Q: Dr. Ima, I have my first professional interview next week. How can I best prepare for this opportunity? Are there questions that I should expect?
A: Preparing for a job interview means anticipating the variety of questions that you might be asked and developing potential answers. Job interviewers rarely, if ever, try to throw you off with trick questions. The question sets that they apply often fall into several broad categories of investigation and if you anticipate these topics your success will be enhanced.
Background
Tell me a bit about yourself?
How was your experience at XYZ college or ABC theatre company?
Collaboration
Describe a time when you worked out a challenge with your colleagues.
Talk about the kind of information that you bring to design meetings.
Improvement
Tell me something new or different regarding the production process that you brought to your last job.
Talk about a time when you faced the potential sacrifice of quality to meet a deadline.
Creativity
Describe the most creative work-related project that you have carried out.
What have been some of your most innovative ideas?
Diversity
How do you handle diversity of opinions in the work environment?
Describe a situation where you had to give someone feedback about not accepting others.
Success
How do you describe personal success?
Give me an example of a goal that you set for yourself and how you achieved it.
Process
You have been hired to hang and focus a light plot. What are the first things you do?
Take me through one of your major projects, highlighting your specific contribution.
Accountability
Tell me about a time when you took responsibility for a failure.
When was the last time that you made a mistake and how did you respond?
Personal Growth
Tell me about a time when you were not pleased with or were disappointed in your performance and what did you do about it?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Motivation
What motivates you?
What aspect of the entertainment industry do you find most engaging?
Independence
How much supervision do you want or need?
When were you working on a project and you sought out additional help?
