4 Common Job Interview Questions (and Answers) on Your Education

Job interviews can be stressful. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. While every interview is different, it's helpful to prepare beforehand by thinking about how you will answer certain questions. Here are a few of the most common questions about college education or degree programs, as well as some job interview tips when formulating your response to these inquiries.

1. Why Did You Choose Your Major?

This question can help a prospective employer understand where your passions lie. Depending on how you answer, it can also tell them a bit about your career goals too.

Your first response may be that you are interested in or enjoy that particular subject. However, if you want to really impress the person conducting the job interview, it helps to dig a little deeper.

Where does your passion for your major originate? Why did you choose that program over all of the other degree programs out there? Maybe something happened in your childhood that led you down that path. Perhaps you changed careers mid-life to satisfy a professional dream.

Giving a well-thought-out answer to this question does two things. First, it shows that you have good personal insight. Second, people are naturally more engaging when talking about something they are passionate about. This allows your personality to shine through.

2.How Does Your Degree Program Relate to This Role?

The whole point of a job interview is to find out if you are the right person for the open role. So, it only makes sense that the interviewer would ask how your educational background could help you perform the duties required.

How you decide to answer this question shows your ability to apply what you've learned in the classroom to real-life work settings. You can have the best education in the world, but if you have no idea how to use the information, it doesn't do much good.

Here's a job interview tip to prepare for this question: thoroughly study the job post, especially the duties and responsibilities section. Then ask yourself how your education has prepared you for those exact functions. Consider both individual classes and your program overall.

3. How Did You Choose Your College or University?

As long as you have your diploma or degree, you may be wondering why a prospective employer would care how you chose your school. But this job interview question has one main goal. It provides some insight into your decision-making process.

If you chose a specific college or university simply because all of your friends were going there, it presents a whole different impression than choosing a school because they had not only the program you wanted but also the specialization.

Of course, the most important thing to remember when answering this or any other job interview question is that you want to be honest. That said, if you chose your school only because all of your friends chose it too, yet now realize that it might not have been the best way to select an educational institution, let the interviewer know.

There are times in life when we all make choices for reasons that may not have been the best. But if you show that you've learned from the experience, that can go a long way. The fact that you were honest about it might also earn you some additional points as well, increasing your trust factor which is important in employer-employee relationships.

4. Tell Me a Little About Your GPA.

This job interview question can be asked for one of two reasons. If you have a low GPA, the potential employer may be trying to understand why to get a better idea of whether it is indicative of a poor work ethic or if some other reason may exist, such as having a learning disability. In the case of the latter, earning your degree despite potential challenges can go a long way in making a good impression.

Conversely, if you have a high GPA, employers may ask about that to determine what types of strategies you used to earn such good grades. Some of those techniques may be used in the role for which you are applying. It also shows your level of dedication to doing well.

Another reason you may be asked about a high GPA is to see how humble you are with your response. It's great to be proud of your accomplishments, and you should be. But there's also a fine line between being prideful and egotistical.

Be confident in your duties while also expressing gratitude for the people or circumstances in your life that helped you achieve such high marks. Giving credit where it is due shows that you understand the concept of a team and that you value other people's contributions to your success.

For More Job Interview Tips…

Want even more job interview tips? Read 6 Phone Interview Questions You Can't Forget to Ask or 13 Job Interview Tips for College Graduates.

For more personalized help, you can also contact our Career Services team. Our caring and compassionate staff can help you better prepare for your next job interview by addressing your questions and concerns. We can also assist you with your job search efforts. Contact us today at 352-588-8346 or by email at careerservices@saintleo.edu to learn more.