Questions at Keller Williams interviews

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? top question

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 2.5x more frequently at Keller Williams 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 1% less frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

3. What are your long-term goals?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Start with honestly assessing yourself. (At this moment, you are not sharing these thoughts with anyone, so be as open as you can).

   Imagine that you have all the resources in the world and that all roads are open for you.

   • How would you use them?
   • Which road(s) would you choose?
   • What do you see on the horizon in that direction?

   Be audacious and don’t limit yourself. There is no longer a perspective than “long-term,” so be as futuristic as you possibly can.

   List a few “road” options that you would be enthusiastic about going down.

   For example, this list may be as broad as the following:

   • writer
   • choir director
   • software engineer and architect
   • CEO of a unicorn startup company,
   • entrepreneur.

   As William Shakespeare once said, “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.”

2. About The Company

   Now, look at the company.

   • What is the industry they operate in?
   • What is the position you are applying for, and what are potential career growth possibilities within the department, company, and industry?

3. About The Fit

   Which of your “road” options correspond best with the opportunities presented by this company?

   Highlight this option and focus on it. Imagine, in as much detail as you can, going down this road.

   What would be the major milestones for you, in order to move towards your goal?

   Describe the chosen option by focusing on the first 1-2 milestones, and by presenting it in light of company goals and current initiatives.

   For example, if you are applying for a project manager position in a corporation engaged in the education industry, and your “road” option is “CEO,” your next career step may be a program manager, or an innovations and research manager.

   Explain why you are enthusiastic about reaching these goals, and what makes you think you have the necessary traits and skills to reach them.

   How can the company benefit from these traits and skills of yours already today, in the current role you are applying for?

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 5.3x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

4. What are your current professional goals?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Define up to 3 goals. Think about each goal:

   • Why is it important to you?
   • What are you doing to achieve it?

   Imagine a company where you would like to work, ideally. How can working in that company help you achieve your goal? And what about the opposite - how can the company benefit from your reaching your goal?

2. About The Company

   Based on the research you did on the company, what are their current goals and initiatives? How would its goals and initiatives help lead you to achieve your goals?

3. About The Fit

   From your list of goals choose the one with the most synergy between yourself and the company. Explain how your professional passions will help the company achieve its success.

   Craft your story around these 4 points:

   • The Why: Why is this goal important to you, what makes it so exciting?
   • The What: What steps are you taking to reach your goal?
   • What’s in it for you? How can this company and job role help you reach your goal?
   • What’s in it for them? How can the company benefit?

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 9.7x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

5. What is your greatest weakness?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.

   While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.

   What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.

2. About The Company

   Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.

   What personal and professional qualities do they value?

3. About The Fit

   This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.

   Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that

   Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.

   Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."

   Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."

   Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."

   It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 34% less frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

6. How would you describe yourself?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of how your bosses and peers would describe you.

   Throughout your professional experience, you have probably heard them giving you some labels – try to remember the exact words they used.

   If you have received LinkedIn recommendations from someone, read those and think why people wrote them and what work situations prompted those descriptions. Remember the context of those situations and frame them as stories.

   Make a list of keywords, or short key phrases, that can describe you. Your Key Selling Points should definitely appear on this list, but try to also use some adjectives here, to add a positive emotional touch.

2. About The Company

   Research the company's values, standards and policies. Make a list of keywords or short key phrases.

3. About The Fit

   Which of your keywords correspond best with those of the company? Highlight 3-4 matches. Now try to imagine being a peer or a boss of yours and compile statements about yourself, in the 3rd person, mentioning these keywords. Remember to use adjectives, and don’t be afraid to mention real references from real people.

   For example, if you are applying for a position that requires good people skills, and your boss at your previous job called you a “conflict resolution guru,” don’t be shy to mention this reference, and provide a brief context that caused your boss’s praise. Use the STAR method to craft your story.

   Don’t limit yourself with just one keyword. If you are concise and don’t ramble with your answer, your interviewer will probably want to hear more than one. Just be observant and watch the interviewer’s reaction. You want to keep them interested.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 60% more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

7. Why did you leave your last job?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   There are a number of reasons why people leave or plan to leave their jobs. One very important recent factor has been the impact on jobs and job security due to Covid-19 and all of the issues raised by remote vs. on-site work.

   Regardless of the causes, there are three possible reasons that you left your last job or are planning to leave your current job:

   • You are looking for a career change
   • You are unhappy with your current employment
   • You were let go.

   Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.

2. About The Company

   Based on your research about the company and the position you are interviewing for, what do you like most about the company? What excites you about the work as it is outlined in the job description?

3. About The Fit

   Let's take a closer look at how you might respond to each of the three reasons for leaving your last job.

   1. You were let go

   You should simply state the facts (e.g. the company was downsizing, your position was eliminated, your department was offshored, etc.). Focus on the positive. You might want to share your accomplishments at your previous employment by relating a pertinent STAR story if you feel that would be relevant.

   2. You are looking for career advancement or a career change

   In your response you should be upfront, honest and as enthusiastic as you can be about the position. Consider using the Present-Past-Present method when giving this answer. Start with the Present by describing a career goal that is important to you. For instance you are a data analyst applying for a data management position and you are ready for this move. Then go back to the Past to indicate that at your previous job, there were little or no promotional opportunities in your field. Then come back to the Present and say that you are ready to take on the manager role and know that you will do an outstanding job for the company.

   3. You are unhappy with your current employment

   Sometimes a job just isn't going to take you to the next step in your career.

   Keep two things in mind when answering this question, 1) never "bad mouth" your current employer and 2) focus on the postive when speaking about the job and your reason for wanting to leave.

   The following is an example of how this question might be answered. This individual was looking to move up to a project manager position and did not feel that her current employer was the right place to achieve her goal. You might find her answer helpful in crafting your own response.

   "I really like my job as assistant project manager and love working with all of my coworkers on the team. However, the way the department is set up there is no real path to promotion. There are currently 3 project managers and they are all relatively new in their jobs. As far as I can see, they are all doing a good job and opportunties for promotion may not be opening up in the foreseeable future."

   Her comments were positive and her reasoning was clear and consise. Always try to keep your reasons positive and try not to create an impression that you were unhappy with the way you were treated.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 30% less frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

8. What was the biggest mistake you made in your most recent job? How did you handle it?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Do your best to tell a positive story about how the mistake was made, how you dealt with it and what learned from it.

   We all make mistakes from time-to-time.

   Answering some of the following questions will help you understand your own view of dealing with mistakes and their consequences. For instance:

   • How do you use a mistake to improve your abilities?
   • Are you self-aware enough to acknowledge failure and weakness?
   • Do you take smart risks?
   • How do you view success, failure, and risk in general?
   • Do you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others?
   • If the situation repeats, what would you do differently? What would you do again?

2. About The Company

   Before the interview, look over the job listing, research the company. Try to think of a mistake you have made in the past that is not too closely related to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for.

   What kind of challenges might you face if you get the job here?

3. About The Fit

   It’s your opportunity to emphasize the skills or qualities you gained from your past negative experience that are important for the job you’re interviewing for now.

   Put a positive spin on your response by defining the “mistake” as a “learning experience” that led to your increased competency in the workplace.

   Talk about a specific example of a time you made a mistake. Briefly explain what the mistake was; quickly switch over to what you learned, or how you improved, after making that mistake.

   You might also explain the steps you took to make sure that mistake never happened again. Say that something you may have struggled with in the past has actually now became one of your strengths.

   Pick a story that ends with a compelling example of a lesson learned. Tell your story using the STAR method.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 4.7x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

9. What did you like or dislike about your last job?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Reflect on yourself; stick to the facts and don’t go into emotions.

   List the things you were responsible for in your last job.

   • Which of them did you like most? Why?
   • What were the responsibilities you liked less? Why?
   • Was there anything you consider completely unacceptable?

   If you feel that your answer will not be complete without a nod toward the negative aspects, then keep it focused on tasks, situations, or company structure, and not on people. The overall tone must be positive and friendly.

2. About The Company

   • What does your research tell you about the company you are applying to?
   • Will there be situations like those in your former job you don't want to get into again?
   • What are the requirements for the position?
   • What challenges will you face there?
   • What responsibilities will you be tasked with?

3. About The Fit

   Which of the responsibilities you liked will also be part of your future responsibilities in your new role? Don’t forget to show your excitement while telling about these.

   If there were responsibilities you disliked that are not part of the job description, don’t bring them up.

   By asking about your feelings toward a previous job the interviewers often aren’t that interested in the list of actual likes or dislikes you can provide. Rather, they’re trying to judge your character by listening to the tone and **attitude **with which you respond to a tricky question.

   However, details of your likes and dislikes can also reveal whether you'll be a good fit culturally at the company at hand. Showing excitement about responsibilities that will most likely be included in the role you are applying for can help strengthen your position as a fit.

   Mentioning that you are ready for more challenges and opportunities, that the position you are applying for is a great match for your skillset and that you feel you would be an asset to the company or department is often a safe way to show your excitement.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.4x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

10. What are your strengths? Give an example

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Reflect on your best professional qualities. What are they? Are you dependable, flexible, friendly, hardworking, a strong leader, formal, punctual, good team player?

   Pick at least three personal strengths that will help you at your new workplace, and make sure you can give specific examples to demonstrate why you say these are your strengths.

   If no key strengths spring to mind, ask your friends or colleagues what they think your greatest strengths are. What examples can demonstrate your success due to these qualities?

2. About The Company

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

3. About The Fit

   Recruiters and hiring managers want to know how your strength relates to the job you’re applying for.

   Match the skills required by the position with your list of strengths. Choose up to 5 top skills. These are your Key Selling Points! Prove your point by providing examples.

   Craft your stories using the STAR method.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

11. 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 6% less frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

12. Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   • What are your interests and what can they say about you?
   • What brings you joy and gives you energy?

   Surely you have at least one item from a list of common activities such as traveling, volunteering, community service, charity work, sports, hiking or playing chess. Maybe you are good at creative arts like writing, music, painting or crafts. Cooking or gardening can also be mentioned.

   Think about the interests you enjoy the most and if they are relevant to the job you are applying for, all the better.

   Don’t just list them, talk in more depth about each and the transferrable skills you have gained. Among them may be planning and organization skills, creative thinking and problem solving, adaptability or patience.

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company. Read carefully the “About Us” page of their website and job description.

   Compare their company culture and values to the ones you embrace in your extracurricular hobbies and interests. Take note especially if they participate in charities.

   Even if yours and theirs don’t exactly match, it will still allow you to make clear connections between your interests and those of your interviewer.

   If you know exactly who you will be interviewed by - find his/her profile on social networks – it will be a more successful interview if you have some common interests.

3. About The Fit

   Make your hobby or interest your advantage.

   For example, if applying for a position as a translator, mention that in your free time you like to translate new songs and send them to popular websites or, tell about your passion for reading novels or writing your own stories in those languages.

   If you are applying for a job in gaming, you might mention your passion for certain video games.

   Applying to be an IT project manager? Talk about how you started a book club and regularly feature books related to IT innovation and transformation.

   Be ready to discuss the activities that prepare you for training, tasks and other workplace successes.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.0x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

13. Who has inspired you in your life, and why?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   The answer to this question is completely at your discretion.

   • Who encouraged you to become who you are today?
   • What qualities do they have that you admire most?
   • What are the common values between you and this person that you can use strategically in your career and life?
   • How did they help you to do proper introspection that influenced your life?

   Maybe it’s your parents, someone else from your family, a teacher or a mentor, a researcher, or a writer you admire. Maybe it’s a public figure that inspires you. Whoever this inspiring person is, remember that the interviewer is looking for a heartfelt response.

2. About The Company

   Read the job description carefully and research the company to learn as much as you can about the company’s culture.

   What qualities does the company value in their employees? See if you are able to match their values to those of the person that inspired you.

   You should not only identify the person who inspires you but, if possible, also tell why and how their influence may have relevance to the company you are interviewing with.

   Be extra cautious while naming anyone that might be controversial (for example a politician or a celebrity) as your inspirer. The interviewer might have preconceived thoughts or ideas about certain people that you might be unaware of. This might lead them to judge you unfarily about your choice.

3. About The Fit

   Be prepared to give examples of how the words, actions or teachings of your inspirer have helped to motivate you in achieving your goals.

   As always, prepare an answer which highlights qualities that would be highly valuable in the position you are seeking.

   Most employers look for characteristics such as adaptability, good interpersonal communication, leadership, creativity, innovativeness, honesty and dedication. Ask yourself, what ‘specific’ attributes have you learned from your motivator? Mention how learning such attributes helped you in your career.

   You should provide a specific example that shows the above-mentioned attribute of the inspirer.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

14. What would your previous coworkers or clients tell me about you?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Spend some time reflecting on how others perceive you so that you can speak smoothly without overinflating or undervaluing yourself.

   Recall conversations with coworkers or managers in which you received acknowledgment or feedback.

   It is an opportunity for you to share your best traits (your Key Selling Points).

   • Would your coworkers and clients say that you are dependable, trustworthy, flexible, honest?
   • Do you always show up to meetings on time and promptly reply to emails?
   • Would your coworkers say you are punctual and responsive?

   If you frequently lend a hand when co-workers or customers struggle, your colleagues, clients and managers would highly likely say that you are helpful.

2. About The Company

   Research the company to learn what the employer or interviewer values.

   Compare their values with your qualities that you think would be a good fit and carefully read the job description.

   The employer's job posting is a great guide for what employers want to see in candidates.

3. About The Fit

   Use the question as an opportunity to emphasize your strengths.

   It’s important to highlight how well you communicate and how well your personality and work style will match the company and team culture.

   Using the STAR method, describe a successful team project from your previous job mentioning how well you interacted with your colleagues.

   For example:

   “My past coworkers have told me that I am highly organized and quite good at time management. During one specific project, my team members gave me praise for developing and sticking to a timeline for all the different aspects of the project. We ended up successfully completing the project ahead of time, and it went really well! I’d love to have a similar relationship with my team members in this position.”

   If by chance you didn’t get along well with your coworkers at your last job or your coworkers would be likely to note that you didn’t fit in, it could mean that the company culture wasn’t a good fit for you.

   Make sure that if the job you are interviewing for has a similar company culture, or you may not be deemed a good fit for that either.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.6x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

15. What skills are you looking to develop on your next job? Why?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Answering the question, reflect on yourself. Show that you are concerned and active about your own evolution.

   You can indicate how development has worked for you in the past, give examples.

   • What qualities do you wish to develop in yourself both professionally and personally?
   • What kind of culture do you want to work in?
   • What motivates you?
   • What qualities do you feel make strong, healthy relationships?
   • What skills do you admire most in your role models?

   And probably the most important is: What will help you to achieve your future goals?

   Choose something you’re already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. Maybe it is something that you learned a long time ago but haven’t used in recent jobs very often?

2. About The Company

   Do your research and learn as much as possible about the organization and the career path you might forge there. Read the company’s story on their website, review their LinkedIn page, explore their blog.

   What personal and professional qualities do they value and what can you learn if they hire you?

3. About The Fit

   No matter what skills you say you want to improve, however, make sure that you follow it up with what you’re doing about it.

   Focus on a work skill that may not be critical to your industry or job level and demonstrate how you would like to develop this skill further, implying you already have a level of competency. This way you won't be sounding negative about yourself.

   You could say something like “Coworkers often come to me for advice on how to write or format a document they are working on. I know that I am good at this (that’s why they come to me in the first place), but I have no formal training on mentoring others. I would like to take a course or two on mentoring others that would help them while also improving my own skills in this area.”

   Say you are willing to learn new things and take on new challenges. Show employers that you’re self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 50% more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.

16. What is your ideal work environment?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   To describe your ideal work environment, you need to make the answer fit both your professional and personal preferences.

   • What inspires and motivates you?
   • What kind of work environment helps you to be at your best?
   • What talents can you reveal when you are comfortable?
   • What aspects of your character can increase your professional opportunities?
   • Are you flexible enough to adjust to different environments without any issues if needed?

2. About The Company

   Your answer should reflect the working environment of the business you’re interviewing with, so it’s important that you research the company thoroughly.

   Head over to their website and read their mission statement and other hints at their culture.

   Look on LinkedIn for any contacts you may have that know about the company (or even better, that actually work or worked there) and reach out to them for insights. Read feedbacks on websites like Glassdoor.

   • What goals does the company have?
   • Does it have formal or informal structures?
   • What does it value in its employees?

3. About The Fit

   Work environment not only means the culture of the company but also refers to the physical place where you will be working.

   In addition to considering the type of company you will be working for, you should also think about things such as the size of the office, the size of your future team, and what you see around you, when you are in for the interview.

   Make sure that your vision aligns with the company’s existing cultural and physical environment.

   Regardless of the size of the company, you should be able to tell the interviewer why that company fits what you are looking for.

   If you are applying to a larger company, you might want to emphasize that job security is important to you.

   If your prospective job is with a smaller company - state that knowing everyone’s name allows you to feel connected.

   To convince them that you’re the ideal candidate you should focus on your aspirations for future and professional growth.

   Also, mention your teamwork skills. Say that it should be the place where you can work with different people to produce the best results possible.

   Ensure the interviewer that you are someone who knows exactly what you want.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at Keller Williams than at other companies.