing other work (telecommuting, other engagements) while at FeF?
13. What do you care about?
14. What do you see yourself doing with us at Factor e Farm?
15. How does our work relate to your care?
16. For that which you care about doing with us, what is your track record/work samples?

Select Questions

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Tell me about the last 5 years of your life.
3. What are you interested in getting out of this opportunity?
4. What do you think is the best use of your time?
5. What are your three strongest skills that you bring to this position? Substantiate.
6. What are the principles you use as guidance?
7. What are your professional accomplishments that you are most proud about?
8. If you could investigate anything, wha t would it be?
9. What are your most important resources?
10. What are the qualities that are inspiring about you?
11. What opportunities are you hoping to get?
12. What inspires you?
13. What are your outside interests?
14. How do you add value?
15. What are 5 of your greatest accomplishments in your professional history?
16. What are 5 of your greatest failures in your professional history?
17. Illustrate your creativity.
18. What do you look for when hiring someone?
19. Would you rather create strategy, design a solution, solve a problem, or create a process? Why that?
20. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
21. What did you learn in your present job or position?
22. How long would it take you to make a contribution to this company?
23. What do you imagine that contribution would be?
24. Why should we hire you?
25. What can you offer that someone else does not?
26. What interests you most about this position?
27. What interests you least about this position?

Non-Negotiable Items

• Open Culture - no NDAs or patents - CC Share Like
• Ability to learn - explicit clause on learning content
• How much structure does a person need? Is this person a child or an adult.
• Followthrough - ability to complete a project