Sample Student Questions

Getting Started

Who or what inspired you to pursue your career?

Where there many barriers or setbacks? If so, how did you overcome them?

Did your life or goals when you were younger affect what you decided to do?

Did your family or friends help you along the way? How?

How did you feel when you got your first job? Were you scared? Were you under pressure?

How did you train for your job? What education requirements are there?

How did you pay for college? Did you get a scholarship or did you pay for it yourself?

Did you take any courses in high school that helped you in this career?

Did any of your teachers help you?

Did you ever think about dropping out of school?

Did you have to study hard? How much did you study?

Does your company offer to pay for an employee's continued education?

What advice would you give to a student trying to get into college?

What would be your advice to a high school student wanting a job in your field?

Did you ever play sports in college? Did this affect your future in any way?

What can I do to get a job interview?

How can I make myself stand out from the many people interviewed?

What should I NOT do in an interview?

What is the best way to follow up on an interview?

What if I have no previous experience? How do I make my skills look good?

If you have conducted interviews, what is most impressive to you?

What is a typical day like on your job? What exactly do you do?

What do you like best about your job?

What do you like least? What would you change if you could?

What are your hours like? Is there much overtime? Do you have to work on weekends or night?

What is a typical salary like in your profession?

What other jobs are available in your company besides your own particular job?

What other people do you work with or communicate with on a daily basis?

What would you say is the key to getting along with co-workers/boss/clients on the job?

What are you most proud of professionally?

Have you ever been aware of someone you work with being dishonest? How did you handle it?

What is an entry level position in your field? How can you move up from it?

Did you ever get a promotion, and if so, how did you get it?

Do you work on a computer a lot?

Is your industry growing? What is the outlook for the future? Will the job you have exist ten years from now?

In what ways does your career affect the kind of life you live?

As you progressed in your career, is there anything you feel now that you might have done differently?

Do you think that you could have a good career even though you have a child or want one?

If you enjoy your job, and another job came along that wasn't as interesting but paid more money, would you take it?

If you won the lottery would you still keep your job?