Tell me about yourself.

"My grandfather was a litigation attorney. He was a real inspiration to me. So, I went to college and got a law degree. I've volunteered with at-risk youth, taking part in several after-school programs. Now it's my goal to continue my career path by seeing what kind of change I can bring about, large or small."

This initial question is an icebreaker. They want to get to know you and your individual strengths. Gaining insights into your personality will help them determine how well you'll fit into their work environment and how'll you'll compare to the others they've interviewed for this position.

Help them get to know you. They want to know what it will be like to work with you. Be personable and conversational in tone for this question, yet remain professional and maintain your boundaries. Remember, it's typical for both the interviewer and the interviewee to be nervous in this situation. So, set a friendly tone for the interview by providing them with attractive insights into who you are. This will help frame your personality as a desirable fit for their work culture.

How do you define success?

"I'd say, regardless of how incremental it may be, every inch forward towards any goal is a success. Even if that inch was simply learning something that could be used towards accomplishing a goal, it's still a success. Finding ways to improve upon the progress you make turns that next inch into a mile."

The interviewers want to know what success means to you. Offer insight into what motivates your work. How you answer will help them determine if you consider success as crossing items off your daily list, or if you scale success incrementally, toward more big picture goals.

Speak from the heart. Break down what success means to you across all fronts--short-term goals, long-term goals, the big picture, and how to get there while protecting the company's assets. Tell the interviewer how you view success through this lens and be sure to mention the success you plan to bring to this position should they should offer you the role.

"I will start broad, then narrow my answer's down. As a value-driven person who is passionate about progressive change, success is making a tangible impact on progressive issues. A long-term success for me is to be at the top of my field, regularly working on high-profile cases. A short-term success would be to find opportunities to expand my skill set to find my legal niche."

What was your least favorite aspect of your last job?

"I couldn't spend time in the break room. Not ever. It was never clean. The fridge was broken and gave off an odor and some used it as a hang-out place to evade work. I'm all for taking micro-breaks, but only for the sake of increasing productivity. So, I always ate lunch out, and that got expensive."

The interviewer asks this question to understand what motivates you, what distracts you, and what kind of work environment suits you best. They're also curious about what your general daily attitude is. Someone who has a lot of negative things to say about their last position might feel that way no matter where they are. Too often, an employee with issues with authority or a negative perspective will project their emotional energy onto their environment. How you answer this question may or may not raise such red flags.

Be honest about what you liked least, but stay focused on the positives. For example, saying that the leadership was toxic might show you have issues with authority figures. That says something different than expressing a lack of growth opportunity or being a social person who thrives in a team environment when the position you held was mostly a solitary work environment.

"90% of our clients were defendants in eviction court. I am grateful to have supervisors who give me as much opportunity as possible to assist in cases that offensively protect tenants' rights. However, those opportunities were limited based on my organization's structure."

What is your opinion of your last boss?

"I learned a lot from working with them. Whether you're taking on new skills or you're finding yourself adapting to different communication styles, there's always something to learn. What I find interesting is how some people lead through the integrity of their character and how some lead the way they think they're supposed to lead instead of letting their nature guide them. I think when leadership is forced, or not abiding by one's own character, it often results in too forced an approach, causing you to trip over your own feet and rub a lot of people the wrong way. I got along well with my previous boss, though not everyone did. So, that's worth examining. But for my part, I got along with them quite well. As I said, I learned a lot."

The interviewers are curious about how well you get along with those in positions of authority. How you answer may clue them into your perception of your previous workplace, how well you got along with others on the team, and perhaps even what terms you left on.

You want to exhibit an ability to get along with others, especially those in positions of authority. Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills. Extend your focus on being a team player towards the qualities of leadership.

"I had an amazing relationship with my last boss. She is a skilled attorney and supervisor. I always admired her intelligence and organizational skills. She is also one of my friends and we've worked on projects and spend time together outside of work."

Are you a people person or an animal person?

"I love all living things, great and small. I'm not one of those people who claims to be an animal lover, which is often code for being a misanthrope. I'm happy being alone with my pooch or happy working as part of a team, looking forward to all the kumbayas and high fives. So, I'd say I'm a dog person, a cat person, and a people person."

This question aims to determine where you fall on the scale of being an extrovert versus an introvert, and likewise, whether you're more of a team collaborator or an innovator. Both bring value. There is no wrong or right answer.

Put self-evaluative thought into your answer rather than trying to hurry through it. Be honest. Don't choose one or the other unless that is truly the case, which, in most cases, it rarely is. Most people fall somewhere in the middle between these two extremes on the scale. The most important thing to strive for is exuding a sense of self-awareness, confidence, and an ability to be productive in any environment. Be sure to research the type of environment that is offered in this position prior to your interview. Discuss your ideal assignments with realistic expectations.

"I am both. I would strongly say that I am an ambivert who has very little social anxiety. I love talking through my ideas and life with others, but it's necessary for me to have downtime with my roommate's three cats. It's a special connection to learn non-verbal communication with animals."

What are you most proud of?

"That's hard for me to say. My problem is I am big picture-oriented. So, you can look at any one goal, but typically, that's just one segment of a much larger set of goals contributing to an ultimate goal. I'm proud of all of it and how far I've come along my career path. I just wish my grandfather was still around to see how far I've come. No doubt he'd be proud."

This question aims to evaluate what you consider "putting your all in" and if you're an overachiever. It also serves to clue them into your goals and what motivates your work. Whether your accomplishment is great or small, they want individuals who are enthusiastically engaged to make a lasting impact.

It is okay to brag a little when answering this question. Show pride in your career accomplishments, and align your accomplishments with the role you're contending for. Once you give your example, offer where you hope this achievement will lead you. The road to self-improvement is never-ending.

"I am most proud of my willingness to try under adverse conditions. For example, it is not mandatory to represent in administrative hearings at my job, and while many paralegals opted out of this opportunity, I learned a lot despite how scary it felt to learn. I even do this in my personal life. during COVID I privately taught myself bass guitar. It is difficult to develop new creative skills as an adult, but now I am in a band."

What opportunities have you had working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings?

"Many. One person I worked with recently came from a different cultural background than my own. I knew little about their culture and society and was amazed by what they endured. I had a vague idea, but not to the extent they shared. Afterward, I kind of saw that person as a hero. The hurdles they had to overcome and their sheer determination to beat the odds stacked against them amazed me. Despite what they endured, they consider themselves the luckiest person alive. That's an achievement. That's greatness, and it humbles you."

A person who doesn't feel comfortable when immersed in a culturally diverse environment might have difficulty navigating this question. They might stammer and struggle to find the right words. Whereas a person who has experience being immersed in a culturally rich environment and working with people from all walks of life will have no trouble navigating this question. What they'll be looking for is less of what example you'll answer with and more so how you answer.

The goal here is to exemplify that you are inclusive and that others enjoy working with you, regardless of ethnic or social background. Your answer should highlight a universal human experience.

"I am uniquely adjusted to working with diverse colleagues and having hard discussions about identifying politics with them. At CLS I worked with a few colleagues to organize conversations with a consultant to address racism in the workplace."

Who in your career has had the most impact on you?

"I'd say my grandfather did. He was a fighter pilot in the 50s and 60s for the Navy and encouraged me to join the Navy out of high school. I did, and they paid for my education throughout law school. He taught me my work ethic early on and that your work means nothing if not performed with integrity."

Your answer to this question will offer a glimpse into your personality, philosophy, and approach to your leadership style. They'll examine the examples offered and consider how well you'll work with their leaders and their team. This may also help them pair you with the type of leader who best matches your inspiration, based on your ideals, helping that leader better serve as a role model for you through the experience.

Think of those who inspired you. Inspirational people motivate us. They're passionate and driven, accomplishing goals that seem impossible and starting new ventures with ideas that change the way we view the world. Talk about a mentor or someone who has inspired you in your career. Don't always expect them to ask you to clarify, nor expect them to understand how they inspired you. Elaborate on what qualities they possess that you admire and how those qualities relate to your work style and profession.

"My unit's previous Managing Attorney. She was equally an artist and lawyer. Her work in both fields addressed black empowerment and equal access. She showed me that I do not have to choose only one niche to make an impact. She's a true genius and inspiration."

Tell me about when you last missed a deadline.

"I was spearheading two separate projects and took on a third, convinced I could deliver all three of them on time. This third project was very involved, more so than I expected, and it slowed me down. The deadline approached. The first two projects were close to being done, but the third was only halfway there. I realized I was going to either miss all three deadlines, or just one if I abandoned the third project and re-prioritized the first two. So I passed off the third project to someone else, breaking down all the progress I made and where they'd pick up on it. I thought I could do anything. But I realized it was better to do a few things well as opposed to producing more at a lower quality of work. It's important for one to know their own limits."

This question tests your ability to take responsibility for your own actions and what you learn from those growth opportunities. Be sure to include the impact it had on the business or project aside from how late it was. The example you provide aims to reveal how far you've progressed in your professional development and whether you're ahead of the game or lagging.

Provide an example that centers on the struggle you faced, and how you overcame it, even if you didn't succeed to the degree you had hoped. Explain the situation and what variables hindered your progress. Detail what you would've done differently and how you avoided repeating it. What's important are the lessons learned and how they contributed to greater success.

"I was tasked with closing a case where we denied representation before the tenant's next hearing. Because this tenant did not often call to ask questions, the case was left open. The next step I took was to immediately report the mistake to the managing attorney, who reports the mistake to the Operations Officer. I corrected the issue by promptly sending the client-adjusted information in a closing letter under the new case circumstances. I now use both a shared spreadsheet and calendar events to track my cases."

Tell me about a time you followed a command you disagreed with.

"The company implemented a new system to manage our output. But these new procedures created an extra five steps to monitor our productivity because they felt there was a growth opportunity there. Not only did having to jump through all those additional hoops interrupt our workflow, but so many other systems had to be implemented just to track our work. They were looking for areas to increase workflow, so they implemented policies that cut our productivity rate in half. But I understood why they did it. It may not have been the best method, but often you have to try several things before you get it right and I didn't have any better ideas at the time."

This question assesses your communication skills and how you handle situations in the workplace that, at first glance, seems to clash with your ideals. It also assesses how you deal with those in positions of authority. How you adapt to change will inform them of how you perform in a high-paced work environment that changes quickly and often and if you can stay flexible when faced with unique challenges. This will also evaluate your emotional maturity.

Unless you're on the board or in the executive inner circle, the policies coming down from the top are likely in place for reasons you may not fully grasp. Respond thoughtfully and with a respectful tone. Objectify the situation, not focusing on the individual delivering the command. Your example should focus on asking questions rather than on being guided by assumptions. Asking why this policy is in place, expressing interest in the policy's nature, and the bigger picture and ultimate goals. This reveals a vested interest in the company and an interest in putting your all in to reaching those goals as a member of the team. Avoid examples that did not end amicably. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with your superiors when you're both pursuing the same goal and working as a team. You want to come across as a supporting influence for your employer.

"We were encouraged to open a case for EVERY person who was eligible for services and asked for assistance. I disagreed with this command because the time it takes to complete paperwork would take longer than the substantive consultation. However, I followed this command for years because increased caseloads legitimize increased funding for our organization."

What do you love about performing repetitive work?

"I get that a lot of people have trouble performing that kind of work without burning out on it. I'm indifferent to that part of the job. I take pride in my work, no matter what I'm doing, and have several systems and processes for every aspect of what I do. When you are good at what you do, you enjoy the work."

This question aims to determine how sustainable of an employee you'd be in an environment such as theirs. They're interested if you thrive on solitary introverted work and less so on the more social aspect of the job, or if you prefer to work with more social interaction. This is an attempt to find out whether you'll burn out from the monotony a job at the department of justice might present or if you thrive in a regimented, rule-bound environment.

The essential goal here is to communicate that you understand what they expect of you and, regardless of how many don't expect this aspect of the job to be difficult, understand that it is more arduous than it seems. Any manner in which you can go about communicating an equivalent experience will go a long way here. Draw correlations between your work experience and the expectations of the position you're contending for. Once you've mapped those out, describe your relevant work experience with adhering to a regimented, monotonous routine. Next, offer your understanding of what the position you are interviewing for looks like. Then, ask for further clarification on what the position entails beyond what they advertise in the job description regarding the routine. Further, elaborate on how your experience correlates with the expectations of the job.

"Repetitive work can actually be a little reprieve from doing difficult intellectual and emotional work. Sometimes just settling in to organize some rent receipts or send another standard case-closing letter."

Are you able to regulate your emotions to do your job effectively?

"I think it is important to have mastery over one's emotions to effectively get any work done. Being mature and emotionally grounded is something I pride myself on. I'm more of an observer, an active listener, and a responder rather than someone who is reactionary. So, yes, I consider myself quite capable of regulating my emotions while putting my all in."

One method of performance evaluation is by determining how you adapt to change and how you perform in a high-stress work environment and stay flexible when faced with unique challenges. Your interviewer wants to know if you can face these challenges with emotional maturity, confidence, and poise, or whether your reactions would be a detriment to the department or the developing situation.

They'll want to hear an example of when you put your skills to the test. Try to keep your answer relevant to the role for which you're applying, and ultimately convey a unique ability to stay cool and collected, even in the most stressful situations. Break down how you maintain a healthy work/life balance.

How would your former work colleagues describe you?

"They'd say they loved having me around. They'd describe me as happy-go-lucky and a positive influence. They'd tell you I work hard and often set the pace--which was sometimes challenging to keep up with."

It's a constant challenge for an interviewer to determine whether the person interviewed is being forthright, or doing their best to tell them what they think they want to hear to land the job. This question tests your honesty in the interview process by gauging the consistency of your answers. Your consistency in how you present yourself will show the interviewer that you'll be consistent in your work performance should they choose to hire you. How you answer this question will give the interviewer insight into your self-awareness and how you believe others perceive you. It also aims to reveal if you can identify your merits and growth opportunities.

How you perceive yourself may differ from how others perceive you, including the person interviewing you. Remain conscious of your body language throughout the interview process. Relay your answer with confidence and ease. Make sure you vary your answers, keeping your narrative consistent from one question to the next. Remain professional and strategic in your answers. What this question is more geared towards answering are your intentions and your integrity. Speak to that. It's common for people who are honest to assume everyone is honest like them. This does not differ from when someone who is dishonest assumes everyone is disingenuous. The aim here is to convey trust and integrity as integral to your nature and your common practice.

"I was recently described as 'unflappable' and keep colleagues grounded when they're stressed. That I am a very empathetic interviewer with excellent de-escalation skills."

Describe a stressful situation on the job and how you dealt with it.

"I was working in a building where there was an emergency and a lockdown. Many went into a panic trying to get out of the building. When the building lost power, I took command--getting our department to calm down--and restored order. After the lockdown, we exited the building. Everyone went home, and I was able to restore my work from the cloud and instructed the rest of our team on how to do the same. Simply by keeping a level head, we were able to work remotely and continued putting one foot before the other."

This question seeks to gauge your emotional maturity and how you cope with on-the-job stress. It also aims to determine what situations you define as stressful. Someone who keeps calm under pressure will be beneficial to the Department in this position.

Offer a recent high-stress situation comparable to what you imagine similar situations in their on-the-job environment to look like. This will convey your understanding of what they will expect of you. Next, detail how you managed that stressful situation, logistically and emotionally. It's fine to have stress as long as the stress doesn't have you. Emotional balance is what you should aim to convey in your answer.

If you were assigned more work than you could handle, what would you do?

"Early on, I wanted to display myself as an overachiever by taking on anything and everything on my own. But I realized this was hurting my performance more than it was helping. My supervisors were distributing the workload based on what every member of the team promised to deliver. But when one person takes on too much, the load needs to be redistributed. That hurts the big picture and sets everyone behind. Once I realized this, I took on fewer responsibilities. Then, when I'd finish early with high-quality results, I'd step up to help wherever I was needed."

Your interviewers want to get a sense of the level of importance you place on communication. In a high-pressure, fast-paced environment where you might encounter a lot of demands, you might run the danger of taking on more than you can accomplish--setting yourself up for failure. This will allow your interviewer to assess how well you hold yourself accountable, as well as the scope of your project management and time management skills. It will also give them insight into your work style and how you deal with stressful situations.

With the example you offer, turn your failures into success. Focus on the positives. If you grew from the experience and had positive takeaways, such as analytically examining what went wrong and learning what you could do next time to succeed, then the glass is half full. Attitude is everything.

"I would discuss my caseload and offer a few solutions to my supervisor. I visualize the quality of my work as a trifecta where the 1st aspect is detail orientation, 2nd is timeliness, and the 3rd is the quantity of work - Where one aspect often needs to be compromised in order to complete my tasks. My conversation with my supervisor would discuss which aspects of the work she prioritizes and I would adjust my workflow accordingly."

How do you handle conflict at work?

"It depends on what you mean by conflict. If it is a personality conflict, I'll put my non-defensive communication skills to work, demonstrate active listening, and do all I can to remain objective and level-headed and deescalate the situation. The aim is to ensure the team works well together and supports each other at every turn."

This question will offer a meaningful glimpse into your personality, your problem-solving skills, and your general perception or attitude. The interviewer needs to determine what you consider a conflict and how you'd confront it, as well as your mediation and negotiation skills and how adept and effective you are at diplomacy and working towards a communal end goal. They're also keeping a keen eye out for any "red flags." In the simplest terms, in this scenario, the last thing you want is to plant the seed that the challenging co-worker in this scenario was you.

When an interviewer asks you how you deal with conflict, focus your example on the solution rather than the problem. Address the situation and never focus on any one person as the source of the conflict. Exhibit your non-defensive communication skills here, as well as your ability to function as a mediator between those who don't see eye-to-eye. Convey a possession of strong conflict resolution skills in your example.

"I'm a fairly direct person. However, I like to ask for advice from either my supervisor or peers. I was working on a project with the social worker where we clearly delegated tasks, however about a week later he completed all my tasks before our deadline without telling me. I talked through the situation with my supervisor, asking for the best method for me to confront the situation, which was extremely helpful for the conversation that I had with my colleague."

Describe an occasion where you mediated a dispute between two people.

"There was an occasion where a disgruntled former employee entered the building and started an altercation with our manager, who had a great deal of difficulty communicating with them. They responded by calling security. This agitated them more, and that's when I stepped in. I asked the former employee why they felt the need to come into the office and express their grievance. I asked several follow-up questions and validated their emotions and perception of their experience. I then objectified the situation to them and helped them look at how they were worsening their situation. I was able to illustrate that the behavior they'd been displaying resulted in them being let go in the first place. After rationalizing with them for a while, I was able to de-escalate the situation and they left peacefully, apologizing to everyone involved."

This behavioral question will offer a meaningful glimpse into your personality as well as your soft skills. They designed this question to determine what you consider a conflict and how you'd confront it. It aims to gauge your problem-solving skills and your general perception or attitude. They're aiming to get a glimpse of your mediation and negotiation skills as well. The interviewer needs to know how adept and effective you are at diplomacy and working towards a communal end goal.

When an interviewer asks you how you deal with conflict, focus your example on the situation and the solution rather than any one person as the source of the conflict. Exhibit your non-defensive communication skills here as well as your ability to function as a mediator between those who don't see eye-to-eye. Convey a possession of strong conflict resolution skills in your example.

What is your career endgame?

"I hope to accomplish all the goals I set out for myself throughout my career. I want to feel accomplished and proud of my legacy. I want to have made my family proud as well. Knowing I've contributed towards building something that will outlast me with a positive impact, I can ride off into the sunset. Here's what that looks like for me..."

How you answer this question will offer insights into your ambition and where you want to take your career. It'll also reveal how your future aligns with the opportunities they'll provide.

This differs from your five-year career plan. This is speaking to your long-term goals. One's self-development should be as never-ending as one's determination. Align your long-term goals with your current career path and exhibit your interest in growing within their department.

What's the biggest challenge you anticipate facing in this position?

"I imagine there is some heartbreak you face here at the Department of Justice, especially when dealing with some difficult personalities. You can't help everyone, but you have to keep trying to be there for those who need it. So, I imagine the toughest challenge is staying true to one's vision and motives and not getting jaded or burnt out on the good work to be done."

This is another question that seeks to test your knowledge of what the expectations of this role look like. The extent of your knowledge for the position and department, and how confident you are in your abilities, are what they are evaluating here.

Do your research. Describe how you'd navigate the more difficult aspects of this position with confidence and skill. Your focus should be on how you're the right person for the job, with an emphasis on why.

"Although I feel confident that my skills will lend themselves well to this position, I imagine the learning curve to develop a working knowledge of relevant laws may be the most difficult part of this work. However, I also dealt with this in my current position and have learned organizational and research skills to cope with learning large quantities of information."

What is your method for measuring the quality of your work?

"I have several methods, depending on the work. Let's start with proofing a report, for example..."

This question evaluates your attention to detail, as well as your organizational and time management skills. How well you produce error-free, high-quality work within given timeframes will be evaluated based on your attention to detail, adaptability, and flexibility. Accuracy is a critical part of any job. Prioritizing tasks based on their level of importance, their urgency, and the big picture, rather than short-term goals, is a skill. They're interested in learning how skilled you are at your job.

Emphasize your understanding of the distinction between quality and quantity and explain why striking a balance is important. Attention to detail is only valuable when quality doesn't sacrifice meeting deadlines and accomplishing the goals set forth. There's a standard to uphold. Explain that you value both and describe how you balance the two.

What questions do you have?

"I am familiar with the responsibilities of the job, but there is no way to know what the job looks like until you are onboarding and learning the ropes. How would you describe a typical day on the job on any given day of the week?"

This question will help them not only assess your genuine active interest in working for them but also clue them into whether you're the type of person to ask questions. The more questions you ask, the more enhanced your communications skills will seem and the more likely you are to be self-guided and successful at your job.

You're interviewing the company as much as they're interviewing you. They've provided opportunities for you to share your accomplishments and advertise your merits. This is your opportunity to provide them a platform to propose their pitch, advertise their merits, what they offer, and convince you this is a great opportunity.

What challenges are you looking for?

"I am very proactive regarding my career growth. I've made a habit of expanding the sphere of my comfort zone. Let's just say I am looking forward to every and any challenge you throw my way. I am up to the challenge."

Ask yourself if you are career-focused or are looking for an undemanding job and a regular paycheck. Examine if you are interested in growth and achieving milestones towards your goals or are you searching for the path of least resistance. This is what your interviewer is trying to find out.

Examine your five-year career plan. Determine what milestones you hope to achieve and what challenges and growth opportunities this position may offer. Present your answer with ambition and professional maturity.

How do you stay organized?

"This depends on the situation. Examining the work at hand, I'll compile all the information I have to start with. From there, I'll determine what information I'm lacking, organize that information in a cohesive manner, creating flow and transitions based on the priorities at hand--an organized bullet-pointed list, in a way, sorted based on priority. Then, examining the time I have to manage, what makes the most sense as far as preventing rework, and what work can be built off of as a foundation for the work at hand, I'll create a strategy on how to approach the work, getting a better idea of realistic time frames."

Your answer to this question informs your interviewer how you'd manage your work. Highlight your time management skills, organizational skills, and your ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Talk about the tools and resources you use to plan your work and stay organized. If you've developed systems to increase accuracy and workflow, talk about it. Exhibit an ability to assess the timing, commercial importance, and positive externalities of other priorities.

Do you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?

"Any big picture or large goal is attained by breaking it into smaller goals. So, I'd say there is no way to evaluate the full scope of the big picture without having a microscopic view of the details. Therefore, I'd say with confidence I am both a big-picture person who is very detail-oriented."

Ideal candidates possess both, ably addressing urgent matters while focusing on the big picture. A key aspect of leadership is maintaining focus on long-term goals while more urgent tasks command your attention. The interviewers are ascertaining your leadership potential. Ask yourself if you are more visionary with what lays beyond the horizon or more hands-on and labor-oriented, feeling more at home in the weeds. Being one or the other will help them ascertain your fit into their culture and help them place you in a role suitable to your talents.

You want to come across as a supporting influence for your employer. Explain how your course of action created positive growth towards the bigger picture and the communal end goal. The key to one's professional development is to unlock one's potential.

Are you interviewing with anyone else?

"I've never been the type of person who puts all of their eggs in one basket. I am interviewing with several companies, with a few more scheduled this week, and am comparing each one I've interviewed with to see how well they align with my goals and objectives. I feel as if I am honing in on some of the most viable jobs. I'm interested in finding the right lasting fit."

If asked this question during your interview, your interviewer is likely looking to see if you have any other prospects and any sort of timeline you're under to find a position. They're also curious about where they scale on your job wishlist. Job hunting is a numbers game. They don't expect you to put all your eggs in one basket. But they also don't want to hire someone who is just looking for any job or hire someone who might agree to join their organization, only to leave a few days later for a better opportunity. They need assurances that you ideally want to work for them.

Honesty is the best policy. Talk with the interviewer about your search so far and let them know that a role with them is at the top of your wishlist. Keep an organized folder with every customized resume and cover letter you've submitted to each position you're interviewing for. They'll have something similar for all the applicants they've interviewed with. Have tabs separating your notes for each interview, with a breakdown of the pro and cons of each employer. Detail, for your eyes only, what each of them could offer. Having this with you will exude yourself as an organized professional taking all your prospects seriously. It could likewise put a bit of fire under the hiring manager if they're aware you're actively looking. This will help market you as a viable candidate.

How would you rate your multitasking skills?

"I'd say I'm adept in multitasking. I'm proficient in my work, rarely get distracted, and if something demands my attention, I have tricks I've developed to ensure I pick up where I left off without a hiccup."

Multitasking is challenging for most people, and it is likewise a difficult skill to quantify. Being singularly focused is a strength, so long as you're able to shift gears and exhibit flexibility when the need arises. How you stay productive, prevent unnecessary rework, measure your progress and pick up where you left off on your work holds value. Your ability to exhibit sound judgment and prioritize based on the greater good of the team is of equal relevance.

Exhibit pride in the systems you've developed for yourself. Emphasize your resourcefulness, flexibility, and adaptability in an ever-changing, demanding environment. Then, explain your faith in your abilities through the techniques you used to stay organized. If appropriate, offer a real-life example where you put your skills to the test with positive results.

Tell me about a time you foresaw a potential problem and what you did to avoid it.

"There was an inmate in holding that was waiting to be escorted to court who was exhibiting some troubling behavior. It was the way they were fidgeting and flailing their arms about that caught my attention. I kept my eye on the situation from a safe distance. I alerted an officer, and just as I was bringing the matter to their attention, they turned violent. The officer quickly intervened."

Working in the Department of Justice requires high-level attention to detail and constant awareness of one's surroundings. This includes the ability to identify suspicious behavior or anything out of the norm of the routine established by adhering to the rules. This question seeks to find out how your work experience correlates with what they expect of the role for which you're applying. They're also curious about how by-the-book and professional your daily course of action is, and how effective your observation skills and attention to detail are.

They'll want to hear an example of when you have put your skills into action in a comparable role. Use the STAR method to help you answer. This means you will want to provide a situation, your task in that situation, the action you took, and the results provided by your course of action.

What would you bring to the Department of Justice?

"I have a pretty great attitude, regardless of the work I perform. There's no doubt this work can be dispiriting for some, but I have a proven track record of motivating those working with me. That combined with my hard skills, on-the-job training, and leadership skills make me consider myself poised as a desirable candidate."

They're curious what kind of pitch you'll throw their way, or if you will squander this opportunity to advertise your merits. This is an opportunity to align your values and motivators with the work culture of their department. They want to know if you know what sets you apart from the other candidates competing for this opportunity. Additionally, how you answer could reveal how deeply you researched the position.

This is an excellent opportunity to advertise your accomplishments and merits, to go deeper into what you brought to your previous teams and what you'd deliver to theirs. Think about what the experience of working with you delivers. Discuss your desire to work for the long term and the mutual passion you share for this line of work. Explore your successes, the positive energy you bring with you, and the positive comments your coworkers have mentioned about you in the past. Speak clearly, make relaxed eye contact, and posture yourself with positive, engaging, and confident body language.

What skills do you possess that you feel are translatable to this role?

"I am consistently even-keeled. I have a strong sense of emotional maturity, great time management skills, and outstanding conflict resolution skills. I am an expert at non-defensive communication, an active listener, and never crack under pressure."

Notice with this question that they didn't directly ask about your work history. This is more specific. You listed your hard skills on your resume. Your soft skills are harder to quantify on paper. They want to get to know you and what hard-to-quantify strengths you can offer them. They're giving you an opportunity to sell your merits. Gaining insights into your personality will help them determine how well you'll fit into their environment.

Display your commitment to your career path, exhibiting a passion for your field and enthusiasm for where it'll lead you. Take a few minutes to walk the interviewer through your work history, highlighting the most relevant positions you've held and the soft skills you've gained which apply to the role you're applying for. This can include creative problem solving and innovation, above-average communication skills, active listening skills, time management skills, a growth mindset and an eagerness to expand your comfort zone, emotional intelligence and maturity, interpersonal and collaboration mindsets, and flexibility and adaptability.

Tell me about your educational background.

"Since I was young, I watched my grandfather at trial. This was exciting for me and I always had a ton of questions for him afterward, which he'd take the time to explain. That's where my law education began. I earned my degree from Willamette University College of Law, in Salem OR. I'm proud of my accomplishments there and made a lot of progress toward my career goals. From there I went on to..."

Learning about your educational background goes deeper than your academic record and qualifications. The interviewers are curious whether you were passionate about your studies when you started, whether your passion emerged along the path of your educational journey, and how confidently you display your commitment now. They want to ensure that you're committed to your career path.

Your academic record goes beyond your high school education, your college degree, and your formal education. It also should include your educational extracurricular activities, volunteering or charity work, and what you learned from those experiences. They also want to know what fuels and sustains your ambition and passion, any aspect of self-taught education, those life experiences and professional life lessons learned on and off the job, etc. Volunteer anything and everything that would make you come across as an excellent candidate.

Department of Justice Interview Questions

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1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How do you define success?
3. What was your least favorite aspect of your last job?
4. What is your opinion of your last boss?
5. Are you a people person or an animal person?
6. What are you most proud of?
7. What opportunities have you had working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings?
8. Who in your career has had the most impact on you?
9. Tell me about when you last missed a deadline.
10. Tell me about a time you followed a command you disagreed with.
11. What do you love about performing repetitive work?
12. Are you able to regulate your emotions to do your job effectively?
13. How would your former work colleagues describe you?
14. Describe a stressful situation on the job and how you dealt with it.
15. If you were assigned more work than you could handle, what would you do?
16. How do you handle conflict at work?
17. Describe an occasion where you mediated a dispute between two people.
18. What is your career endgame?
19. What's the biggest challenge you anticipate facing in this position?
20. What is your method for measuring the quality of your work?
21. What questions do you have?
22. What challenges are you looking for?
23. How do you stay organized?
24. Do you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
25. Are you interviewing with anyone else?
26. How would you rate your multitasking skills?
27. Tell me about a time you foresaw a potential problem and what you did to avoid it.
28. What would you bring to the Department of Justice?
29. What skills do you possess that you feel are translatable to this role?
30. Tell me about your educational background.

Department of Justice Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. How do you define success?

3. What was your least favorite aspect of your last job?

4. What is your opinion of your last boss?

5. Are you a people person or an animal person?

6. What are you most proud of?

7. What opportunities have you had working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings?

8. Who in your career has had the most impact on you?

9. Tell me about when you last missed a deadline.

10. Tell me about a time you followed a command you disagreed with.

11. What do you love about performing repetitive work?

12. Are you able to regulate your emotions to do your job effectively?

13. How would your former work colleagues describe you?

14. Describe a stressful situation on the job and how you dealt with it.

15. If you were assigned more work than you could handle, what would you do?

16. How do you handle conflict at work?

17. Describe an occasion where you mediated a dispute between two people.

18. What is your career endgame?

19. What's the biggest challenge you anticipate facing in this position?

20. What is your method for measuring the quality of your work?

21. What questions do you have?

22. What challenges are you looking for?

23. How do you stay organized?

24. Do you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?

25. Are you interviewing with anyone else?

26. How would you rate your multitasking skills?

27. Tell me about a time you foresaw a potential problem and what you did to avoid it.

28. What would you bring to the Department of Justice?

29. What skills do you possess that you feel are translatable to this role?

30. Tell me about your educational background.