Top 20 Performance-Based Interview Questions

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Performance-based interview questions are similar to behavioral interview questions.  That is, the interviewer is using your past performance to gauge your future success.  Here are 20 popular performance-based interview questions:

1. What was the most creative idea you introduced on the job? How did you persuade your superior?
2. Describe a time when voicing your opinion was uncomfortable or could have had serious consequences, but you did it because you believed so strongly in the value of your perspective.
3. Give me an example of the most complex project/assignment you have had, including your role and the outcome.
4. Describe a situation at work when you had to make a decision and were uncertain about the outcome.
5. What do you do when you are communicating with someone and it becomes apparent that they don’t understand what you’re saying or vice versa?
6. Describe a situation in which you developed a group into a strong working team.
7. Communication and leadership go hand in hand. Tell me about a time when your communication skills enabled you to influence the way others thought or acted, even in a very difficult situation.
8. What important goals have you set in the past and how you accomplished them successfully?
9. Describe how you delegate responsibility in your current job.
10. Describe a time when you had to sell an idea to your manager or another authority figure.
11. Give me an example taken from your experiences in report writing, preparation of memos, or general correspondence which illustrates the extent of your written communication skills.
12. Give me an example of a time when you built rapport with an individual or group at work, even when the situation was difficult.
13. Solving problems requires more than good plans; it means taking action. Give me an example of a time when you were able to take meaningful action to resolve a problem.
14. Sometimes it is necessary to work in unsettled or rapidly changing circumstances. When have you found yourself in this position? Tell me exactly what you did and the outcome.
15. Tell me about a time when you had to cope with strict deadlines or time demands.
16. What examples can you recall of instances in which you were responsive to your customer or successful in completing a quality job?
17. How have you improved existing processes and procedures?
18. Give me an example of how you have demonstrated technical or functional expertise?
19. Give me an example of how cooperative interaction with other members of a team has been a part of your work.
20. Give me an example of a time when others have been able to count on you “being there” time after time, project after project.