Sample Interview Questions for Criminology


Students are encouraged to book an advising appointment for a mock interview to prepare for interviews, but you can also use these questions for self-study. You can book your advising appointment on campusBRIDGE.

You can also partner with a friend and they can ask you a sample question while you answer to practice interviewing.

  1. How has your education prepared you for this position? What courses have you taken which you feel are particularly relevant?
  2. What experience do you have dealing with the client group we serve?
  3. Give me a specific example when you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem.
  4. Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split-second decision. What was the situation and what was the result?
  5. Explain your concept of a good team. Tell me about a time when you worked on such a team.
  6. Tell me about a time when you worked on a team and it appeared that one of the team members was not completing their assigned work. How was this situation dealt with?
  7. Provide me with an example of a time when you had to conform to a policy that you did not agree with. 
  8. Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a person about following a policy that you could not change.
  9. Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with an upset person. How did you handle it?
  10. Tell me about a time when you tried to mediate a conflict and one party appeared to resist any possible suggestions for resolution. How did you deal with this issue? What was the outcome?
  11. Tell me about a time when you had successfully handled a stressful situation with multiple factors. What was the situation and which steps did you take?
  12. Tell me about a time when you refused to follow instructions. Why did you not follow these instructions?
  13. Have you ever had to persuade someone to follow an order that they initially refused to obey? Explain the circumstances and outcome to me.
  14. Tell me about a time when you dealt with a difficult supervisor. What made this supervisor difficult to work with?
  15. Tell me about a time when a supervisor gave you a task with little or no instructions on how to complete the task. How did you approach this situation?
  16. In this job, you will have to ask questions about subjects that are considered difficult to deal with, as well as uncomfortable topics. Tell me about a time when you had to ask similar questions in the course of your work. 
  17. Tell me about a time when you made a suggestion to improve the workplace. Was your suggestion accepted or rejected? Why?
  18. How much experience do you have in qualitative research design?
  19. Tell me about a time when you used interviewing to conduct research. 
  20. Are you currently participating in any type of fitness program? How recently did you start this program?

Updated January 2026