1. So, tell me a little about yourself.
You don’t need to explain everything from birth to present day.
Relevant facts about education, your career and your current life
situation are fine.
2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last
job)?
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can
trip you up. Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job)
because you want to advance your career and get a position that
allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It’s not a good
idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary. And if
you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized, stay
positive and be a***rief as pos***le about it. If you were fired,
you’ll need a good explanation. But once again, stay
positive.
3. Tell me what you know about this company.
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it’***eing
the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about
the company or business you’re going to work for. Has this company
been in the news lately? Who are the people in the company you
should know about? Do the background work, it will make you stand
out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested in
the company and the job.
4. Why do you want to work at X Company?
This should be directly related to the last question. Any research
you’ve done on the company should have led you to the conclusion
that you’d want to work there. After all, you’re at the interview,
right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your
interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking
goals and career plans.
5. What relevant experience do you have?
Hopefully if you’re applying for this position you have bags of
related experience, and if that’s the case you should mention it
all. But if you’re switching careers or trying something a little
different, your experience may initially not look like it’s
matching up. That’s when you need a little honest creativity to
match the experiences required with the ones you have. People
skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how
customer service skills can apply to internal management positions,
and so on.
6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they
say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from
your past are going to say you’re a boring A-hole, you don’t need
to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few
specific quotes in mind. “They’d say I was a hard worker” or even
better “John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative
problem-solver he’d ever met.”
7. Have you done anything to further your
experience?
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and
sports. If it’s related, it’s worth mentioning. Obviously anything
to do with further education is great, but maybe you’re spending
time on a home improvement project to work on skills such as
self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.
8. Where else have you applied?
This is a good way to hint that you’re in demand, without sounding
like you’re whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and
mention a few other companie***ut don’t go into detail. The fact
that you’re seriously looking and keeping your options open is what
the interviewer is driving at.
9. How are you when you’re working under
pressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer thi***ut they should all
be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive under
pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under pressure. If
you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to
help you get your foot in the door.
10. What motivates you to do a good job?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be
motivated by life’s noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job
well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help
others or be a leader in your field.
11. What’s your greatest strength?
This is
your chance to shine. You’re being asked to explain why you are a
great employee, so don’t hold back and stay do stay positive. You
could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an
amazing problem solver or someone with extraordinary attention to
detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink anyone
under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to
yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related
strengths.
12. What’s your biggest weakness?
If you’re completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the
butt. If you say you don’t have one, you’re obviously lying. This
is a horrible question and one that politicians have become masters
at answering. They say things like “I’m perhaps too committed to my
work and don’t spend enough time with my family.” Oh, there’s a
fireable offense. I’ve even heard “I think I’m too good at my job,
it can often make people jealous.” Please, let’s keep our feet on
the ground. If you’re asked this question, give a small,
work-related flaw that you’re working hard to improve. Example:
“I’ve been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger
picture, so I’ve been spending time laying out the complete project
every day to see my overall progress.”
13. Let’s talk about salary. What are you looking
for?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview.
Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first
you’re already showing all your cards. You want as much as
pos***le, the employer wants you for as little as you’re willing to
take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea
of what someone with your specific experience should be paid. You
may want to say, “well, that’s something I’ve thought long and hard
about and I think someone with my experience should get between X
& Y.” Or, you could be sly and say, “right now, I’m
more interested in talking more about what the position can offer
my career.” That could at least buy you a little time to scope out
the situation. But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you
are confident that you can get it, I’d say go for it. I have on
many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure
(both below and sometimes above).
14. Are you good at working in a team?
Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you’ll always answer YES
to this one. It’s the only answer. How can anyone function inside
an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention what
part you like to play in a team though; it’s a great chance to
explain that you’re a natural leader.
15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was
implemented.
It’s important here to focus on the word “implemented.” There’s
nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only
place they live is on your notepad what’s the point? Better still,
you need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice
and ended up going bankrupt, that’s not such a great example
either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was
taken from idea to implementation, and considered
successful.
16. Has anything ever irritated you about people you’ve
worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can’t say
that, it shows you a***eing negative and difficult to work with.
The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then
say something like “I’ve always got on just fine with my co-workers
actually.”
Use this question as a chance to show that you are a team player:
“The only people I have trouble with are those who aren’t team
players, who just don’t perform, who complain constantly, and who
fail to respond to any efforts to motivate them.” The interviewer
is expecting a response focused on personality and personal
dislikes. Surprise her by delivering an answer that reflects
company values
17. Is there anyone you just could not work
with?
No. Well, unless you’re talking about murderers, racists, rapists,
thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone.
Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who’s picky and difficult
if you say, “I can’t work with anyone who’s a Bronco’s fan.
Sorry.”
18. Tell me about any issues you’ve had with a
previou***oss.
Arrgh! If you fall for this one you
shouldn’t be hired anyway. The interviewer is testing you to see if
you’ll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply answer
this question with exteme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big
fat loss of memory. In short, you’ve never had any issues.
The answer to 18 is completely wrong. I am a director at a major
media company’s interactive division. Our company is expanding and
I am almost in a constant state of hiring. I ask a variation of
this question in every single interview and if a candidate has
never had one issue or disagreement with anyone, (I stated a
variation: I ask if it has happened with anyone in the workplace) I
peg them as a liar and reject them immediately.
I went well with my previou***oss. If there is an conflict, I will
be open mind and talk about facts. once decision is made, I execute
it well.
19. Would you rather work for money or job
satisfaction?
It’s not a very fair question is it?
We’d all love to get paid a Trump-like salary doing a job we love
but that’s rare indeed. It’s fine to say money is important, but
remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job.
Otherwise, you’re just someone looking for a bigger paycheck.
20. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first
time I just drew a blank and said, “I don’t know.” That went over
badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little
to no experience. Since then I’ve realized that my genuine answer
is “Neither, I’d rather be respected.” You don’t want to be feared
because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done
but at what cost? Similarly, if you’re everyone’***est friend
you’ll find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines.
But when you’re respected, you don’t have to be a complete bastard
or a lame duck to get the job done.
21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead
of your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you’re a corporate
whore who doesn’t care about family. If you say no, you’re disloyal
to the company. I’m afraid that you’ll probably have to say yes to
this one though, because you’re trying to be the perfect employee
at this point, and perfect employees don’t cut out early for
Jimmy’***a***all game.
it is situational. if you… ; if you …. Ethics and
professionalism
22. So, explain why I should hire you.
As I’m sure you know, “because I’m great” or “I really need a job”
are not good answers here. This is a time to give the employer a
laundry list of your greatest talents that just so happen to match
the job de script ion. It’s also good to avoid taking potshots at
other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your
talents, not other people’s flaws.
23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask
me?
I’ll finish the way I started, with one of the most common
questions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the
research you’ve done on the company and also gives you a chance to
show how eager and prepared you are. You’ll probably want to ask
about benefits if they haven’t been covered already. A good generic
one is “how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of
course.” You may also ask what you’d be working on. Specifically,
in the role you’re applying for and how that affects the rest of
the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a
blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and
happy job hunting.
ponder for a moment, and then ask your interviewer “what aspect of
your job do you find most challenging”.
I would ask the interviewer, “Why do you like to work here?”
24. Where do you want to be in 5 to years?
They dont want to hear in the same j