Practice makes (near) perfect: sample questions to prepare for your job interview
A crucial part of preparing for a job interview is practicing your answers to standard questions, like, why are you interested in this job? Why are you looking for a new job? What skills do you have that would be a good fit for this position? It’s easy to predict some of these questions, but others, like those specific to the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement organizations, might be more difficult to anticipate for someone who hasn’t worked in the movement before. We’ve drafted some sample questions below for you to review and practice, mixed in with standard job interview questions too. Of course, they will depend on what the organization actually does -- these are just examples for you to practice.
Practice answering these questions with a friend, and ask them for feedback. You can also record your answers to hear how you sound.
Hiring managers, please feel free to use these questions during your interviews, too.
Values
Why do you want to work in reproductive health, rights, and justice? What leads you to this work?
We provide care to people who need abortions at any gestational age. They could be 5 weeks pregnant or 27 weeks pregnant. We also provide emergency contraception, ultrasounds, and healthcare for transgender people, including gender confirming care. What questions or reservations do you have about the services we provide?
Tell us about a time that you had to have a difficult conversation with someone who’s different from you. How did that go? How did you approach the conversation? What might you do differently next time?
Racial justice is a crucial component of our work. How do issues of racial justice show up in your life? What does racial justice mean to you?
Gender justice is also a crucial element of our work. How do you define gender justice? How does it show up in your life?
How do you see race, gender, class, and immigration status affecting abortion? Can you give us specific examples?
Why do people have abortions? Why do people place children for adoption?
Please finish these sentences:
I believe pregnancy is…
I believe abortion is...
I believe adoption is…
A friend texts you to say she’s pregnant and doesn’t know what to do. How do you respond? What do you say?
How have you been educated about racism, sexism, classism, transphobia, and xenophobia? What do you think you still have to learn? How do you approach learning about these issues?
Role
What about this position excites you? What seems like it might be a learning opportunity for you?
Choose a job task from the job description. Can you tell us a bit about your experience doing this task?
What skills do you have that would make you effective in this role?
How do you build up your skills in areas where you have less experience?
There are always parts of a job that we don’t enjoy. How do you approach the tasks that you least look forward to?
Work Style
What kind of workplaces have you thrived in? What about those workplaces’ cultures ensured your success? What was challenging about it?
How do you like to be managed? What have you found is a supervision style that supports your leadership? What do you find challenging?
We all get stressed from time to time. What stresses you out at work? How do you handle that stress?
We’re often handling a lot of tasks, some long-term while others short-term. Can you tell us about how you manage the day-to-day work, while making progress on the longer-term projects?
What do you feel you’re best at? What do your colleagues always turn to you for?
How do you handle receiving feedback you don’t agree with?
When are you most at peace in your work?
We do a lot of work in teams. What’s your preferred role on a team?
Management & Workplace
What are you looking for in a workplace that is different from your previous workplaces?
How do you like to be managed?
How do you believe in managing and supporting your direct reports? How do you help them succeed?
Tell us about a time you managed someone who had a difficult time meeting deadlines and project outcomes. How did you work with them?
Is there anything from your previous workplaces that you’d love to implement here? Is there anything you’d rather leave behind?
In a job interview, you’re interviewing for a position, but you’re also figuring out if you’re interested in working for that organization. At the end of a good interview, the organization should leave time for you to ask questions. Don’t be shy! This is your chance to get a better understanding of the values of this organization, the department, and your potential colleagues and what they’re looking for in a top candidate for this role.
Below are a few questions you can ask. Try to keep it to three to five questions per interview, depending on the time allowed. Again, this is not an exhaustive list, but one that might hopefully help you prepare.
Values
How does this organization view intersectionality? How is part of the work?
How many people of color are in leadership?
How does the organization work in coalition with other organizations? Who are some of the coalition partners?
What is this organization’s commitment to racial justice? What does that look like in practice?
What policies and accommodations and does the organization have in place to support employees with disabilities?
How do you ensure everyone is earning a living wage at this organization?
Is this office unionized?
If an employee is experiencing burnout, how do you support them?
Do you pay your interns a living wage?
How does the organization partner with other movements (ex. immigrant justice, economic justice, disability justice)?
Our political climate and movement is constantly shifting. How do you see the organization shifting with it?
How is the organization preparing for a post-Roe reality?
Role
What do the day-to-day responsibilities of this position look like?
What is the salary range for this position?
What does success look like in this position? How is it measured?
Is this a new position or current position? Where did the previous employee in this position go? (if not already mentioned)
Who will I be working with most closely on this project/in this department?
What types of challenges do you anticipate the person hired encountering in this position?
Do you expect any of the position’s roles or responsibilities to change in the next six months?
What are some projects you expect this position to accomplish in the first six months to a year?
What do you expect the first six months of this role to look like?
Work Style
What is a practice this team/department is grounded in? What is a growing edge?
What is your supervision style? How has it shifted as you manage different people?
What professional development and support do you offer to managers?
How do you prefer to receive feedback? How do you offer feedback?
How do teams work together here? What happens when team members disagree?
Management & Workplace
Do staff have the opportunity to work from home? (if an office position)
How is staff performance evaluated?
What would you say is the culture of feedback and communication at your organization?
Can you tell me a bit about what you (the interviewer) love about your position? What do you find challenging?
What is your favorite part of working at this organization?
What kind of person thrives at this organization?
What are the benefits with this position? (if not already provided) Do you know if the health insurance covers all reproductive healthcare, including abortion? What does the paid leave policy look like?
What is this organization’s philosophy around supporting staff, whether it’s to be successful in their position or in work life balance?
How is professional development implemented at this organization? What resources exist?
During a crisis, how does the team handle stress and challenges? What does it look like during the all-hands-on-deck moments?
What are the expectations around work hours? Is there flexibility? If so, what does that look like?