Interview questions for MIT

We analyzed 218 interview reviews for MIT from various job sites, social network groups and forums.

Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.

10 frequent non-technical questions for MIT:

According to our research, hiring managers looking to fill MIT role ask soft skills interview questions 2.0x more frequently than for other roles.

How to answer

This question may sound vague, but it actually requires a matter of fact, concise and relevant answer. Here’s how you can approach it.

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

   Research the company.

   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

   • Based on your Key Selling Points and your knowledge about the company, why do you think you are a good fit for this position?

   • Can you support your statement with relevant examples from your past experiences?

   Try to be concise and stay within 1-2 minutes.

Take a quiz

Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:

How to answer

This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.

The interviewer wants to see whether you are reflective about yourself, whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, whether you like to learn and develop your skills.

They are also looking for your ambitions to fit the career path opportunities related to the position you are applying for.

1. About Yourself

   Presumably, you are interested to grow professionally.

   Think about the possibilities that may lie ahead for you: take a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.

   What challenges do you like overcoming?

   For example, if you are applying for a software tester position, you may find it fascinating to master automated testing in full and eventually become a software engineer, or you may be a natural trainer and love coaching other people which may lead you to become a QA team or department lead, or you may be more interested in understanding business aspects of requirements which may logically lead you into a Business Analyst position.

   However, 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.

   If you aren’t really excited about the position you are applying for and you demonstrate this lack of enthusiasm, the interviewer may conclude that you are not a good fit for the current position.

   Try to find a source of excitement in the current position as well, otherwise, you may be doing yourself a disservice by applying to a position you will find boring in 2-3 months.

How to answer

This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!

Interviewers ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.

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 or something that is not related to the position for which you are applying.

   For example, one of our clients admitted that he is not very good at public speaking and that he has recently become a member of Toastmasters International to improve. What a respectful answer and approach, in my view!

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

   It is important that the weakness you decide to talk about is not one that will prevent you from performing the job for which you're applying.

   For example, if you're applying for a front-end developer position, do not talk about how you are struggling to understand HTML code.

Take a quiz

Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:

Now that you have read some of our recommendations, you may wonder: “Ok, so what’s next? I seem to understand these concepts quite well and they kind of make sense to me, but how do I make sure my answers are actually in accordance with these recommendations, and I will stand out as a strong candidate in my upcoming interview?”

Good question. Assuming you are indeed qualified and fit for the position you are interviewing for, the best thing you can do is make sure the interviewer sees this fit.

There are two ways how you can leverage Mr. Simon’s expertise to help you shine your best:

1. Go ahead and practice with the Mr. Simon app - it is a completely free, fun and helpful experience!
2. Request a mock interview with a real human career mentor. During the session we will help you identify your Key Selling Points to emphasize in the interview, and to present them in a way that strongly communicates your value to the company. The 1-hour session costs USD 79.99 and is supplemented by 2 weeks of support via email, free of additional charge.

To request the session, shoot us an email to coaching@mrsimon.ai and attach your resume and job description to expedite the process.

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Natalie helped me feel calm and confident. She helped me break down the job description and relate it to my experience. After working with Natalie, I received 2 job offers in the same day.

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I used Mr. Simon to prepare for a job interview, and it helped me re-think my responses and gain confidence. Also, the questions were not very far from real life interview questions. In addition, having the opportunity to hear my own answers and read the recommendations on how to respond concisely was really helpful. I enjoyed using Mr. Simon and would use it again!

How to answer

Wherever you go, you will always have to work with people. This means that there is a greater chance for conflict to happen. This question helps the interviewer determine how well you would fit within the organization.

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.

How to answer

People skills are highly valued in every company, and even so much more so in a company that deals with difficult customers occasionally. It is important to show how you can manage difficult personalities.

1. About Yourself

   Look back on your experience. Have you worked with a difficult or disruptive person? Remember how you diffused the situation and how you turned things around.

   • Do you have certain principles, or methodology, to deal with difficult people?
   • Do you have strong people skills, are you good at conflict resolution?
   • Are you high on emotional intelligence? Can you give an example?

2. About The Company

   • What have you found about the company and its culture?
   • What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
   • How do they treat their customers?

   • Knowing their line of business or industry, what can be some examples of difficult customers?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   A question like this asked in an interview, may be an indication that difficult customers, or other difficult stakeholders, may indeed be something that you will probably encounter in this company, and it is important for the interviewer to know that you will be able to handle this challenge with good grace.

   If you can give an example of how you handled a difficult person in the past in a situation similar to what this company may require from you, this will strongly increase your chances of showing yourself as a good fit.

Take a quiz

Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:

How to answer

It’s important to know how to answer a job interview question about mistakes.

They ask questions like this to learn how you handle challenges.
They also want to determine your weaknesses, and decide if you have what it takes to do the job well.

It’s a chance for the interviewer to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.

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 become one of your strengths.

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

How to answer

This question lets an interviewer gauge whether the job you are applying for corresponds with your areas of excitement, passion, and enthusiasm.

It provides a telling glimpse into the commitment of you as a potential employee.

Interviewers ask this kind of question to understand how well you work with others and what qualities (such as collaboration and teamwork) help you to stand out from the other candidates.

They want to see evidence of strengths and soft skills you might not have included in your resume or application, that will help you do well on the job.

1. About Yourself

   Remember a time when you worked with special pleasure and felt most comfortable and determined.

   • What kind of work was it?
   • What made it interesting for you?
   • What emotions did you have working on it?
   • How did it help you on a personal level?
   • Who did you participate with? Were you satisfied with your team?
   • Did you learn something new from the experience?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and the job description. What duties will you be taking on?

   Try to find out what challenges you will face there and what they value in their employees.

3. About The Fit

   When you are asked this question, you need to be focused.

   Keep the answer short and professional.

   Use the opportunity to talk about an instance of accomplishment, highlighting enjoyment derived from working with coworkers from a past project or job.

   An expression of enjoying collaborative work or meeting new people often clues hiring managers into your abilities to adapt well in team-oriented or customer-centric environments.

   Focus on aspects of learning and growing as an individual and working with a group of professionals on the job to impress hiring managers and demonstrate a fun yet serious attitude toward work.

   Discuss a successful project you enjoyed completing, or a seminar you attended that offered different learning activities and interactive presentations.

   Using the STAR method, relate specific experiences from a specific job, and if possible, tie it into the new position.

How to answer

Nowadays, professional life is stressful everywhere and always. However, there are levels of stress that are so common that we consider them normal, and there are times when they really skyrocket.

Your future employer wants to know how you will behave in such times, whether you will be a helping hand or a burden.

1. About Yourself

   Remember a time when you had to hit a tight timeline and to work long hours, hard and overtime; or when you found yourself in the middle of a conflict with someone, or with a group of people.

   If you had more than one such occasion, choose one that ended positively and successfully, and ideally, that can demonstrate some of your key skills - your Key Selling Points.

   Most likely, the situation was highly emotional.

   • What helped you persevere?

   • Was there an element that you enjoyed?

   For example, in one of our projects, my team and I had to hit a really tough timeline for a customer, which seemed almost impossible in the beginning.

   However, we knew that we owned the results and that a major decision by the customer depended on the outcome. This sense of ownership, meaning, and impact gave us energy and excitement.

   Those were the challenges that we loved and could deal with for a sustained period of time. Also, the pleasure of working with a highly qualified top manager on the customer’s side added to the enjoyment.

   Now, after a few years, we remember those times as some of the most exciting for our team.

2. About The Company

   • What do you know about the company, where you may encounter a stressful situation?
   • Are they working on a major project which is approaching a due date?

   • Are they going through a difficult time when cost-saving is a top priority, company culture is full of negativity and mistrust, they have gone through massive layoffs, customers are neglected, and everyone wears a long face?

   These are always stressful times, and you should try to know more about expectations in the company, and how realistic they are.

   Or, are they just a dynamic, highly agile company run by smart and creative folks, which may work excellently for some people and be confusing and mind-blowing for others?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   Think of your ideal workplace environment.

   • Does this company feel like it?

   • Do you feel excited and enthusiastic about the kinds of stress you may encounter here?

   If you feel compatible with this company culture and enthusiastic about the challenges you expect here, this is a good chance to mention it and to show your excitement.

   Explain your approach or rationale and give your example from the past.

How to answer

Use this question as a chance to show how your work style fits the company culture (hopefully it does).

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.

How to answer

This is a tough question because you’re forced to talk about a difficult time with a complete stranger. Fortunately, it’s also a great opportunity to turn a big challenge into a great accomplishment.

This question is designed to help the interviewer discover what type of problem-solver you are.

Why do employers ask this question?

It’s because they want to know that they’re hiring someone who can think on their feet and who is resilient when facing challenges.

1. About Yourself

   It’s your chance to show that in tough times you turn to your inner strength and possess skills to find the right solutions.

   You probably had to solve many problems daily at work. It’s high time to remember them.

   If you do not prepare examples in advance, this question will get you off guard and you will find it difficult to remember all the details on the move.

   Start with recalling a few examples of real obstacles you coped with. For each of them, think about:

   • What was the project or task you were trying to accomplish?
   • What was the obstacle? This can be a specific problem related to your job or a higher-order issue across the organization.
   • What steps did you take to address the issue?
   • What decisions did you have to make?
   • How did the company benefit from your decisions?

   • How would you describe your approach, or what lessons have you learned?

   Be careful how you respond to this question. Make sure that you select a difficult work situation where you were not the cause.

2. About The Company

   When you research the company, try and find out what kind of challenges they are facing. Try to find out what they need in terms of problem resolution.

   Search for online reviews, complaints and any other useful resources. What problems and obstacles can the employees face with this position?

3. About The Fit

   This is your opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills, resilience, and strength of character. Talk through your problem-solving process and show how you can think on your feet.

   Pick an example relevant to the position you are aiming for.

   Let’s say, you are applying for a blog writing job. The job description mentions that a successful candidate must have experience working “in a dynamic environment.”

   You could mention a situation in which you had to write an article on short notice because your coworker failed at the last moment to complete the assignment. You were short of time but worked extra hours to prepare the article successfully and on time.

   This answer would show your experience in blog writing, your sense of responsibility, ability to achieve results under stress, your willingness to go the extra mile, your problem-solving skills.

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This page has been updated on January 17, 2023.