Questions at Dropbox interviews

1. If you could be a superhero, what would your superpower be? Why? top question

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Can you come up with an articulate answer when faced with an unexpected question? If you can, regardless of the superpower you choose, you’ll make a good impression.

   The superpower question invites you to talk about your Key Selling Points.

   • Are there any achievements you’re particularly proud of, or times when you had to overcome obstacles to succeed?
   • Can you identify a particular characteristic that enabled you to do this?
   • What made it possible for you to achieve great results?

2. About The Company

   Make sure to research the company and read the job description thoroughly to identify the key strengths required for the role.

3. About The Fit

   You should use this opportunity to showcase your personality and make yourself stand out from other candidates.

   Outline why your chosen superpower would be an advantage to the employer.

   You need to illustrate your power with an example drawn from your real-life experience.

   Choose a simple but strong and effective superpower, for example:

   • Sensitivity to what other people are thinking and feeling, that will show your emotional intelligence.
   • Observation is attention to detail and the ability to step back and analyze a situation.
   • Efficiency is as valuable to an employer as the power of flight is to a superhero.
   • Time management is an important skill, as is the capacity to spot ways to improve processes and accomplish tasks more swiftly.
   • Agility is being flexible and adaptable in a dynamic business environment.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 43.7x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

2. Tell me about yourself

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.

   Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?

   Try to give some numbers to support your statement.

2. About The Company

   Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.

   Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?

3. About The Fit

   Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.

   Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.

   Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.

   Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.

   Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 35% less frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

3. Why did you choose your major?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   This is your chance to highlight your strengths and how your major prepared you for your future plans.

   Your answer to this question should reflect your passion and interest in the field you chose. Be genuine.

   There’s every reason to display your passions and interest in your major. They will give interviewers a sense of who you really are.

   Think about who or what influenced your career choice and include the positive influences, not the negative ones.

   • How does this tie into your major?
   • How will you bring your passion and unique knowledge to the new company?

   Emphasize your strong people skills and excellent communication skills, allowing you to connect with others.

   Think of the skills and experiences you gained through your major, think back to assignments and projects from your studies, internships and previous jobs. Consider the skills you developed working on those projects.

2. About The Company

   Write down a list of skills and experiences you gained through your major studies.

   Then, look at the job listing itself.

   Match up any of your skills and experiences that relate to the requirements of the job. How can you apply them to your new position, as well as the future?

3. About The Fit

   Use this question as an opportunity to mention a few skills related to your chosen major that would also be relevant in the workplace.

   Point to a good culture fit.

   Be positive, showing your enthusiasm. Let them know you're excited to be where you are.

   Discuss what you enjoy about the industry you’re considering and why you could see yourself working in it. Even if your major is not directly related to the job, you can likely find connections between the two.

   This is also a chance to explain other ways you have developed skills that will fulfill the role you're applying for.

   For example, perhaps you were a biology major who is applying for a job in computer programming. You might explain that you took a number of online and extracurricular classes on programming to develop the skills needed for the job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 9.6x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

4. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   In preparation for answering this question, list the top 3 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just a sentence or two for each one to help you recall each situation.

   Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.

   Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.

   Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?

2. About The Company

   Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs?

   • What are the major projects going on?
   • What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
   • Think about which of your accomplishment stories best fit their needs and expectations?

3. About The Fit

   Once you have decided on the appropriate accomplishment story, think how you will relate it in an interview and how you will make it relevant to the the job you are seeking. One approach is to use the Present-Past-Present technique.

   Let's say that the accomplishment was leading your team in installing a new billing system and bringing it in on time and under budget.

   You might start off in the Present by talking about the importance of having good leadership skills.

   Then move to the Past to relate your story about how you successfully lead your team in accomplishing the objective.

   Finally, come back to the Present to address how you will be able to help them reach their goals (the ones you learned about when researching the company) going forward.

   Be sure to keep practicing your accomplishment story until it flows naturally and convincingly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.5x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?

   For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.

   However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.

2. About The Company

   Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.

   • Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
   • Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?

   Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.

   In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.

   On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!

3. About The Fit

   And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.

   However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.

   As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 46% less frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

6. What experience do you have in this field?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Start with defining your Key Selling Points you want to emphasize for this position.

   • What job experiences brought you to those points?
   • What were the job titles and the most relevant responsibilities?

2. About The Company

   Do your research of the company and the requirements for the position.

   • What is the company looking for in terms of experiences and qualifications?
   • What problems are they trying to solve with this position?

   Most importantly, make sure you are able to highlight and speak about at least 3-5 of your key experiences that match up with the requirements listed in the job description.

3. About The Fit

   Using the Present-Past-Present method is a perfect way to answer this question.

   Starting with the Present, speak about your experience as it relates to one of the key requirements in the job description. You might say "I noted that the job description requires experience in employee training and this is an area in which I have a great deal of knowledge and skill."

   Then go back to the Past to describe how you improved overall training of staff from 82% to over 97% within your first year on the job. Senior leadership took note of this accomplishment for which you received a company commendation.

   Finally, come back to the Present to describe how you will help ensure that the company maintains the highest possible compliance with all employee training requirements.

   Nowadays, every hiring manager wants results, so think in terms of specific achievements and try to structure your example accordingly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 85% more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

7. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. How did you handle it? What have you learned?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of the times you had to deal with conflict.

   • What were the different ways you were able to address the situation?
   • If you were the cause of the conflict, how did the other person talk you down from the conflict?
   • What were the key lessons you learned through your experience?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and its culture.

   • What do they value?
   • Is there anything that you can find about how they deal with conflict resolution?

   Reading comments to their social media posts often prove helpful to see how they react to customers' complaints.

3. About The Fit

   • What have you found out about the company’s culture and job description?
   • Are they looking for someone who can take charge and resolve conflict?

   Tell a story of how you addressed conflict and how it turned a negative into a positive. Try to conclude with your lessons learned or methodology for approaching conflicts - this will show the interviewer that you would be able to apply your methodology to future situations.

   Use the STAR method to frame your story.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.9x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

8. Tell me about a time when you've resolved a problem for a frustrated customer

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of a time when, as a customer, you had a problem with a company.

   • How did you feel?
   • How did you want to be treated?
   • Was the situation resolved to your satisfaction? If so what was done to resolve it?
   • If not, what went wrong?

   Have you had experience in the past where you helped a frustrated customer? When you were on the serving side of the table, what did you do to make a real difference to the customer and their experience?

   When considering this question, focus on your principles and your approach. You know that when customers are made to feel neglected and unimportant, they tend to get frustrated. You want to demonstrate to the hiring manager that you have the capacity to understand the customer’s problems and issues and can come up with a solution that best addresses their concerns.

   Of course, this may not always be possible in your line of business or profession, but I guess you see what I mean - showing full attention greatly improves your chances of mitigating the situation.

2. About The Company

   Every company relies on customers.

   Research the company you are applying to and try to find out what their standards of customer relationship or service are, as well as try to find out some real cases where the customers complained about the company, and what the company did to mitigate the situations (a possible source might be Yelp! or another social media platform).

   Based on your research, how does the company treat customers? How do they resolve customer issues?

3. About The Fit

   How do you demonstrate to the interviewer that you can WOW the customer by making their situation better for them as well as helping the company maintain good customer relations? Mr. Simon recommends using the Present-Past-Present method.

   There are many ways to apply this approach. For example you can start with the Present emphasizing that your approach to good customer service always starts with your great listening skills that enable you to fully understand the customer’s situation.

   Next go back to the Past for an example of just how you were able to resolve a frustrating situation for a customer. Focus on a situation in which you listened to and understood the problem and were able to resolve it and prevent the loss of the customer’s business.

   Finally come back to the Present to discuss how your skills and experience in handling frustrated customers will be a real asset to the company going forward.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 18% more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

9. Tell me about a successful project you were involved in. What was your role? What was the result?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think about a few projects you have been involved in, regardless of your level of participation. These might range from small projects like organizing a party to large-scale multinational projects with participants and teams across the globe, million-dollar budgets and high risk and reward stakes.

   Develop one or two project-based STAR stories.

   Remember, all project-based STAR stories should start with the following descriptive elements:

   1. Project name
   2. Its purpose and goal
   3. Your role in it
   4. The duration of the project or its phases (in case only some phases were successful)
   5. The approximate number of people or stakeholders involved in it.

   Once you have establish the base facts, its time to describe the challenges and results:

   1. What were the top 3 challenges?
   2. What was the end result?
   3. How did the company (or other stakeholders) benefit from the results?
   4. How can you define your contribution in 3-5 key phrases?

   If you received any praise for your efforts from your boss, peers or clients, what did they say exactly?

2. About The Company

   Based on the research you did on the company, what kinds of projects can you expect here?

   • What do you know about the goals they are trying to achieve?
   • What do you know about their current challenges?
   • Can you imagine what success will look like for the projects in this company?

3. About The Fit

   Once you decide which project best fits this question, use the Present-Past-Present approach to answer it.

   Start with the Present by explaining your thinking on what you believe makes a project successful. You might say that your approach to all new projects is to set up the right project framework and tools before you begin, to help ensure that you get off to a good start.

   Next go back to a Past situation in which you and your team took on a project and used your method of clarification to ensure that everyone knew their assignment and through hard work and focus, brought it to a successful conclusion.

   Finally, come back to the Present to show how you will use your approach to help the employer tackle projects going forward.

   Practice telling your story, using the STAR method.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 4.3x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

10. Why were you successful in your last role? Give a supporting example

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of the question as an invitation to discuss the professional characteristics that you're proud of or a particular achievement in your last job.

   • What steps did you take to become successful?
   • What personal and professional qualities did you use to reach your goals at work?
   • How did your actions help your team and the company to succeed?
   • What challenges did you overcome to become successful?
   • What are your lessons learned?

2. About The Company

   Research the requirements of the company you applying to and review the job listing. Make a list of job qualifications and skills that match the preferred qualifications of the ideal candidate.

3. About The Fit

   Explain your most important achievements at work, using the STAR method to provide specific examples of how your past work and achievements show how you will be an asset to the organization you're interviewing with.

   It’s your chance to tell about your Key Selling Points – skills that make you a successful employee.

   Emphasize the 3-5 strongest of them that helped you to achieve results at work to answer the question.

   It's important to provide the interviewer with evidence of how you achieved success in the workplace.

   For example, if you are in publishing, tell your story about how you ensured the timely release of 20 issues of the magazine, despite any problems you faced.

   The role of such an achievement for the company was particularly important and demonstrates how your work contributed to the business. Difficulties and ways to overcome them, new ideas, daily work, and its results will help the interviewer to assess your experience correctly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 11.1x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

11. Walk me through your resume

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Print out your resume. For each of your recent job experiences (at this point do not go back more than 5 years), write down 3-5 key points at which you feel you are strong.

   For example, for your current (or previous) job, you may want to list skills like “Excellent presentation skills,” “Employee Engagement guru,” “Analytical skills,” “Attention to detail” (they don’t have to be all soft skills, but being aware of at least a few of your strong soft skills is important). Make sure you have examples for each of your statements.

   If you have difficulties to think of these points, search online for job descriptions for similar job roles, and figure out which of those keywords appeal to you. Look for people on LinkedIn that have jobs similar to the one you are applying for. Their profiles often contain many keywords that you can use in response to this question.

   Now that you’ve gone through all your recent experiences, are there any points that repeat more often than others, or are especially important to you? These are candidates to be your Key Selling Points -highlight 3-5 of them.

2. About The Company

   Research the company and the role for which you're being interviewed. When researching the company, find out what skills and qualities they value the most. Carefully consider the job requirements. What is it that you will be responsible for?

   Now, write down 3-5 keywords from the job description that you find of utmost importance for this job role.

3. About The Fit

   Try to establish the match between your own highlighted keywords, and those of the job description. These are your Key Selling Points! You should normally limit yourself by 3-5 such keywords or phrases.

   Now, craft a story based on your career history. You don’t have to go in chronological order - you can start with your current or last job experience, and then go back to your previous ones, or focus on just the experiences that are relevant to your story, and only briefly mention the less relevant ones and only if needed.

   Select one point to highlight for each phase of your career. Make sure you ingrain your Key Selling Points in the interviewer’s memory - after the interview is over, you want them to remember you as someone who is strong at XYZ, or experienced in A, B and C.

   It's okay to focus more on stellar achievements and brag a little bit about them.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 93% more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

12. Tell me about your work experience. What was the most interesting?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Review the details that you shared in your resume. Select the three to five best points to highlight and relate to the position to which you're applying.

2. About The Company

   Carefully research the company and the job description.

   Find out what duties you'll be taking on to determine which of your top skills to emphasize. Try to find out what current challenges they are trying to solve by opening this vacancy.

3. About The Fit

   Knowing the duties for which you will be responsible will help you identify which prior experiences to highlight.

   How well you connect your previous experiences with the job requirements can tell the interviewer how prepared you are for this role and how enthusiastic you will be about your job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 91% more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

13. Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Try to think of a time when outside forces created a stressful situation.

   • What was the context?
   • What was the challenge?
   • Did you step in?
   • Were you able to create a solution that could make everyone happy?
   • What did you learn from that situation?
   • How would you handle this situation should it happen again in the future?

   Avoid examples that make you seem indecisive or uncertain, and keep your answer positive.

   This is your chance to show that you have problem-solving skills. Showcase these skills using the STAR method, which will help you effectively organize your response when answering this type of question.

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company. What challenges and kinds of situations may you face in your new role?

   Read carefully the job description and the list of responsibilities required.

3. About The Fit

   Do your best to ensure your interviewer that you are a person who can identify, isolate, and solve problems.

   Ultimately, it doesn't matter how big of a difficulty you had with any particular project. What really matters is the process of how you overcame that difficulty and whether you are capable of handling difficult situations in the future.

   Choose your example wisely: if you're looking at a team leader or manager role, it might be better to talk about a people issue rather than technical.

   If you're looking at a developer or architect role, then highlight something more technical.

   Name your soft skills as well, such as project management, dealing with difficult people, pushing back requirements that were inadequate, etc. Talk only about your fits which are relevant to the job you want to get.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.3x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

14. If you were the CEO, what are the first three things you would check about the business when you wake up?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Imagine yourself a CEO and think: what important things you would check after you wake up in the morning?

   • Will you check the news to see if anything is happening that would directly affect the business, that needs immediate action or remediation?
   • Will you check today’s schedule of appointments concerning your business?
   • Will you take a look at yesterday’s performance reports on the digital dashboard to evaluate production quantities, escalations, productivity of people, sales numbers, revenue, customer satisfaction?
   • Or maybe you will begin with reading and answering e-mails or checking customer feedback?

2. About The Company

   Research the company, its structure, its mission.

   • What challenges and obstacles are they facing every day?
   • What goals drive the company and what direction does it appear to be taking?
   • What professional qualities are they seeking in their candidates?
   • What do they value in their employees?

3. About The Fit

   What 3 things to mention depends on the industry the company is working in and, of course, on the goals you found based on your research?

   Your aim is to show your familiarity and understanding of the company, how eager you are to work there and how your qualities match with their requirements.

   It is your chance to reveal your strengths and Key Selling Points, share your experience and your approaches to work which will be helpful to the company.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 527.8x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

15. How would you describe your work style?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   The easiest way to approach this question is to write down the list of things (5-7 bullet points) that you value and that make you happy at work, for example:

   • teamwork
   • fun
   • respect
   • transparency
   • creativity
   • dynamic environment
   • work-life balance
   • focus on goals
   • any other points that are important to you.

   You may also want to compile a list of DON’Ts – things you find unacceptable, e.g. boring repetitive tasks, harassment, extreme volatility, etc.

   This is a useful exercise for your self-awareness and internal boundaries so that you can easily spot any red flags, but don’t include these items in your answer, as you don’t want to sound negative.

   Highlight 2-3 most critical items on the first list.

   Think of some positive examples from your past experience where these values made you happy at work but also made your boss happy because of the outcomes you achieved.

2. About The Company

   Do your homework and learn as much as you can about the company, department and specific job you are applying for.

   You can get useful tips about the company from its Values or About Us sections on the website, and tips about the vacancy from the job description.

   Some companies position themselves as customer-oriented, others aim at productivity and efficiency, yet others are known for their creativity or adaptability.

   Other organizations take a customized approach towards client needs, or they stress care for their employees, like the possibility of working remotely, etc.

   In addition, startups are very different from large corporations in terms of culture and work style, and small businesses are different from both of these.

   Which best describes the company you are applying to?

3. About The Fit

   Based on what you learned through your research of the company you are applying to, ask yourself, in all honesty, do you feel this company has the potential to make you happy and fulfilled at work? If so, why?

   Which of the critical items you value most best corresponds with your knowledge of the company culture?

   In preparation for your interview, make a list of your most critical values along with an explanation of how they helped you achieve positive results for your previous employer and/or helped you work more effectively with team members or customers.

   Keep them in mind during your interview; these are the values that you would like to enjoy at your new job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 5.0x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.

16. What will make you leave a company?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of your goals for your career. Think of what you need right now. Are you and the company on the same path?

   Remember why you left your last job.

   • Was it relocation of the company? 
   • Changes in working conditions: changing of schedule, increasing of duties without a corresponding increase in salary, sharp reduction or delay of salary?
   • Change in leadership?
   • Downsizing?
   • Bullying by colleagues?
   • Non-recognition of achievements?

   If any of these conditions repeat themselves in the new company, would you be prepared to leave?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and the role.

   • Can they offer you the kind of duties that would make you want to stay?
   • Do you see people with longevity in the company?
   • Is this the role and the company you see for yourself?
   • Do you feel it’s a strong match with your strengths, goals and experience?

3. About The Fit

   Let the interviewer know how ambitious and eager to get to work you are, particularly in this company.

   Showcase how your skills and experience match the role and let them know how you see yourself growing with the company.

   Here is a smart example of answering this question:

   “I truly value growth and I see the opportunity to improve my skills and progress in this company. As long as I can accomplish this with this team, there would be no need to consider leaving.”

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 8.3x more frequently at Dropbox than at other companies.