When I was in Kentucky I put together a presentation on interviewing for the job support group there. Here follows the handout, which includes the toughest legal questions anyone could think of, the illegal ones, and various tips on interviewing.
Hope it helps!!
The Nastiest, Meanest, Toughest Interview Questions (in no particular order)
The LEGAL Ones...
▸ Why should we hire you?
▸ What would your last boss have said about you? What would your subordinates have said?
▸ Why haven't you been successful in getting a job so far?
▸ What are your (one, two, three...) biggest accomplishments?
▸ Have you fired anyone? How did you do it?
▸ Cite examples of your creativity. Show me how you've saved money for firms you've worked for.
▸ What is the most important thing you've learned from past jobs?
▸ What are your weak points? How do you overcome them?
▸ What are your strengths? How will they help us if we hire you?
▸ Tell me about yourself.
▸ How do you motivate people?
▸ What did you think of your last company and your last boss?
▸ Why did you apply to us?
▸ What do you know about our firm/industry? What problems are we facing and how would you overcome them?
▸ Are you willing to relocate? To travel? To work weekends or evenings?
▸ Describe your management style.
▸ Tell me about a problem you faced on the job and how you solved it.
▸ How would you deal with a very upset customer or co-worker?
▸ Give me an example of when you had to show good leadership.
▸ What salary and benefits do you expect?
▸ How long would you stay with us? What might cause you to leave?
▸ Are you decisive? Prove it with examples!
▸ How do you set priorities?
▸ Tell me about your oral presentations.
▸ How do you handle stress?
▸ What was the last book you read? What did you like/dislike about it?
▸ How did you find out about this job?
▸ What frustrates you? What do you do about it?
...and ILLEGAL Ones
▸ Are you a US citizen?
▸ That's an unusual name. Where's it from?
▸ How old are you? When were you born? When did you graduate?
▸ Are you married, engaged, divorced? Who do you live with?
▸ When do you plan to have a family? What are your childcare arrangements?
▸ How tall are you? What do you weigh?
▸ Do you have any disabilities? Have you ever been treated for a mental condition? What medicines do you take?
▸ What organizations do you belong to?
▸ Have you ever been arrested?
▸ Were you honorably discharged from the military?
INTERVIEW SUBTLETIES
1. Relax. An interview is not an interrogation.
2. Be prepared for professional and personal discussion. Small talk is important.
3. Interview the company as completely as they are interviewing you.
4. When in doubt, always overdress in conventional business attire (suit and tie for men, the equivalent for women).
5. Everyone you meet and encounter counts!
6. Do your homework before you go and while you are there.
7. Get cards from everyone and take notes when and where applicable.
8. At lunch or dinner – you're NOT there for the food. Stay focused on the career objective. And NO alcohol.
9. Always write a thank-you note or letter to each person you talked with. Make them unique to the person – this is an important factor.