Interview questions for Supply Chain Co-Op

We analyzed 210 interview reviews for Supply Chain Co-Op 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 Supply Chain Co-Op:

According to our research, hiring managers looking to fill Supply Chain Co-Op role ask soft skills interview questions 72% more frequently than for other roles.

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:

How to answer

Ambiguity is inevitable in every business sector and will arise in one form or another.

Unclear or insufficient understanding by employees of the What, How and When of an assignment, often leads to both incorrect execution of tasks and failure to obtain the desired result. That’s why creativity is an important attribute in new and potential employees.

Asking this question, the interviewer wants to hear about your decision making and critical thinking skills and wants to know how you might come up with unique ways to meet this kind of a challenge.

1. About Yourself

   Describe decisions from your experience that you made when not having all of the pertinent information for completing an assignment at work.

   • How do you cope when you face a challenge you’ve never previously experienced?
   • Are you the type of person who jumps right into solving problems, or do you first carefully assess the situation?
   • Are you the type of person who always tries to solve the problem on your own before asking for help?
   • Will you step up to improve things or sit around waiting for more instructions?

2. About The Company

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

   • What problems and obstacles can the employees face with this position?

   • What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?

   From the job description, have you been able to find out what duties you'll be taking on?

3. About The Fit

   This is your chance to show your problem-solving skills like creative independent thinking, decision making and logic.

   Show the interviewer that you are a quick learner, a capable and confident person who knows how to think, evaluate, detail, and concretize.

   You can use a form of the following as part of your answer, adding your own job-related details:

   ‘Ambiguity is a large part of my daily reality. I always do the best with the information I have to keep projects moving. I often find myself making decisions wishing I had just a little bit more data. In these cases, I look at everything I have, work out my plan, run the numbers, create what-if scenarios for several variables and select the best possible option.’ Hint, don’t use this sentence word for word.

   Tell your story using the STAR method, which will help you effectively organize your response when answering this type of question.

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.

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.

Anna, Director of Brand and Marketing Strategy:

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Claudia, Project Manager:

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

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.

How to answer

This question is often asked at the beginning of the interview.

The interviewer wants to hear a brief overview, a summary of your professional experience, in order to have a starting point from which they can dig deeper.

Structuring your answer wisely gives you a good chance to emphasize your Key Selling Points and to channel the conversation in the direction you want.

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.

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

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

Underperforming employees can appear at any job.

Each person performs his/her tasks on schedule, and the entire team works together to get the project done, but there may be times when one team member is exhibiting low or poor performance and generally displays a lack of motivation. It can affect the entire team.

This question addresses your collegiality and your ability to work on a team. The interviewer would like to know if you can successfully motivate others without it coming across as condescending.

1. About Yourself

   Ask yourself the following questions based on your own experiences.

   • Do you like working on a team?
   • How well do you work in groups, and what role do you tend to take on in a team project (for example, leader, mediator or follower)?
   • Are you easy to get along with?
   • What can you do to support other team members?
   • How do you act to help to minimize the damage of poor performance to the project?

2. About The Company

   Research the company ahead of time so that you can present yourself as someone who would fit seamlessly into their team culture.

   The example you use to respond to the question should be relatable to the company you are applying to.

3. About The Fit

   You need to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are both enthusiastic about teamwork and that you get along with colleagues.

   Be ready to provide a viable solution to this common work situation. Use a scenario when your encouragement was well received and resulted in a positive change or outcome. Emphasize that you always try to create a friendly environment with your team members.

   Here is a simple and honest example:

   "As a server at “ABC,” I was working with a difficult coworker who refused to contribute to the preparation for a holiday party. She decided to sit and watch while we worked. I took this opportunity to speak with her in a calm and friendly manner and asked her to do the small odds and ends. She agreed and worked on the place cards and seating cart, which played an important role in the fluidity of the event. Sometimes, people have hidden strengths and weaknesses, you just need to identify them!"

   Indicate how you’ll handle future challenges if they happen.

How to answer

This question lets the interviewer know how well you think on your feet and how great your customer service skills are.

1. About Yourself

   Think about the time you were a customer, how were you treated and how could your experience have been made the best?

   Now think about the times you had to help a customer. What did you do to make that experience unforgettable for the customer? How did you exceed expectations?

2. About The Company

   Think carefully about the company and what they are looking for. Have you found any reviews online that can help you identify what the company's greatest challenge is? What are their standards for treating customers?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   Think of the company's standards and ideals and connect those with your skills and qualifications.

   If you can remember more than one example, choose the one that fits best with the company industry and standards. Make sure you describe the positive outcome both for the customer and the company.

   Use the STAR method to craft your story.

How to answer

If you are asked this question, the interviewers really want to know not about your superiors or colleagues, they are asking about you.

This question helps them to get a sense of whether or not you like working on a team, how well you work in groups, and what role you tend to take on a team project: leader, mediator or follower.

It will also show whether you are easy to get along with, which is important in almost any work environment. So, you should answer this question by talking about yourself, not complaining about a former boss or employees.

1. About Yourself

   • Have you ever had problems working with someone?
   • How did you deal with unexpected obstacles?
   • Were you able to find solutions by yourself?
   • Did you take the initiative?
   • Can you look at problems at different angles?
   • Can you find a common language with people?
   • What were the key lessons you learned from the situation?

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company and its culture.

   • How do the employees value each other?
   • How do they deal with conflict situations?

   • Do they have any specific standards and policies?

   Carefully review the job description so you understand what "teamwork" means for the position and the company.

3. About The Fit

   It’s important to show your people-skills, communication and problem-solving skills.

   If you can, give an example of a time you had a problem with another team member at a previous job. Remember that everything in this story should be told in a positive way.

   For example: "I had disagreements with my coworker at my first job, but I took advantage of the good advice given to me by my manager and talked to him. It turned out that we simply misunderstood each other. This case made me realize that communication is the basis of any relationship and that it is possible to reach an agreement with almost anyone."

   In this example, you did not say anything bad about your coworker or about yourself. On the contrary, you have shown that you can find solutions to any problem.

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This page has been updated on June 17, 2021.