Military Analyst Interview Questions And Answers

You may have gaps in employment for many reasons. Be honest. Speak confidently about the experience you gained during the gaps that could transfer to on-the-job skills. For instance, if you were a caregiver, you likely managed complex personal finance issues. As a volunteer, you might have worked with diverse groups and managed challenging schedules.

The FBI has had analysts for a good part of its existence in many forms. These forms have constantly evolved to meet the changing demands of the FBI and the intelligence community. From the beginning of their existence, analysts have worked among and with FBI Special Agents to prevent crimes of all sorts including working against foreign intelligence activity and terrorism.

While I worked in law enforcement as a volunteer, I have to admit I grew up reading Tom Clancy novels and I liked what I read about analysts in the books (minus the over the top James Bond type stuff Jack Ryan always lands himself in) and was drawn to the intelligence field. I specifically plotted out my education to make myself attractive for intelligence work even before 9/11, and on 9/11 I was already half way through my master’s in criminal justice and intelligence. The events on 9/11 just solidified my life choice. Now with my education and specialization I wouldn’t consider a job outside public service, I wanted to utilize it and I thought the FBI was ideal for that.

Similar to answering "how do you handle stress and pressure," this is an opportunity to talk about your problem solving abilities. This question is best answered with a focus on a single example since that's what the question is asking for. Start by setting up the situation, then talk about how you solved it. Cap off your answer with a short and sweet explanation of your thought process, goals, and problem-solving method.

This is an almost guaranteed question during your Army interview so there should be no reason why you can’t answer it in a positive manner. Try to display motivation when answering questions of this nature. The Army are looking for people who want to become a professional member of their team and who understand the Army way of life. By studying your Army recruitment literature and the Army website you will understand what service life is all about. You want to be a member of the British Army and you are attracted to what it has to offer. If you have been pushed into joining by your family then you shouldn’t be applying.

{not sure if this question is legal to ask) but I usually respond “He works for the government. He loves what he does which is why we moved. I’m hoping to duplicate that passion for work here at [company name]”

Military training is part of military service and you receive your pay based on your grade and entitlements.

Make sure you tell the recruiter if you have ROTC, college or even Junior ROTC experience. Some services have programs that will allow you to enter at a higher pay grade than peers with no experience.

Keep it brief. A straightforward answer is best. For example, “My organization was forced to downsize.” Avoid negative statements about yourself, your work or your ability to get along with others. Never criticize former employers or coworkers.

Analysts in the FBI can pursue one of three career paths and then branch off into one of two tracks within that career path. Our analysts are designated as tactical, collection, or strategic analysts. Within those paths they will work on gaining experiences and training that builds towards becoming a subject matter expert or towards becoming a manager of analysts. Analysts get opportunities to try on the different paths early in their career, and movement between the paths are allowed, but not encouraged later in your career.

Analysts at the FBI are eligible for promotions and are well compensated in the government pay system, but must prove they meet the criteria for senior pay grades. Gaining certain experiences, such as having experience at another intelligence agency is required for promotion to senior executive levels. Other experiences may be necessary for an intelligence analyst to move up the ladder to being recognized as a subject matter expert with the goal of becoming a FBI Senior Intelligence Officer for example. Other intelligence agencies have variations on this and are beyond my expertise to fully explain.

Your answer to this question will tell employers whether or not you fit the office culture and if you would be a motivated employee. It's a broad, nebulous question, but don't let that scare you. Pick a few measures of success that relate to the job you're applying for; success can mean fostering good communication, completing projects ahead of schedule, or finding innovative solutions to certain problems.

Every soldier and officer is expected to abide by these important values and therefore it is not unreasonable for the Army to expect you to know them when you apply. You are likely to be asked a question that relates to the values during the ACA interview so make sure you know them and what each one of them means. Here is a sample response to this question.

-(again, don’t know if this question is legal) but my answer would be “I am happily married to a man who gives up his wellbeing and happiness to serve his country. I don’t know of any other profession that requires that much sacrifice. With that said, the military is one part of my life but it’s not all of my life. My career is important to me. I can assure you that being a military spouse has only given me the strength to overcome and handle any roadblocks or difficulties that may come my way.”

Generally the minimum is two years, but the amount of benefits you receive directly relates to your commitment.

Physical standards vary from service to service. Have your recruiter spell it out for you.

In my opinion the FBI vastly ramped up its hiring of intelligence analysts during about the same time DHS started hiring its core of analysts. Analysts at the FBI work to support the FBI’s mission and DHS analysts at their component agencies and at the DHS HQ are obviously focused on those component agency and DHS responsibilities. Both agencies have responsibilities with working with state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. The exact nature of the responsibilities are beyond my level of knowledge, but both agencies work to secure the homeland from terrorism in addition to the other missions they both have.

☛ Tell me about yourself.
☛ What are your strengths?
☛ What are your weaknesses?
☛ Who was your favorite manager and why?
☛ What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
☛ Why do you want this job?
☛ Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
☛ Tell me about your proudest achievement.
☛ If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well done, what would you do?
☛ If I were to give you the salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next year, what would it say?
☛ Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball?
☛ How would you quickly establish credibility with a team?
☛ There's no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
☛ How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you?
☛ Was there a person in your career who really made a difference?
☛ What's your ideal company?
☛ What attracted you to this company?
☛ What are you most proud of?
☛ What are you looking for in terms of career development?
☛ What do you look for in terms of culture -- structured or entrepreneurial?
☛ What do you like to do?
☛ Give examples of ideas you've had or implemented.
☛ What are your lifelong dreams?
☛ What do you ultimately want to become?
☛ How would you describe your work style?
☛ What kind of car do you drive?
☛ Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job.
☛ What's the last book you read?
☛ What magazines do you subscribe to?
☛ What would be your ideal working situation?
☛ Why should we hire you?
☛ What did you like least about your last job?
☛ What do you think of your previous boss?
☛ How do you think I rate as an interviewer?
☛ Do you have any questions for me?
☛ When were you most satisfied in your job?
☛ What can you do for us that other candidates can't?
☛ What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
☛ What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
☛ If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
☛ What salary are you seeking?
☛ What's your salary history?
☛ Do you have plans to have children in the near future?
☛ What were the responsibilities of your last position?
☛ What do you know about this industry?
☛ What do you know about our company?
☛ How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
☛ Are you willing to relocate?
☛ What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome?
☛ What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?

☛ Tell me about your experience with cost-benefit analysis
☛ How would you rate your data analysis skills, on a scale of 1 to 10?
☛ Do you think the job of a budget analyst requires teamwork? Why?
☛ How do you maintain attention to detail when preparing a budget?

☛ What was the most difficult period in your life, and how did you deal with it?
☛ What is your favorite memory from childhood?
☛ Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
☛ Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn't want me to know.
☛ Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
☛ Why did your choose your major?
☛ What are the qualities of a good leader? A bad leader?
☛ What is your biggest regret, and why?
☛ What are three positive character traits you don't have?
☛ What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
☛ If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
☛ How many times do a clock's hands overlap in a day?
☛ How would you weigh a plane without scales?
☛ What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
☛ If I were to ask your last supervisor to provide you additional training or exposure, what would she suggest?
☛ If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
☛ What's the best movie you've seen in the last year?
☛ Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
☛ What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
☛ If you could get rid of any one of the US states, which one would you get rid of, and why?
☛ With your eyes closed, tell me step-by-step how to tie my shoes.
☛ if you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
☛ If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
☛ Who are your heroes?
☛ Tell me 10 ways to use a pencil other than writing.

☛ Do you recall the day your service ended?
☛ Where were you?
☛ What did you do in the days and weeks afterward?
☛ Did you work or go back to school?
☛ Was your education supported by the G.I. Bill?
☛ Did you make any close friendships while in the service?
☛ Did you continue any of those relationships?
☛ For how long?
☛ Did you join a veterans organization?

☛ Walk me through the process of preparing a budget
☛ Tell me how you go about preparing a forecasting report
☛ When reviewing a funding request, what kind of information do you need?
☛ Imagine an executive tells you there’s some inconsistency between approved budget and actual expenditure at a department. What do you do?
☛ If you had to prepare several budget at the same time, how would you prioritize?

☛ Which war(s) did you serve in (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf)?
☛ Where exactly did you go?
☛ Do you remember arriving and what it was like?
☛ What was your job/assignment?
☛ Did you see combat?
☛ Were there many casualties in your unit?
☛ Tell me about a couple of your most memorable experiences.
☛ Were you a prisoner of war?
☛ Tell me about your experiences in captivity and when freed.
☛ Were you awarded any medals or citations?
☛ How did you get them?
☛ Higher ranks may be asked about battle planning. Those who sustained injuries may be asked about the circumstances.

☛ Tell me about a time you made a suggestion that resulted in a significant spending cut
☛ Recall a time you had to defend a budget recommendation to a demanding executive. Was the recommendation approved in the end?
☛ Describe a time when you had to present a budget recommendation to an multi-disciplinary audience. How did you make yourself understood to all of them?
☛ Give me an example of a time you used financial information to solve a problem
☛ Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a department’s manager over budget

☛ How did you stay in touch with your family?
☛ What was the food like?
☛ Did you have plenty of supplies?
☛ Did you feel pressure or stress?
☛ Was there something special you did for "good luck"?
☛ How did people entertain themselves?
☛ Were there entertainers?
☛ What did you do when on leave?
☛ Where did you travel while in the service?
☛ Do you recall any particularly humorous or unusual event?
☛ What were some of the pranks that you or others would pull?
☛ Do you have photographs?
☛ Who are the people in the photographs?
☛ What did you think of officers or fellow soldiers?
☛ Did you keep a personal diary?

☛ Were you drafted or did you enlist?
☛ Where were you living at the time?
☛ Why did you join?
☛ Why did you pick the service branch you joined?
☛ Do you recall your first days in service?
☛ What did it feel like?
☛ Tell me about your boot camp/training experience(s).
☛ Do you remember your instructors?
☛ How did you get through it?