Interview Resource - Keller ISD Schools

INTERVIEW RESOURCE | 12
The Eight Basic Questions
Almost every interview will steer around two focal points. The first is
your résumé—which you’ve rewritten by now with attention to
originality, specificity, and intrigue. The second is a list of standard
questions that judges receive to help them conduct their interviews.
Though questions vary from place to place, they tend to cover eight basic question types. These include:
The Competition—Expect to be asked what you find the most challenging or interesting event,
what you would change about Decathlon if you could, and what you’ve learned. This may also
include curriculum-based questions, such as asking you your favorite art piece.
Preparing for Acadec—Why did you join the program? How did you and your team prepare?
What will you remember most about it? This is a good chance to show off your sentimental side
or to relate a funny tale.
School and Extra-Curricular Activities—What are your favorite subjects? What do you do at
school besides study and eat lunch? Of course, everyone can answer “Academic Decathlon”—but
look for something unique that opens a path to talking about other topics important to you.
Judges will usually use your resume as a way to start a conversation about your activities—like, “I
see you’re involved in Speech and Debate. Tell us more about that.”
Post-Secondary Education Plans—Do you plan to attend a college or university? If so, which
ones are you thinking of? If not, why not? Will you join the army? Go on a religious mission?
Do community service for a year? Give good reasons for each of these answers—and avoid the
generic, I’m going to college, but I’m not sure which one or what to major in spiel. Look for
answers that lead back to the less abstract you of the present—your activities, interests, and goals.
Long-term Goals—What is your career goal? Why? Don’t be afraid of expressing indecision
regarding these points. Judges don’t mind hearing you admit that you don’t yet know enough to
pre-determine your profession and course of studies. A little humility about the future goes a
long way. Feel free to share with them your dreams—of becoming an actress, or a poet, or a
doctor—qualified with your realization that these dreams may be difficult to realize.
Values—What do you admire about other people? Which values have most influenced you? Did
they belong to your parents or to your peers or to some blog on the Internet? Cite concrete
examples. If you decide to use a tried-and-true quality such as honesty, admit up front that you
know it’s probably been said before.
Influential figures and role models—Judges may ask you for the person who has most
influenced you, the person you most resemble, a fictional character who’s had an impact on
you—there are lots of variations, but the key is to choose a figure, be it your grandfather or
Thomas Edison, and to justify him or her with vivid, likeable reasons. Don’t just rattle off his or
her accomplishments, either; describe his or her personal qualities.
Life Outside of School—The judges want to know if you lead a full life beyond your studies and
extracurricular activities. What do you do in the evening? on weekends? over the summer? Do