The purpose of interviews is to determine if you’re the best candidate for the role, so hiring managers or members of the human resources team will ask pertinent questions to learn more about you and your experience. While open-ended interview questions are ones where the employer expects you to provide a detailed response and maybe even an example, a closed-ended question only requires a simple and quick answer that provides basic information to the interviewer. However, you can take the opportunity to explain your answer to help a hiring manager understand you more as a potential new hire.
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In this article, we provide some examples of closed-ended interview questions along with sample answers to guide you.
Closed-ended interview questions
Review this list of closed-ended interview questions so you can prepare to receive and answer similar ones during an interview with a hiring manager:
1. How many years of experience do you have?
It’s common for hiring managers to ask you how many years of experience you have in the field. Your answer can help them determine if you’re more entry-level or if you have enough experience to fulfill the requirements for a more advanced position. An interviewer also asks so they can feel confident in your abilities if they decide to hire you for the position.
Example: “I have five years of relevant experience. Within those five years, I’ve assumed many roles that have given me a more comprehensive view of how operations work in this industry. I look forward to learning even more in a new role.”
2. How long did you work for your previous employer?
You may receive this question during an interview so a hiring manager can gauge how loyal you were to your previous employer and how much you may have learned from your time there. You can give a brief answer or take the time to expand on your responsibilities if you’ve yet to cover them during your interview. If you didn’t stay at your previous employer for long, you may consider explaining the reason for your brief employment.
Example: “I worked for my previous employer for eight months. I would’ve liked to stay longer, but the company downsized and eliminated my department.”
3. Do you have experience working remotely?
As technology continues to advance and employers seek ways to reduce overhead costs, you may have the opportunity to work remotely. Depending on your industry, it may be common to find plenty of companies that support flexible work schedules already. In this case, hiring managers want to make sure that you have experience working remotely and that they can rely on you to complete your tasks on schedule and communicate well with your team.
Example: “I do have experience working remotely. In my previous role as a graphic designer, my employer operated completely online, so I had to communicate with my team through online portals and tools and work together to complete projects. I have experience working remotely to collaborate with my team, attend pieces of training, give presentations, and pitch to potential clients.”
4. Do you prefer working with a team or individually?
It’s common to find positions where you must work both with a team and individually, depending on your project and the responsibilities you have. A hiring manager usually wants to know that you’re comfortable doing both, or they may ask this question to make sure you can still thrive if your work environment commands more independent work or vice versa.
For example, a software developer may work with other people, but they usually complete most of their work independently. If you’d prefer to work with teams, then a hiring manager may want to know a little more to find out if you’d be happy in the position.
Example: “I prefer to work with a team. I think collaborating with coworkers benefits everyone, and I love working on shared goals together. However, there are certain tasks and projects that I prefer to work on independently. There are plenty of times when I value the quiet moments I have to do my work uninterrupted.”
5. What was your favorite class in college?
Especially if you’re a recent graduate, a hiring manager may ask about your classes to understand more about your strengths and interests. The interviewer may expect that your favorite class is related to the position you’re applying for, but if it’s not, then the hiring manager may want to learn more. As with most closed-ended questions, you can provide a brief answer or you can explain your answer.
Example: “My favorite college class was freshman English. Although I didn’t pursue a career in a field that would use my knowledge of English literature, I thoroughly enjoyed our required reading and learned a lot in the course.”
6. Do you like giving presentations?
Some individuals enjoy giving presentations while others don’t feel as comfortable. A hiring manager may ask how you feel about presenting if the job you’re applying for requires a fair amount of it. They’ll want to make sure you can create presentations and present well to different audiences if needed. If you like giving presentations, consider explaining why; if you don’t enjoy it, you can still mention that you appreciate the challenge and the opportunity to grow more comfortable with this part of the job.
Example: “I’m fairly comfortable giving presentations, and I have experience presenting to coworkers, new hires, and members of the executive team. I may get a little nervous at first, but once I begin, I start to feel confident right away. I believe it’s because I take the time to prepare for my presentation.”
7. Do you motivate yourself?
You may receive this question during an interview if the hiring manager’s management style is one where they trust their team to work without strong supervision. It’s important to be a self-motivator so you can complete your work without someone having to remind you or check in on your progress. When managers and coworkers can trust your work ethic, it usually helps everyone to work more cohesively.
Example: “I would say that I’m a self-motivator. If a manager gives me a task to complete or a set of responsibilities, I believe they shouldn’t have to monitor me too closely. I think I do a good job of proving that I have a strong work ethic and that my team can rely on me. “
8. Do you ever take work home with you?
For many employers, it’s important that employees can achieve a work-life balance. While there may be times when a manager asks their employee to stay late or work overtime to finish a project, they may be more concerned with eliminating overwhelm and minimizing stress at work. Instead of providing a yes or no answer, explain your stance on continuing to work beyond your normal work hours.
Example: “I try not to take work home with me, but I have been in situations when working overtime would greatly benefit my team, and so I completed work after normal business hours. Under certain circumstances, including if a manager requests it, I’ll take work home, but I strive for a healthy work-life balance because I think that’s a major key to success. With a good work-life balance, I’m happier, more creative and a better communicator.”
I hope you find this article helpful.
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