General Interview Questions

What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?

30 days would be the learning period where I would get used the the work environment and learn they way the company operates. By 60 days I would have more of a solidified understanding of this and should feel more confident in what I am doing. By 90 days I think I would be able to work confidently on my own with minimal help and contribute in any way the company asks me to.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake.

A time I made a mistake was when I was working at RJR Partners. I was sourcing for candidates and was referencing the wrong information about what job titles match uo with inside sales roles. So I spent an hour or two sourcing the wrong candidates and learned from the experience that I should write down the important information that I reference to when doing my work instead of trying to remember it in my head, just in case I make a similar mistake. So with this, I learned to play it safe and take notes even if I do not think it is necessary.

What was your biggest failure?

A time I was told no was when I was rejected by UCSB when I was applying to colleges in high school. UCSB was my top school and at the time I was a bit let down by the fact that I did not get in, but about a month later I realized that I should actually be proud of myself for all the hard work that I put into the last four years to get into Cal Poly instead of focusing on the negatives. I realized that there was nothing else I could have done and I gave 100% effort into my grades so I shouldn't have been discouraged about any results because I know I gave it my all. I think that at first I looked at the rejection negatively but then I moved past it and started see the positives in the next opportunity.

Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project

A time when I went above and beyond for a project was during college. The project was to showcase your talent to the class, and I have been playing music and writing songs for a long time so I took this opportunity to show the class what I was able to do. I composed a song to show the class, recorded it, mixed it, mastered it, and filmed a video for the song. When I showed the class, their jaws dropped, were very impressed and praised the song greatly. The song now has about 3,500 views online and it is just a demo that was recorded on my iPhone.

Explain AlphaConnect

AlphaConnect is a online website for the Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. It acts as a system for users to navigate and access profiles, finances, fraternity roster, calendar of events, and reminders. We created 20 use cases, along with business, functional, nonfunctional, system, and user requirements. We also developed a use case diagram and data flow diagrams.

How did you manage your timeline?

At RJR Partners, which is the recruiting firm for software sales, I sourced for candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter. So I had a list of candidates and evaluated them according to how much they were job hopping, the college they went to, how attractive they were, if they played sports in high school because it shows competitiveness. Then I sent a LinkedIn in-mail to the candidates in the list that looked promising and if they responded then I set up a time for them to talk to a recruiter.

Tell me more about the RJR Partners Internship

At RJR Partners, which is the recruiting firm for software sales, I sourced for candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter. So I had a list of candidates and evaluated them according to how much they were job hopping, the college they went to, how attractive they were, if they played sports in high school because it shows competitiveness. Then I sent a LinkedIn in-mail to the candidates in the list that looked promising and if they responded then I set up a time for them to talk to a recruiter.

What is SAAS, the cloud, CRM, and ERP?

Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. ERP and CRM systems aid the flow of internal business processes and allow for communication between a business's departments and customers and its internal functions and data.

What is most important thing in your life?

God is the most important thing in my life. I believe true happiness comes from first loving yourself and allowing God to guide you in the right direction. If I do this, then everything will fall into place.

What questions do you have for me?

How do I compare with the other candidates you've interviewed for this role? What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role? What is the career path for this role? How much travel? How much training? What do you like best about working for this company? What are the next steps in the interview process?

Discuss your educational background

I am a Cal Poly graduate, I majored in business administration with a concentration in information systems and a minor in economics. I took all the regular business classes, marketing, accounting, finance, law, human resource, and focused on information systems and technology which taught me about database systems, application development, systems analysis and design, software quality, and project management. The classes I likes most were organizational behavior, systems design and implementation, and cross cultural management.

What is something interesting about you that cannot be learned through your resume?

I am a musician. I love music and am working on an album to be released in the future.

What is your personality type?

I am an INFJ. Introvert means that I get my energy from being alone. Intuition meaning that I think abstractly and focus on my instincts and gut feelings. Feeling meaning that I am very in tune with and can control my emotions well. And judging meaning that I prefer planning and order.

What are your salary requirements? (Hint: if you're not sure what's a fair salary range and compensation package, research the job title and/or company on Glassdoor.)

I am looking for a job with an annual salary of around 65K a year

Why are you looking for a new job?

I am looking for an entry level job to start my career in the software industry.

What can you offer us that someone else can not?

I can offer you a strong sense of discipline and commitment to my work, a competitive drive to succeed, an openness to learn from my coworkers of how to be successful in the role, and an easygoing and likable personality in the workplace.

Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss

I disagreed with my boss in a time where we were deciding where a video introducing him and his company should go on his website. I thought the video was of higher importance and wanted to put it in the home page, whereas he thought it wasn't as important and wanted to put it elsewhere. Ultimately, he decided where to put the video on his website but I was very vocal about my disagreement and made sure my voice was heard.

Why do you want to leave your current company?

I don't think recruiting is for me because it does not involve enough critical thinking, which is something I enjoy. The daily tasks of recruiting were too repetitive.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy making music, playing piano and guitar, playing basketball, working out, hanging out with friends, surfing the web.

How was you study abroad experience? Did it change you?

I enjoyed my experience abroad. The city of Barcelona was great, traveled to different countries, and met some awesome people along the way. I think it changed my perspective, and opened my mind to different cultures and learned about myself by being exposed to such foreign places. I learned that I am influential and introspective.

What are your technical certifications?

I have experience with Microsoft excel, Access, Powerpoint, and SalesForce. For excel, I am familiar with functions, pivot tables, absolute and relative references, among other things. Other technical skills include data flow diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, use cases, business requirements, and the systems development life cycle.

Tell me more about the Law Firm Internship

I interned at a small law firm in San Luis Obispo for one of my professors at Cal Poly and this gave me experience cold calling businesses to and then I planning and marketing events online. I was calling on behalf of Mark Schulman, who is the drummer for the music artist Pink, and at the time he had just came out with a new book and I was contacting radio stations and journalists to see if they wanted to promote his book on their show or website.

Tell me about yourself/describe yourself

I recently graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last summer where I graduated with a Business degree with a concentration in information systems and a minor in economics. I was a member of the Kappa Chi fraternity. I am interested in the way technology shapes the lives of consumers. My friends would describe me as a humble, disciplined, and competitive person. In my free time, I am a songwriter and am currently working on my album to release with a couple of friends. I enjoy working out, playing basketball, and surfing the web.

If I called your boss right now and asked him/her what is an area that you could improve on, what would he/she say?

I think he would tell you that I need to get more sleep because sometimes I came into work a little tired. In college I would spend a lot of late nights writing music because that is when I am most creative. This affected my energy in the workplace.

Are you a leader or a follower?

I think it depends on the situation. There have been times where I have been both a leader and a follower. For example, being the captain of my high school volleyball team senior year, I had to be a vocal and set the example and tone of the game for my teammates. But hypothetically if I walk into my new job on my first day of work, I will be a follower because there is so much to learn from my coworkers that are more experienced. I think I can play both roles depending on what the team needs.

How do you handle pressure?

I try my best to handle pressure in a calm manner. If I feel pressure, I try to breathe deeply, stay organized, and attack the situation at hand at full force because I realize there is no time to waste or be indecisive.

How do you manage your time?

I try to prioritize my most important activities and do them first, and then I move onto my less important activities. For example, in college I would spend the majority of my time working on whatever assignment was most impact to my grade. In college a lot of times when I started the quarter there was not a lot of work and then all of a sudden all your midterms may be in the same week. So it was important that I studied a little bit every week for each for my classes instead of waiting till all of my midterms came up on the same week.

How would you fire someone?

I would have to deliver the news in a calm, empathetic but matter-of-fact manner. Such as Bob, you have been a great employee for us and I appreciate all that you have done to contribute to our company. We appreciate your efforts, but unfortunately we do not need you to work here any longer. I hope you can understand, and feel free to reach out to us for any future career help.

Why do you like psychology?

If you know how others work, then it's easy to make them work in your favor. Study human behavior and human nature.

Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.

In a group project in college, one of our members left our group at the last second. We were a bit worried about what to do because we didn't have much time until the project was due, so I lead a group meeting where I asked each of our members what their strengths were and presented them options for how they wanted to divide the remaining work. Then I created a project plan and split the work evenly between the members of our group according to what our abilities were. We ended up getting a good grade on the project because we focused on our strengths and handled the pressure in a calm matter.

Discuss your resume.

In college, I was a member of the Kappa Chi Fraternity. The brotherhood helped me develop strong relationships and improve on my networking skills. I interned at a small law firm for one of my professors at Cal Poly and this gave me experience contacting and trying to persuade different businesses to sponsor a guest and then planning and marketing these events online. My other internship was at RJR Partners, which is a recruiting firm for software sales, and there I reached out to candidates and set up meetings with recruiters.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

In five years, I see myself working in the software industry either as a consultant, in marketing, or in sales. I will be in a healthy relationship and enjoying going to work everyday, am able to say that I enjoy working with my coworkers and fit in with the company culture. I will also hopefully have released my album that I have been working on since I was a teenager.

What makes you uncomfortable?

Instances that make me uncomfortable are when another person puts another down for personal gain. Brings up bad energy, I am very spiritual and believe in God and that we are all here to serve him.

Tell me about Kappa Chi

Kappa Chi is an off campus fraternity in San Luis Obispo. In the spring of 2014 a group of us at Cal Poly decided to try to restart a chapter and we currently still trying to get affiliated with Cal Poly with the help of our alumni backing. Kappa Chi was a great learning experience and is largely self-governed. It taught me the importance of teamwork and different aspects of an organization, such as financing, event planning, communication, and networking.

How did you hear about this position?

Know this for each company- preferably referral.

What is the name of our CEO?

Know this for each company.

Who are our competitors?

Know this for each company.

What's your availability?

Monday-Friday full time.

Why was your GPA low?

My GPA is low because i was involved heavily with recruiting and developing my fraternity, and this took a lot of my time setting up and organizing for events because consisted of around 35 guys and we were completely self-governed.

What were your bosses' strengths/weaknesses?

My boss's biggest strength was leadership in the workplace. He would call people out if he felt they were not attentive enough or that he felt that they had the wrong attitude. My boss's weakness was the he gave very vague instructions. He did not go specific enough into what he wanted his team to do and that caused the team some struggles figuring out what to do.

What are your career goals?

My career goals are to progress into jobs within the technology industry within a (whatever you're applying for) role. I want a job with a friendly and open minded company culture.

What is your dream job?

My dream job is to make music for a living. My dream job in the business world is a position in the software industry with great happy and open minded people around me.

What is your favorite website?

My favorite website is soundcloud. I am a big music fan. Other websites I enjoy are youtube because there are a lot of informational videos on business and life advice.

What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?

My former manager would say that I should show up to work less tired, ask less questions, and try to socialize more in the workplace. In college, I would stay up late making music and not get enough sleep, but that will not be a problem when I start working full time since I am done writing my album. As an adviser, he wanted us to manage ourselves with minimal oversight. So he would say that I asked too many questions and I should be less careful and try to figure things out on my own. And lastly, he would say that I was too concerned with my work and that it would be good for me to talk to my coworkers more. A lot of the time they would be talking to each other while I was working and not talking.

What are your weaknesses?

My main weakness is that I can be too detail oriented. I am a songwriter, and to write songs you have to pay attention to every little detail and or else it won't sound the way you want it to. I think this carries onto my work in that I can get stuck on perfecting something small in a project which takes away time for the other parts of the project.

Who's your mentor?

My mentor is my bandmate. He teaches me about people and changed the way I look at the world. Now, my main objective is to serve people and increase the amount of happiness and joy in the world that I possible can.

What are your strengths?

My strengths are my competitive nature and my coach-ability. I have played competitive sports all of my life and this taught me the importance of role-playing on a team so the group can perform at the best of its ability, and also let me develop an intense work ethic. Business is similar to sports because you are always learning ways to improve. This gave me the openness to constructive criticism and coach ability that helps me learn from my mentors with more experience.

Are you willing to relocate?

No, I want to be able to commute to work from my house in Danville.

What are your co-worker pet peeves?

Pet peeves of mine is someone not being a good listener. When you try to talk but they interrupt you or don't consider your views. This is the last thing I want to do to my coworkers.

Why are you interested in working for this company?

Say something about company culture, interest in product.

What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?

Technology is the future and what excited me the most is the innovation and creativity involved. It is constantly changing and evolving and this is what makes it interesting. The thing I like least about this industry is that I feel that I may be able to do things that are better for the greater good, such as work for a non profit that helps the people that need it the most.

Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.

The accomplishment I am most proud about is a song I wrote in high school. The song has a special place in my heart and is the result of hours and hours of practice and determination on perfecting the craft of songwriting. It has been praised highly by my peers and gives me a lot of hope in my music career, wherever that takes me.

What motivates you/gets your up in the morning?

The idea of self improvement, that every day you get better, progress further, become a better and stronger version of yourself.

What was the last book you've read for fun?

The last book I read for fun was How To Win Friends and Influence People, and the main lesson that the book that taught me the importance of networking within the workplace, and how to develop good relationships and become more influential. Way to do this are to not criticize someone unless they directly ask for it and make someone believe that an idea is theirs.

What are some of your leadership experiences?

The time where I was the greatest leader was when I was the captain of intramural basketball team in college. I was very vocal on the court, pumping up my teammates before games, giving them advice and encouragement, and setting the example by being the hardest working player in the games.

What questions haven't I asked you?

What is most important thing in your life?

How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?

When dealing with an angry customer, I would have to handle the situation in a calm manner, apologize that they are unsatisfied, put myself in their shoes, try to understand their issue from their perspective, and offer solutions. I would not take any of their words offensively, put the issue at hand first, and make sure they leave the situation with a better attitude than they came with.

Would you work 40+ hours a week?

Yes

Would you work holidays/weekends?

Yes

Are you willing to travel?

Yes, but preferably not on weekends.

Why should we hire you?

You should hire me because of my coach ability and my competitive drive to succeed. I have played team sports all my life where I developed the ability to learn things quickly and apply them, learn from my mistakes, and make the right adjustments. I think the biggest reason to hire me is because I am willing to work harder than my competitors. I think my work ethic is shown through my academic performance and the fact that I have self taught myself piano and guitar and am working to release an album of 12 songs. I believe that I have the education background that suites this position, and that my easy going and likeable personality would fit into the company culture.