Page 63 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

6. “What kind of work interests you?” Tells interest and motivation.
7. “What organizations do you belong to that are relevant to the job you are applying for?” Shows

interests and interpersonal skills.
8. “What offices have you held?” Shows leadership ability and acceptance of responsibility.
9. “What are your career goals? Where do you see yourself in 3 to 5 years?” Shows whether the person

plans ahead and whether plans are congruent with those of the company.
10. “What hours do you prefer to work? How flexible is your schedule?”
11. “What brought you to our company to apply for work? Why would you like to work for us?” Tells

whether the person is knowledgeable about the company.
12. “Do you prefer to work alone or in a group?” Tells if the person would work well in a team

environment.
13. “Tell me about a time at your last job when teamwork was important.”
14. “Tell me about a problem you solved at work and how you solved it.”
15. “Describe how you made an important decision at work.”

Questions that should not be asked

Certain subjects can be the basis for complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender,
marital status, national origin, religion, age, and disability. For this reason, the following questions are
examples of ones that should be avoided in preemployment interviews. If the questions are not job related,
do not ask.

1. “What is your nationality and native language?” “Place of birth?”
2. “What is your religious affiliation?”
3. “What is your marital status?” “Spouse’s name?” “What is your maiden name?”
4. “Where does your spouse work?” “What does he/she think of your working?”
5. “Do you have a family or plans to start one?” “Who will baby-sit for you?”
6. “What is your date of birth?” “Date of graduation from school?” “Age?”

Box 3-2 ■ Sample Preemployment Interview Questions

Using Questions
Questions play a major role in interviews as tools of the trade. The wording of questions is as important as
one’s manner and tone of voice. A friendly approach in asking the questions communicates the desire to
understand and be of assistance. The kind of questions asked should require the other person to talk 60% to
70% of the time. Questions that are highly specific or may be answered with one word, such as “yes” or “no,”
should be avoided initially, but may be necessary to follow up on specific information. A skilled person listens
and evaluates each answer and may probe further.

Questions may be classified in several ways: open or closed, primary or secondary, probing, and neutral or
leading.3

Open and Closed Questions

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