Five Common Interview Questions for Contractors (Updated!)

As recruiters, we at JustinBradley spend a significant part of our day interviewing accounting, finance, and business professionals, and we understand that most people approach the process with a combination of excitement and nervousness. One way to quell those nervous feelings during an interview is to be prepared. We encourage job seekers to practice answering common interview questions (ideally out loud).

Here are five common interview questions you will want to prepare for when interviewing for a contract position:

• Walk me through your experience, briefly, from ABC job to present.

This is a great first question which gives you the floor to talk about yourself, how your career progressed, and any reasons for leaving or how you moved on to the next opportunity. Avoid complaints. Talk about things that show advancement or good performance, like, “my former boss asked me to join them in their new company.” Practice this over and over. By giving you a chance to talk, the interviewer is evaluating your communication style, your technical expertise, and how well you present information.

• What do you do when you have a question or come to a roadblock?

This gives the hiring manager a sense of what management style you need. Are you a self-starter or do you need lots of guidance? Describe a situation when you demonstrated initiative and took action without waiting for direction. What was the outcome?

• How do you stay organized?

This question gives the manager a sense of your workstyle. Do you utilize technology? Can you be flexible if the scope of work changes? These are all important to being a consultant. Confirming that you are there to help in any capacity shows them they count on you, and you can pivot if needed.

• Of all the jobs you’ve had, full-time or contracting, what was your favorite?

This will tell the interviewer what you enjoy doing most and why. There’s an opportunity for you to shine talking about a time or project in your life where you enjoyed your work. Does it align with the client’s project initiatives?

• What feedback did you receive from your manager in your last performance review?

What did you do with the feedback? Did you take action and what was the end result?