Sample performance based interview questions and answers

How to Answer

The interviewer would like an honest reply regarding your performance in your most recent position. The way in which you reply can be a bit tricky if you were terminated, or if you were laid off. Be confident in your reply and, even if there were areas for improvement, focus your answer on what you know you did best.

1st Answer Example

"I am pleased with my performance in my most recent role. Although I was laid off in the end, I know for sure that I was the top performer in my office with the most positive client reviews and the highest referral rate."

Admin

"I like to perform my job well so that I can ensure a good reference, should my employment status ever change unexpectedly. It's important to deliver great work and perform above expectations. Yes, I am pleased with my performance, especially in the area of customer service and juggling multiple deadlines at a time."

Manager

"As a manager, I have expectations on my performance, as well as the performance of my team. It is important to me that I lead by example. I am pleased with my performance in the workplace primarily in the areas of leadership and process."

Marketing

"Absolutely! I am very pleased with my work performance. I bring a great sense of passion to marketing and would say that my greatest strengths are in content writing, and research."

Retail

"My performance in my most recent role is something that I am proud to discuss. I received a great amount of positive feedback and customer reviews and did a great job encouraging the team during our busiest times. Also, I was very willing to pick up extra shifts and stay late, as needed."

Sales

"As a sales professional, I am pleased with the efforts that I put into my current position. The better I perform, the more I earn because it is a highly commissioned role. This commission is a great motivator for me but not the only one. I also want to perform well so that I represent my employer in the best possible way, and so that my clients are always happy with the product they are receiving."

Teacher

"I am very pleased with my performance, at all times. I take my job seriously. As an educator, I realize there are so many children relying on me. I love to see the impact that my dedication makes on my students, and I enjoy being reliable for those around me."

How to Answer

Do you feel that you are always the highest performing employee, or do you have room for growth? This question could be a tricky one as nobody shows up 100% at all times. Answer to the best of your ability and back your reply by speaking about your work ethic and how you ensure your performance goes above and beyond expectations.

1st Answer Example

"I would love to give myself a 10/10 for performance but truthfully - nobody is 100% 'on' all of the time. I will give myself a nine because I always do my best to be as eager and present as possible."

Admin

"I value work ethic and the delivery of solid performance more than anything. For that reason, I would rate myself as a 10/10 when it comes to performance effort because I always do what I can to deliver."

Manager

"I put a heavy focus on performance and exceeding expectations in the workplace, as well as in my personal life. Because I strive for a hearty performance on a daily basis, I will rate myself as a 10/10. My values are solid."

Marketing

"Performance and what I deliver will directly affect my clients, their projects, and their profitability. For that reason, I will rate my performance as a 9.5/10. There is always room for improvement, but I truly put my best foot forward at every turn."

Retail

"I am a very hard worker but yet not a 10/10 because I cannot say that I have never let my work slide at times. I am human, a work in progress, and not perfect. With that said, I know the importance of delivering exceptional work."

Sales

"I recently read the book 'One Second Ahead,' by Rasmus Hougaard. He suggests that we can enhance our performance at work through mindfulness. I agree with this concept which is why I strive for complete, and mindful, performance in all areas of my life."

Teacher

"I admire tenacity, I believe in giving my best at all times. As an educator, I teach this concept and work ethic every day. I rate myself as a 9/10 when it comes to performance since everyone has room for improvement."

How to Answer

The interviewer is looking for specifics from your performance evaluations or most recent conversations with your current boss. You may not have formal performance meetings. If you do not, then rely on feedback that you consistently receive from your supervisors. Your positive highlight can be big or small! Make sure that you relate your positive points to the requirements of the job posting. When you discuss one area for improvement, avoid mentioning something that would make you ineligible for the position. For instance, if you are interviewing for a business development role, you should not say that you are painfully shy. Also, be sure to discuss that you are actively working to improve this weakness.

1st Answer Example

"My boss recently sat me down to discuss my work performance. Overall, he was thrilled with my ability to analyze data in ways that many of my coworkers do not. I have a unique capability when it comes to data analysis. One area for improvement was to speed up my work a little bit. I am cautious with my reports and know that as I gain further experience, I will work faster."

Admin

"Although I do not have formal performance evaluations in my current role, my manager is often commenting on my ability to read between the lines and deliver what he is looking for, without a ton of direction. One thing that I can work on is my typing speed. I am accurate and type about 50wpm which isn't too bad, but I am practicing to get to 75wpm."

Manager

"I love to give feedback as a manager, and I also love to receive it. One point that my director has mentioned is that I could spend more time in the office working on my documentation. With that said, he also appreciates that I am such a hands-on manager. That is my greatest strength - the fact that I am very involved with my team and always available for them."

Marketing

"Last year, at my end of year performance evaluation, I was told that I could work on my knowledge when it comes to Facebook ad strategy. I have been taking a course on social media advertisement targeting to help improve this skill. In this evaluation, I received praise for being an excellent collaborator who is great in face-to-face client meetings. I believe this is because I am an active listener and strong trouble-shooter."

Retail

"In my most recent performance evaluation, I was praised for my excellent customer service skills and ability to smooth out customer complaints and disputes. I was asked to tap into my knowledge of the products' features and benefits a bit further. I have been studying hard ever since."

Sales

"I am a competitive performer which my sales manager took note of in my last performance review. We discussed how happy she was that I was exceeding targets. The areas to work on included improving the time between receiving, and responding to, my leads. I have improved my average time this month from 8 hours to 6."

Teacher

"In my current school, we have an evaluation once per year, usually at the end of the year. The feedback from my Principal was that she was thrilled with the connection I make with the students, their parents, and that test scores were at an all-time high. She asked for the following year that I participate in one more extra-curricular activity. I made a note of this feedback and had already planned to join the soccer team as an assistant coach."

How to Answer

Making a change to improve your performance shows the interviewer that you are self-driven, a go-getter, and able to correct yourself when needed. Give an example of a time when you made a choice, unprompted, to change a habit or process to improve your performance. This change could be something small like cutting out one scheduled coffee break, packing your lunch, organizing your desk, setting a boundary with a chatty colleague, or cleaning up your computer's desktop.

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How to Answer

The interviewer would like to know, from your point of view, what you did best in your most recent position. Likely, you are going to mention the skills that you also enjoy performing the most! Think of two to three skills that you are strong in, that the interviewer will most likely want to hear. Look back into their job posting or job description to generate some ideas.

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The interviewer would like to understand better the key performance indicators you needed to meet in a more recent role, and how precisely those KPI's were measured. A good interviewer will recognize that the top candidates ALWAYS understand how they were measured, and where they landed in regards to their performance against others in a similar role.

It is a red flag to an interviewer if the interviewee responds with "I don't know," or worse yet - "My company didn't measure my performance in any way." Every company pays attention to employee performance metrics; it's just that some ways are more evident than others.

Some ways that your employer might measure your performance:

- The rate of absence, late days, and sick days
- Setting specific objectives for you, related to a task
- Amount of defective work submitted, or amount of work returned
- Human Capital ROI
- Error counting
- Timed tasks
- Employee retention rates (for managers)
- Revenue Per Employee or Profit per FTE (Full Time Equivalent)
- The willingness of clients to recommend you or your work
- Feedback provided by coworkers and management
- Number of sales
- Scheduling errors
- Safety days
- First- call resolution or call quality and handling (primarily for call-center environments)
- Quality of contacts generated

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How to Answer

It is okay to lean one way more than the other when answering this question; however, the key to a firm answer is to show that you are capable of performing well in either setting. Discuss the environment in which you currently function, and how you ensure that you are successful in your day to day performance.

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The position you are interviewing for may offer the option to work from home on occasion. This position may even be a full-time home-office based role! More and more companies are choosing the nix the expense of having physical offices and are training employees who can be productive from a remote setting. If you have experience working remote, or from a home office, be sure to discuss that experience and express how you were productive.

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The interviewer would like to know what you interpret as a fast turnaround when it comes to responding to your customers. You should take note of how quickly you are responded to, by this organization, if you are a past customer. This question also offers the opportunity for you to ask the interviewer what their company policy or expectation may be. You don't want to say '3 days' when it's 24 hours!

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The interviewer would like to know how you rate your technical skills. Likely, they will mention specific tech skills in the job posting or job description. First, on a scale of 1-10, discuss how skilled are you in their tech requirements. Try to avoid giving yourself a 10, since nobody is perfect, and you do not want to come across as overly confident or someone who has no room for feedback and improvement. Alternately, avoid giving yourself too little credit. You do not want to paint the picture that you are a tech dud! Try to remain in the 7.5-9.5 range while staying honest and accurate. Be sure to list which programs, apps, or systems in which you shine!

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