Types of Interviews Questions

Informal Questions

When the interviewer asks a question that relates to the weather, know that this is not a pressure question. Just be polite, and give an honest answer. These are not questions that will influence the interview in any way. They usually occur before the interview, to break the ice, or after to have a friendly closing.

Formal Questions

These type of questions are part of the interviewing process. They include asking anything pertaining to the information gathering that the interviewer needs.

Closed Questions

A closed question is usually answered with a brief statement - generally a yes or no answer. Although the interviewer might want only a brief response, it is best to give a longer answer, as this indicates a thought out response, and a willingness to respond.

Open Questions

You can always elaborate when an open question is given. An open question suggests that the person would like a considerable amount of information. Such questions might begin with " what are..." or "tell me about..." or "how do you feel about...".

Behaviour-Descriptive Questions

These questions ask for very specific examples of situations, usually from your past work experience, probing to find out what you did in the situation, how it turned out, and in some cases what you learned from it. An example of such a question would be: "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation at work and how you handled it." This is an important type of question, as it gives insight to the interviewer about how you might act on the job, if you were given it.

Hypothetical Questions

Some interviewers still like to ask this type of question even though it has been shown that the answers given by many job seekers might not correspond to their actual behaviour in such a situation. If you are asked a question like this, (for example, "What would you do if a customer started yelling and getting hysterical?"), then try to think of an example from your past work experience where you had to deal with such a situation or a similar one. Explain to the interviewer how you actually handled the situation and how you think that you might handle such a situation similarly or differently in the future.

Stress Questions

These questions are designed to put pressure on the job seekers in order to see how they will respond. Most interviewees will encounter few, if any, such questions, but if you do, then remember to remain calm and in control.  Try to keep your answer brief, honest, and diplomatic. Some examples of this type of question are: "Would you want your bosses job?", or "What, in your opinion is wrong with our company and how would you run it differently if you had the chance?", or "Why are you applying for this job if you don't have any experience?".