Possible Answer To What Type Of Work Environment Do You Prefer
I really like the environment in my current position. My manager is a great resource and always willing to help out when I run into an issue, but they trust me to get my work done so I have a lot of freedom in how I schedule and prioritize, which is very important to me. Everyone has their own cubicle, so its often pretty quiet to get our work done, but we all get lunch together and our team has a lot of check-in meetings and communicates frequently via Slack so we still get a lot of opportunities to bounce ideas off each other. So I like both individual and more collaborative work. How would you describe the mix here?
What Are You Passionate About
Youre not a robot programmed to do your work and then power down. Youre a human, and if someone asks you this question in an interview, its probably because they want to get to know you better. The answer can align directly with the type of work youd be doing in that rolelike if, for example, youre applying to be a graphic designer and spend all of your free time creating illustrations and data visualizations to post on Instagram.
But dont be afraid to talk about a hobby thats different from your day-to-day work. Bonus points if you can take it one step further and connect how your passion would make you an excellent candidate for the role you are applying for, says Muse career coach Al Dea. Like if youre a software developer who loves to bake, you might talk about how the ability to be both creative and precise informs your approach to code.
Hiring Managers Needs And Perspective
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What Is The Star Method In Interviewing
The STAR method is an interview technique that organizes answers to behavioral questions into a structured response format as follows:
Situation: Describes a specific situation that pertains to the question. Outline the particulars of the circumstance.
Task: Explain the objective.
Action: Illustrate the steps and actions taken in order to achieve the desired goal. Be as detailed as possible and focus on individual contributions.
Response: Relay the outcome of the action and evaluate results.
This interview structure ensures that the interviewer receives comprehensive answers that provide a more complete picture of applicants work styles. Though situations should ideally be from past jobs, entry-level applicants or candidates pursuing career changes may draw on from experiences from school, internships, volunteer work, or other industries.
What Do You Like Least About Your Job
Tread carefully here! The last thing you want to do is let your answer devolve into a rant about how terrible your current company is or how much you hate your boss or that one coworker. The easiest way to handle this question with poise is to focus on an opportunity the role youre interviewing for offers that your current job doesnt. You can keep the conversation positive and emphasize why youre so excited about the job.
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Why Are You Interested In This Position
Interviewers typically want to be sure that you applied for this job because youre genuinely interested in it. Avoid voicing concerns about your current position or companynegative comments about your employer are often interpreted as unprofessional. A good answer will positively frame your transition and communicate your desire to grow in the role youre interviewing for.
Research the role and company ahead of time to understand how it relates to your background. Ask yourself questions, such as How will this position help me advance in my career? or How does the position align with my future goals? and What makes me a good fit for this company or role?
Example answer:While I highly valued my time at my previous company, there are no longer opportunities for growth that align with my career goals. This position fits perfectly with my skill set and how Im looking to grow in my career. Im also looking for a position at a company like yours that supports underserved communities, which is a personal passion of mine.
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How Would You Describe Yourself
With this question, your interviewer wants to learn how your qualities and characteristics align with the skills they believe are required to succeed in the role. To answer this question, pick one to a few personal characteristics and elaborate on them with examples.
For example, if you are ambitious and driven you can say: I am an ambitious and driven individual. I thrive in a goal-oriented environment where I can constantly challenge myself personally and professionally. I am always looking for an opportunity to do better and grow. These characteristics have helped me achieve success in my career. For example, I was promoted three times in less than two years in my last position.
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Interview Questions To Ask Employers
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
One of the last questions a hiring manager may ask during an interview is, “Do you have any questions for me?” It can be useful to create a list of questions to ask employers at this time. Doing so may help them perceive you as a competent and interested candidate, which may help you earn a job offer.
In this article, we explain why preparing questions for your interviewer may be useful and provide 16 sample interview questions for employers, along with a sample answer for each.
Related: Top 10 Questions YOU Want To Ask In a Job Interview
Jenn explains why you should ALWAYS ask questions, how to ask them and gives you the list of top 10 questions to ask hiring managers during an interview.
How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure
What do you do when things dont go smoothly at work? How do you deal with difficult situations? The employer wants to know how you handle workplace stress.
Do you work well in high-stress situations? Do you thrive on pressure, or would you prefer a more low-key job? What do you do when something goes wrong?
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Do You Prefer Hard Work Or Smart Work
Smart work on the other hand, means doing the work efficiently. If you manage to get the job done in 2 hours instead of 5, with the same end-result, youre doing smart work.
Keep in mind, though, that by asking this question, the interviewer is looking to understand what your work ethic is like. Meaning, theyre looking for a healthy combination of both, not just one.
That is, they want you to be the candidate who not only thinks smartly but works hard as well.
So, your answer here shouldnt be one-sided…
Oh, I looove smart work. Thats when you come up with what to do, and make other people do it, right?
Instead, explain how you excel at both:
I dont particularly have a preference – I believe that both hard and smart work is important to get the best results.
Smart work, on one hand, lets you figure out the best and most efficient way to get things done.
Hard work, on the other hand, means that youll do the job right. Even if theres no way to do it smart or efficiently, youll be willing to put in long hours of work to get it done.
Im the type that does both.
For an example of smart for, during my time at , I was in charge of the sales department. As a process improvement initiative, I migrated from an outdated, in-house CRM, to Pipedrive. This improved the departments productivity by around 20%.
What Do You Enjoy About Your Job
Everybody loves to talk about themselves and this question enables you to build up a sense of camaraderie with your interviewer. This question requires a personal response, so you could learn a lot from their answer.
You’ll get an insider’s view of the company culture and working environment and you may even get to discover how your interviewer got their start in the business and how they progressed.
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Top Questions To Ask An Interviewee
Posted March 24th, 2022
When conducting interviews to fill critical job vacancies its important to ask the right questions of the interviewee and reveal the best answers ensuring a more informed hiring decision.
These 25 interview questions for interviewees will help the interviewer get to know a candidate better before making a decision to bring them aboard their company.
Can You Tell Me About A Time When You Had A Disagreement With A Boss Or Colleague And How You Handled The Situation
This is one of the best questions to ask an interviewee because youll get a sense of their conflict resolution abilities. What tone does the person use when talking about the other people involved? Were they able to handle the situation described appropriately? Did they find common ground? Emotional intelligence is keenly needed in almost every job.
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Final Tips For Your Job Interview
The bottom line for career advancement success is this:
If you can determine their pain points and how you can solve them Grant even suggests offering a solution in your follow-up thank-you letter you can show your value and obtain that job offer.
Kathleen Palmer is an award-winning journalist and writer.
Alternatives To Classic Interview Questions
‘What are your weaknesses?, What motivates you to succeed?, Where do you see yourself in five years time? are the standard tried-and-tested questions that crop up in nearly every job interview.
The problem with these questions is that your candidates will have likely heard them a hundred times.
Resulting in the same tired answers that have either been rehearsed meticulously or copied from the internet.
The catch 22 is that these questions are classics for good reason.
As an employer, you need to know the info that these questions should illicit e.g. where your potential employee sees themselves in five years, and whether their weaknesses are likely to affect their performance in your job etc.
We have some examples of good job interview questions to ask candidates below.
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What Are Your Salary Requirements
This is always a tricky question. You dont want to lowball yourself, but at the same time, you dont want to be told No because you gave such an outrageous number.
When answering, keep these 3 things in mind:
- Whats the average salary for someone of your skill-level?
- How much does the company pay employees of your skill level? GlassDoor should be super helpful here.
- Finally, how much are you getting paid in your current company? In most cases, you can probably negotiate a pay bump from what youre currently getting.
The final number you tell them should incorporate all 3 of the points we just mentioned. Do you know for a fact that the company is doing well ? Youd quote a higher salary.
Is your skill-level above average? This should be reflected in your salary.
As a rule of thumb, you can figure out 2 numbers: whats the good scenario, and whats the best scenario?
Answer the interviewer with your best pay, and worst case scenario, theyll negotiate it down.
Or, you can also answer with a range, and chances are, theyll pick the number somewhere in the middle.
My salary requirement is in the $30,000 – $40,000 range annually.
Why Have Questions Ready To Ask During An Interview
Asking questions about the company is a great way to demonstrate your ability to bring a thoughtful attitude and perceptive skills to your role. It can also give you insight into the company culture and confirm that you did your research and are truly interested in working for them. Consider preparing a list of possible questions before the interview, then choosing a few relevant to the discussion and using them as starting points to learn more about the position.
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How To Make The Best Impression
Remember that, in your job interview, you will be evaluated not only upon your response to questions, but also upon how well you listen to your interviewers. Pay careful attention to them as they speak, without interrupting, especially when they describe the culture of their organization and their expectations for whomever they hire.
Its also a good idea to take brief notes during your meeting. Use these immediately afterwards to craft a thank you note for the interview to express your gratitude, reaffirm your interest in the position, and touch upon any points you forgot to make during the interview.
Where Do You Think The Company Is Headed In The Next Five Years
The response you receive will give you an insight into the company’s progression plans and its place in the market, while giving you a general idea about job security. You may also get a heads-up on any major upcoming projects.
Asking about future plans shows a real interest in the organisation and reiterates your commitment to the company.
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What Are Your Greatest Strengths To A Company
The ability of a candidate to talk about their strengths and still maintain their humility is a strong indicator of a winning personality.
This also gives the interviewee a chance to explain and align their strengths with the position they are interviewing for demonstrating attributes that will contribute to the companys goals.
Smart Questions To Ask About The Team
The people you work with day in and day out can really make or break your work life. Ask some questions to uncover whether its the right team for you.
- Can you tell me about the team Ill be working with?
- Who will I work with most closely?
- Who will I report to directly?
- Can you tell me about my direct reports?
- What are the teams biggest strengths and challenges?
- Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
- Which other departments work most closely with this one and how?
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What Would Your First Few Months Look Like In This Role
Your potential future boss wants to know that youve done your research, given some thought to how youd get started, and would be able to take initiative if hired. So think about what information and aspects of the company and team youd need to familiarize yourself with and which colleagues youd want to sit down and talk to. You can also suggest one possible starter project to show youd be ready to hit the ground running and contribute early on. This wont necessarily be the thing you do first if you do get the job, but a good answer shows that youre thoughtful and that you care.
What The Employer Wants To Know
This is probably the most common interview question. Its often the first to be asked and, because its an open question, its a tough one to answer.
An employer will have developed an impression of you from your CV and cover letter. Your answer to this question quickly helps them determine the accuracy of that impression. It also gives them an opportunity to observe your levels of confidence and composure, through your voice and body language.
What I generally look for is someone who is at ease with themselves, says Claude Littner, business leader and star of The Apprentice. Littner believes if youre calm and confident at the interview, youll probably be a good person to work with.
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Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job
Let’s start with what you shouldn’t say .
Don’t talk about how your boss is difficult. Don’t talk about how you can’t get along with other employees. Don’t bad-mouth your company.
Instead, focus on the positives a move will bring. Talk about what you want to achieve. Talk about what you want to learn. Talk about ways you want to grow, about things you want to accomplish explain how a move will be great for you and for your new company.
Complaining about your current employer is a little like people who gossip: If you’re willing to speak badly of someone else, you’ll probably do the same to me. An experienced interviewer will push to get a real answer by asking this follow-up question: How is your current employer not satisfying these needs?
