Career Advice

The following sample job interview questions enable you to assess what motivates the candidate you are interviewing. Feel free to use these job interview questions in your own candidate interviews.

·         Describe the work environment or culture in which you are most productive and happy.

·         Imagine you have received a coveted national award five years from now. Why did you receive the award, what is the award, and what are the circumstances under which you are receiving the award?

·         What goals, including career goals, have you set for your life?

·         How would you define “success” for your career? At the end of your work life, what must have been present for you to feel as if you had a successful career?

·         Describe a work situation in which you can demonstrate that you motivated another person.

Motivation Job Interview Question Answers

You are attempting to identify what motivates the individual you are interviewing.

As an example, you probably don’t want to hire a candidate who most enjoys working alone for your customer service position.

You are also discovering, with these motivation job interview questions, what your candidate believes motivates others. You are learning what must be present in the work environment for the candidate to experience motivation.

Author: Susan M. Heathfield, Your Guide to Human Resources, http://humanresources.about.com/od/motivationrewardretention/a/motivation_ques.htm