Next week I will be conducting a set of brief 'practice' job
interviews with a set of high school students as part of a career
fair.  Unfortunately, I have completely forgotten what job interviews
are like for high schoolers - nearly all the interviewing I've done
(from either side of the table) has been very technical (so, for
example, my favorite question of 'what is the hardest software bug you have
ever fixed' is not likely to be of much assistance).  I poked through
a few books about interviews, but they all assume that the interviewee
has actual job experience and is interviewing for a career position,
so their sample questions didn't seem helpful.

I do generally know how to conduct interviews - so I'm all set as far
instructing them how to behave: bring a resume, how to dress
appropriately, be confident, be nice, that sort of thing.  What I
don't know is what to ask.  So, the question is:

What questions are likely to arise in a real-life job interview for a
recent high school graduate with no work experience who is looking for
an entry-level job?  Be specific.

Once I have questions in mind, I think I'll be able to prompt the kids
find good answers. But I'll give a tip if you can add some links to
resources that would help them think through the questions - having
printed material for them to take home would be helpful.

Hello Lexi!

I always like to go to authoritative sources for these sorts of
questions.  As it happens, my authoritative source in matters of
employment was parked in the living room with a cheeseburger...

My spouse critter is a veteran retail manager (fifteen years and
counting) and is currently the store operations manager at local
department store.  He hires primarily entry level employees for a high
volume clothing and home fashions store, and is extremely agitated by
his company's prescribed interview questions.

Mark says the prescribed interview questions for an entry level
position in retail usually are:

-- Why did you apply here?
-- What did you like about your last job/volunteer position/course of
study?
-- What are your three strongest personality traits?
-- What are your three biggest personality flaws?
-- What skills do you have that could be an asset to the company?
-- A customer is irate and shouting.  How do you handle the situation?
-- Why should we hire you?

...he also says that they're ridiculous, cliched, and that they really
have no bearing on whether or not an applicant gets the job.

What counts, he says, is whether or not the interviewer feels the
potential employee will fit in with the current staff, and whether or
not their personality is suited for the position to be filled.  The
savvy interviewer will take note of an applicant's personality by
engaging him/her in conversation.  By noting an applicant's answers to
the "standard" questions, as well as their answers to his favorite:

-- What do you do for fun?

...he can gauge whether an applicant will "mesh" with the current
staff and be well suited for a given position.  The close-mouthed guy
who answers "What do you do for fun?" with "Not much." probably isn't
going to be a good fit for a sales position, but he might be just the
ticket for a position in the back office or on the security team.  A
vibrant, chatty young woman would be wasted in the stock room, but
could be a real asset as a cashier or a customer service supervisor. 
Job skills can be *taught* to entry level associates, but if their
personalities aren't a good match for their position, neither the
employee nor the employer are going to be happy with the results.

It's important for interviewees to have a firm grasp of themselves -
who they are, where their talents lie, and what abilities they can
bring to the company.  The confident, gregarious, honest applicant
will wake the interviewer up and make a great impression, so have your
students think how they would react to and answer questions such as

-- What's your favorite hobby?
-- What's the scariest moment you've ever had?
-- What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?

Everyone preps for the cliche questions, and no one expects the
personality oriented questions.  They can stack the deck in their own
favor by being prepared for something slightly off the wall *and* by
having intelligent questions of their own for the interviewer:

"
# Could you please tell me a little more about the duties and
responsibilities of this job?
# Is there a training period? How long?
# Is there a probationary period? Are there opportunities for
advancement?
# Where does this job lead?
# What would be my working hours? Would they change?
# What additional training is necessary?
# How often will I be evaluated? By whom?
# Are there opportunities for overtime?
# Does the job provide any benefits?
# Be careful about questions asking information about pay.

Student Opportunity Connection
http://alliancebcs.org/Stu/interview.html

So says the resident hiring expert.

( The resident hiring expert's list of questions doesn't sound much
different from the standard list of questions I've had asked of me for
various positions - including waiting tables in an upscale restaurant.
Having a funny, honest answer that showcases a particular skill
prepared for "Why should we hire you?" is a big help. )

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Monster.com's Interview Tips section lists the
top ten most popular questions:

Prep for the Top 10 Interview Questions
http://interview.monster.com/articles/iq/

...and SnagAJob lists some similar:

Interview Tips
http://www.snagajob.com/job_tips/interviewtips.asp

...and doesn't it figure that most of them are identical to the
mandatory questions asked by Mark's company?  That doesn't mean your
students shouldn't be prepared for these questions (or variations
thereof) - they should!  But pat answers should be avoided.

[ Resident expert says:  "Because my mom made me apply." is NOT the
right answer to "Why should we hire you?" ]

Monster has a host of interviewing tips that can be quickly tailored
for the soon-to-be high school graduate.  Rather than detailing work
successes, candidates should concentrate on academic and
extra-curricular achivements ( for example:  "I have great
organizational skills.  I maintained a 3.8 GPA in an Honors
curriculum, and chaired the production of our Spring musical.") to
highlight their strengths.

Don't Get Thrown for a Loop
http://interview.monster.com/articles/interviewquest/

Tell Me About Yourself
http://interview.monster.com/stage/tellme/

MyFuture.com Toolbox offers additional interview hints

Ace The Interview
http://www.myfuture.com/career/step1.html

Most sample interviews do indeed focus on people who already have job
experience.  That doesn't make these sample interviews useless.  The
questions *do* get asked, albeit somewhat altered for the entry level.

Student Opportunity Connection offers a list, and tips for answering,
that is geared more towards high school students, but it quite similar
to lists offered elsewhere:

More On Getting Ready For The Interview
http://alliancebcs.org/Stu/interview.html#More%20Preparation

I hope this information is helpful to you *and* your students.  If you
need further assistance, or would like me to go pick the brain of my
resident expert a bit more, just ask for clarification.  I'll be happy
to help!

--Missy

Search terms: [ "interview tips" questions high school ] and a
conversation with an experienced manager.

---

Clarification of Answer by missy-ga on 05 Mar 2003 20:31 PST

It occurs to me, Lexi, that I could put together a "mock interview"
for you.  If you need that, let me know when you need it by, and I'll
do so.

--M

Thanks a bunch - it's really helpful to know what actual hiring
managers do.  I think I'm all set. :)

In preparing the young people for interviews, you might want to
mention the possibility that they might encounter an adversarial
interview in which the questions may seem accusatory, and the
interviewing technique may resemble an interrogation. This is a
deliberate technique sometimes used in order to rattle a potential
employee for the purpose of evaluating how he or she functions under
stress.

I mention this because I vividly recall one of my first job
interviews, in the 1960s. After giving a cursory glance at my résumé,
the two interviewers, correctly thinking that I didn't expect the
Spanish Inquisition, barked rather rude and personal questions at me
(questions such as "You have awfully long hair. Are you some kind of
hippie?) When the interview ended, after about half an hour, the
interviewers apologized for their harsh words and explained that the
interviewing technique was designed to test how an applicant responded
under pressure.

Years later, when I was working for the state employment service as an
aptitude testing specialist, I heard of similar interviews from my
clients. Apparently this sort of thing is considered acceptable by
some employers.