Job interview questions
Describe your previous supervisory experience.
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Give me a recent example of a situation you have faced where you were under pressure.
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Give me a specific example of a time you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
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How do you approach training?
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Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
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What do co-workers say about you?
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What does "service" mean to you in this job?
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What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
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If you were hiring a person for this position, what would you look for?
Again, demonstrate your knowledge of the skills/characteristics needed to do the job well.
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
A common question, and kind of tricky if it is a low-level clerical job. You want them to know you are a go-getter and ambitious, but also that you don't plan on leaving any time soon. I am very ambitious and could definitely see myself working with Golden Sands for a long time. Huge interest in aquatic plants, biology and public outreach.
Why are you the right person for this job?
Another chance to highlight how well your skills fit the job, as well as your knowledge of the job duties. Meet all qualifications that were listed Very familiar with what GS does and the AIS coord. position Have experience in public outreach, field work, plant ID, relaying technical information, developing reports/maps/etc. Have worked with a lot of different groups - UWEX, GS, WDNR, etc.
What have you done when you have "downtime" at work?
Assuming that everything is organized and there's no office maintenance... I actually like to familiarize myself with local issues through reading newspaper articles, I also have different flashcards set up on Quizlet that I review sometimes-- I really do have a passion for water resources and love learning new things.
Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
At lake planning meetings,
What technology experience do you have that is relevant to this position?
Be prepared for questions about your technology knowledge generally. All jobs are asking about this these days. Be sure to let them know how comfortable you are with new technologies. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) ArcGIS - have done AP inventory mapping Have worked with GPS units I love canoeing and kayaking. Have operating trolling motors and motor boats before.
Do you have any questions for us?
Be prepared for this and have thoughtful questions. Never ask about salary or benefits. Try to get them talking about what it is like to work there. This is your chance to find out what the job would really be like.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Be prepared for this. If there are any skills/qualities/examples you had prepared that you didn't get to talk about, this is your chance to sell yourself. Mention the fact that I've experienced aquatic plant management planning sessions, so training for that would be minimal or uneccessary.
What system for prioritizing your work do you think works best?
Be prepared with examples of times you had to manage lots of priorities at once. Portage Co. lake plan updates - prioritizing - what affects other people?
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem.
Be prepared with specific examples.
Tell me about yourself.
Common first question. Answer: talk about your work background, skills, and interests and relate them to how well they fit the job. Determined and enthusiastic about everything I set my mind to, every day is a chance to make a difference. Work - CWSE, water lab, various research and field projects, worked in retail for a long time (lot of experience dealing w/ ppl) School - Majored in hydrology, always strived to be a straight-A student and love to learn! Interests - Always played some kind of TEAM SPORT, OUTDOORS HIKING/CANOEING/WATER, READING/WRITING, FRIENDS/FAMILY Really passionate about natural resources and their preservation
Coordinating
Coordinating tenmile creek monitoring, PC updates, lake resources quantification project leader Coordinating with multiple entities is a large part of my job (citizens, WDNR, UWEX, etc.)
Describe your work ethic.
Dedicated, hard worker, want to do meaningful work, etc.
How would you approach disciplining or terminating an employee?
Document, document, document.
Tell me about how you address patron confidentiality.
For a front-desk job. Be familiar with the law on this, talk about training student employees.
Tell me about a time, as a supervisor, when you resolved a dispute between two people.
Good words: mediation, compromise, facilitating communication, etc.
What are the five best words to describe you?
I've also been asked for five adjectives, which makes it harder. Be prepared with five words and examples because this is a hard question to answer on the spot. Don't just list the words, but say "Leader - I often find that I will take the lead on collaborative projects" etc. Leader - I have no issue taking the wheel and standing up Friendly - People find me approachable and easy to talk to Motivated - Dedicate myself to a task, very success-driven Hard working - Organized -
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
If you are interviewing for a front desk job, be prepared for these kinds of customer-service questions.
Give an example of a time you resolved a technical problem quickly.
Lake session - a coworker had forgotten the flash drive containing our presentation. So while the others' presentations were going I was able to get a hold of an oncampus co-worker, have him send the file to my email, and called around the nearby area to find some wifi in order to upload the file to the computer. The session went without a hitch, and we had our presentation loaded just in time!
How do you pay attention to detail?
Libraries often care about attention to detail. Be prepared to give examples of highly detail-oriented work and how successful you were. - Always take great notes at planning sessions - Creating spreadsheet and things I always provide tons of info so anyone else could pick up and use it - Writing
What is your communication style?
Open, honest, direct, respectful, good listener, good at understanding different points of view, use multiple methods of communication - i.e., verbal but follow-up with email, etc.
Tell me about a goal you set that you did not reach.
Or: "tell me about a time you failed at something." This is another tricky one, because you need to turn it into something positive and preferably job-related. Lake planning sessions - Big Hills situation - District chairman had a problem with the way we were doing things and thought we had an agenda, and we tried to work with him... Now he doesn't come to the sessions, so I feel like we failed. But I suppose that's part of public outreach, is you won't always be able to get everyone on your side.
What is the busiest recent work situation you have had? When did it become too busy? How did you cope?
Portage Co. plan updates - crunched for time Setting up all meeting times/dates/locations, sometimes with three sessions per week. Prepping for sessions, holding sessions and then relaying the results of the sessions into the plans. I THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE!
Tell us about a time you used creativity to solve a problem.
Problem-solving questions often come up. Be prepared with examples. Field work - bottom sampler broke, and I was able to fix it using random things we had on our boat so we could get our samples
How soon could you start if hired?
Say you are flexible, but of course out of respect to your current employer you would want to give at least two weeks notice. That makes you sound like a responsible employee.
Do you prefer working independently or as a team?
The correct answer is of course both, and give examples of projects you've done that you've enjoyed, and why teamwork is sometimes good, but working on your own is also good.
Tell us about your experience with AIS.
Through lake management planning (developing AP mgmt and AIS mgmt with citizens), creating inventory maps, working with Scott Provost, reviewing and editing aquatic management plans and rapid response plans, etc.
What is your supervisory style?
Very common question for any supervisory job. Empowering employees, being respectful, giving them personal responsibility, being approachable and available, providing excellent training/documentation, etc.
What is your greatest strength?
Very common question. Highlight qualities that they want from the job ad: i.e. good communicator, etc. Mention multiple things, not just one. 1. Communication skills, Friendly and approachable 2. Leader 3. Thrive under pressure 4. Fast learner 5. Motivated
Give an example of a time you worked as a team.
Very common to be asked teamwork/collaboration questions. Be prepared for these with examples of team projects from previous work experience. I've been on a team my whole life! Lake planning sessions - there's a lot to coordinate (presenting, prepping, breaking up into lake groups, etc.) Team sports
Experience
Worked closely with Golden Sands and many others, UWSP has built a strong network of professional relationships, and it was always great to see how everyone makes up the puzzle-- It's a lot like an ecosystem, and I loved learning everyone's niche and being able to be a part of this larger team. Lake planning sessions Field experience Leadership roles - lake resources quantification project Roundy's - built communication skills and my patience ArcGIS Familiarity w/ CBCW, biocontrol, AP/AIS mgmt, inventory, removal methods,
What is your greatest weakness?
You will almost always be asked this. The correct answer of course is a weakness that is not really a weakness Perfectionist - spend a lot of time and have trouble moving past things, but I've learned that this motivates me to learn new and better ways to do things.
Give me an example of a time when you showed good communication skills.
You will almost certainly be asked something about communication. Have examples.
Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult patron.
You will almost certainly get this question for a front desk job. Sometimes they give an example of an actual situation that occurred in their library and ask what you would have done.
Why do you want to work here?
You will always be asked this in one form or another. Be prepared with a convincing answer. Never mention money. Worked w/ G Sands, positive, heard good things Love what they do/what Kaycie does Love aquatic plants Enjoy public outreach - major impact