Communication Interview Questions

"Today the CEO announced that the company will ______ into Europe next year."

Which words best complete the blank in the sentence above?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

"I quickly ______ my boss’ meeting invite to let him know I would be there."

Which words best complete the blank in the sentence above?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

An elderly customer calls with a problem finding some product information on your company’s website. He is nice enough, just frustrated and hopeless because he can’t find what he needs. The information he’s looking for is too long and complicated to share over the phone. What are the best next steps?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

Your boss told you that you need to project more in meetings so that people standing in the back don't miss anything.

What does project mean in this sentence?

When writing an argumentative essay, it's very important to establish credibility with the audience. Providing inaccurate or false information is a surefire way to lose credibility with the reader. Once the essay’s credibility is lost, the reader will be less likely to believe other statements even if they are backed up by facts.

Select the statement that most effectively summarizes the above text:

You have been tasked with giving a presentation at work. Due to the level of detail required, the presentation is scheduled for a total of three hours. About an hour into the presentation, you notice that the audience is getting distracted and starting to pay more attention to their phones than to you.

Which methods would be effective at re-engaging your audience?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

Your supervisor tells you that one of your coworkers, Dan, does not want to team up with you on the next project because something you said hurt his feelings.

How do you address the situation?

As account manager, you will be taking over a difficult customer with whom your company has been struggling to expand your business. This customer currently has the largest market share in your region and is expected to grow their strong position. However, your company’s previous account managers had not been able to build a good trust-based relationship with the customer’s key stakeholders and has even lost some business over the last few years.

Your company’s top management still strongly believes that you should be able to grow your business with the customer if you make the right approach. How do you approach this customer?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

All of the sentences below contain the exact same words. Choose the sentences which place all of the words in correct grammatical order and convey a sensible message.

(Select all acceptable answers.)

Carefully read the following excerpt from an article on paper production:

With the recovery rate of used paper for recycling approaching 70 percent in the United States and Europe, and approaching 80 percent in Japan, to keep up with our demand for paper we need to continue using fresh fiber as well as recycled, according to the premise set forward in a new report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Detailing the reasons why fresh fiber combined with recycled is important for a single integrated wood fiber system, the report examines the “complementarity” of using both and discusses the functions of different types of fibers and the issues related to both recycling old fiber and sourcing fresh fiber. In 2012, 400 million tons of paper and paperboard were produced and consumed globally, which is double that in 1985, notes the report. As the population continues to expand and standards of living increase, this number is expected to climb by another 40 percent by 2028. While many would advocate for cutting down on paper use in the first place, in the face of global demand the most sustainable fiber may have to be the next best thing. But therein lies the rub: finding adequate quantities of said fiber will be the challenge of the global pulp and paper industry.

Which statement most effectively summarizes the text?

You drafted an email on your phone in poor lighting while in transit. Now back in the office, you need to proofread what you wrote before sending it out. Read the email draft below.

The agenda for next week’s meeting includes presentations from both the marketing and sales teams. Marisol, you will need to has completed the analysis of the most recent campaign by then. You guys need to present slides of those outcomes at the meeting, OK? Meanwhile, Lucas should do something similar for the sales team. Rather than presenting individual case studies, tries to analyze the quarter as a whole this time. Let's nail these presentations and show the executives how much improvement we have made?

Which sentences have errors in grammar or punctuation?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

In an upcoming referendum, voters will be asked whether the minimum wage should be increased. Telephone polls of likely voters were conducted to predict what the result might be. All respondents were put into at least one of six categories based on profession and age: scientist, lawyer, hourly wage earner, small business owner, younger voter, older voter.

The opinion polls showed:

• A majority of voters are in favor of keeping the current minimum wage.
• A majority of scientists and lawyers supported a rise in the minimum wage.
• Younger voters are more inclined to support a rise in the minimum wage.
• Older voters tend to support no change.
• Hourly wage earners overwhelmingly supported a rise in the minimum wage.
• Small business owners were evenly split on the subject.

Select all the statements that can be concluded from the above text:

(Select all acceptable answers.)

Carefully read the excerpt below.

The Bank of England has hardened(1) its stance on Facebook’s Libra digital currency, telling the social media company it must meet its highest standards to get the green light for launch in Britain.

In its toughest intervention to date, the central bank’s financial policy committee (FPC) said digital currencies such as Libra would need to reach the same high standards as those of traditional payments.

In practice, that would mean digital wallets enabled to hold Libra hitting standards that other cryptocurrencies have so far avoided. These include being part of the UK’s financial services deposit protection scheme, holding capital(2) to protect consumers, and being subjected to central bank stress tests.

In a warning to Facebook, the Bank’s quarterly FPC assessment of emerging financial risks said: "If payment tokens were used widely to facilitate routine payments, they should have the same level of operational resilience(3) and safeguarding as the use of debit cards to make payments from current accounts."

^{(Adapted from original text source)}

Germany's economy avoided falling into recession during the final three months of last year. This means that it avoided two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, which is the definition of a recession. This was a small, but positive, surprise for all analysts who, after the July-to-September period that featured a 0.3% decline, predicted the continuation of this negative trend.

Reasons for slower growth last year include a slowdown in the global economy and a weaker car sector, with some German consumers less willing to buy new cars amid confusion over new emission standards.

Joe Johnson, senior financial analyst, told the BBC that US tariffs on EU car exports, which US President Donald Trump has threatened, could have a major impact on Germany. He thinks that, if this happens, Germany might fall into recession.

What can be concluded from the text above?

Your assistant attended several meetings on your behalf while you were out on sick leave. You need to include a summary of each meeting in your next team newsletter. For each meeting below, choose the clearest and most concise way to restate the key points your assistant compiled.

You are on the support team for a cable/internet company and you have received the following email from a customer, Mike Smith:

“I am very upset that your installation tech did not come to my home today at the appointed time. I took time off from work, all for no reason! I was told he should arrive between 12:00 and 5:00. He didn’t get here until 5:45. I could have just stayed at work since I normally get home at 5:30. This is not a good way to start my new service with you and I am already considering canceling!”

A quick check of the notes on the customer’s account shows that the tech was scheduled to arrive ideally between 12:00 and 5:00pm, but didn’t get there until about 5:45 because of heavy traffic resulting from a car accident on one of the major crosstown roadways.

Please draft your response to this customer in the box below.

The company's sick leave policy says:

This company’s sick leave policy applies to all our employees who have been with our company for more than six months. Our employees can take sick leave only when they want to recover from a sudden illness, accident, or injury. They can use up to 10 days of sick leave for these purposes per calendar year.

Upon completion of each 12 month period of employment, employees will receive 3 additional days of sick leave for every completed 12 month period of working for the company. Unspent additional sick leave days cannot be transferred to the next 12 month period. For example, an employee who has worked for the company for 10 years would receive 30 additional days of sick leave, or 40 in total.

Keep in mind that employees who become sick should either use their sick days or work from home to avoid spreading illnesses.

Fill in the blanks, with numbers, for the cases below. Enter the number 0 for cases when an employee doesn't have the right to sick leave, according to the policy.

• Emily, who has worked for us for almost half a year and still hasn't used any sick leave days, has the right to use up to __ sick leave days this year.
• Faith, who just started her 3rd year of working for us and has not taken sick leave until now, had a car accident. She has the right to use up to __ days of sick leave to recover from her injuries.
• Vanessa, who started to work for us a little over a year ago, took 2 days of sick leave last year. She was Faith's passenger in the car accident. Vanessa has the right to use up to __ days of sick leave to recover from her injuries.
• Edith, who began working for us 8 months ago, has the right to use up to __ sick leave days for a volunteer adult care program at a local hospital that lasts the whole day.
• If Gabrielle, who has worked for us for 20 months, and who took a 10-day sick leave immediately after her 6-month trial period had finished, gets ill tomorrow, she will have the right to use up to __  days of sick leave.

Cats are common pets throughout the world, and their worldwide population exceeds 500 million.

Cats are the second most popular pet in the U.S. by number of pets owned, behind freshwater fish. Although cat ownership has commonly been associated with women, research has shown that men and women in the U.S. are equally likely to own a cat.

They are ranked as the third most popular pet in the U.K. by number of pets owned, after fish and dogs, with 8 million being owned.

What can be concluded from the text above?

(Select all acceptable answers.)

A team member calls you mid-flight to inform you about an idea that she had to change one part of the solution design that she is going to present at tomorrow’s customer meeting. She briefly explains her idea to you, but the mobile connection is poor and the call is disturbed with noise and short interruptions. How do you respond?