What Is Your Leadership Style
This is a tough question to answer without dipping into platitudes. Try sharing leadership examples instead. Say, “The best way for me to answer that is to give you a few examples of leadership challenges I’ve faced,” and then share situations where you dealt with a problem, motivated a team, worked through a crisis. Explain what you did and that will give the interviewer a great sense of how you lead.
And, of course, it lets you highlight a few of your successes.
You Disagree With The Way Your Manager And Supervisor Say To Handle A Problem What Would You Do
Why employers ask this: Employers want to find out how you handle confrontation, Shepard explains. Are you someone who is argumentative, or do you stay silent? Or perhaps you are someone who calmly states your case and offers alternatives in a constructive way, accepting that not everyone will agree with your point of view.
How to respond well: This type of behavioural question is best answered using an example, Shepard says. He recommends working through the example like this: This was a time I didnt agree with my boss, this is how I handled it, this was the outcome and this is what I learned. Of course, its best to pick an example where the disagreement was resolved well.
Its natural to be nervous in the lead up to an interview, but preparing your answers to these common questions can help you to feel more confident and at ease, and ready to show what you can bring to the role.
Why Do You Want This Job
This is a common interview question, so it is a good idea to prepare your answer ahead of time. With this question, the employer wants to know why you think this job is a match for your career objectives.When answering this question, you want to show that you have researched the company, and prove that you are a good fit for the job.Make sure you know some basic information about both the company and the job. This way, when you answer the question, you can mention specific aspects of the company and position that appeal to you. Also, be specific about what makes you a good fit for this role. In your answer, highlight a few of your abilities that qualify you for the job.
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What Makes You The Right Candidate For This Position
Some job seekers can stumble on a tough interview question like this because it walks a fine line between being proud of your accomplishments and bragging. The best way to differentiate the two is in your delivery.
If you make it seem like you saved your former employer from financial ruin because of an initiative that you single-handedly implemented, then youre bragging. However, if you back up the specific reasons why your work experiences, education, and skill set align with what theyre looking for , then youll have a great chance at getting the position.
Consider an answer like this: Because of my background with publishing and my certification, I know that I could complete the tasks required of the job with excellence. In my previous role I performed similar tasks that wound up increasing our readership by 40%.
Why Do You Think You Can Help This Company Grow
How to Answer: Beyond perusing your prospective employers website, think about how you, specifically, can contribute to their mission.
Example: Because of my experience being on the journalism side, I can help this company grow its public relations efforts because I know how to communicate with reporters.
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Questions About Your Work History
The meat of any job interview is your track record at work: what you accomplished, how you succeeded or failed , and how you behaved in real time in actual work environments. If you prep a few versatile stories to tell about your work history and practice answering behavioral interview questions, youll be ready to go.
How To Answer Questions About Team Collaboration
When employers ask interview questions about your teamwork skills and ability to collaborate with others, they often look for examples of how you succeeded in past roles, how you helped your team succeed, and how you completed independent tasks to contribute to larger team projects. When answering questions about team collaboration, it’s important to highlight the skills that make you the best fit for the role.
Consider the following approaches to answering questions about collaboration:
Read more:How To Use the STAR Interview Response Technique
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Give An Example Of A Challenge You Had To Overcome
This interview question is a tough one and also a disliked one amongst those who find it difficult to think of the different challenges and professional hiccups they have had. Dont forget that this doesnt have to be a solitary challenge, as you might have completed it in a group or achieved the goal as a team. When you give your example, include the skills and necessary measures you took to ensure that the goal was reached and the challenge was overcome. Ideally, pick a challenge that would be relevant to the job youre interviewing for and make sure you follow the STAR format.
For more interview advice, read our blog for professional career advice such as how to calm nerves before a job interview or how to dress for a job interview. If you havent quite got to the interview stage of the job application process and youre still writing your resume, check out our resume builder and how easy it can really be to write a resume.
How To Answer Ten Common Interview Questions
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Almost every job-seeker has found themselves stumbling over one of the standard job interview questions at some point. That’s okay! We stumble over common interview questions because we haven’t had the chance to think through our answers in advance.
You don’t have to memorize your answers to common interview questions like the ten listed below.
Watch on Forbes:
The specific words you choose to answer the question aren’t important. What’s important is your mindset.
What’s the most healthy, appropriate and effective mindset for any job interview? It’s this: the mindset that you’re happy to be in the interview conversation but you aren’t desperate to get the job.
You are confident, instead confident that if this is the right job for you, you will know it and the interviewer will know it, too.
You have no one to please or impress at a job interview. They are checking you out, and you are checking them out too! If they don’t like your brand of jazz, they can hire someone else. You don’t have to contort yourself into pretzel shapes to try to make them like you.
As you read through these questions and sample answers, picture yourself sitting in the interview room feeling strong and contented with yourself. Keep in mind that the right manager for you will see your talents and intelligence right away.
If they can’t see those things on their own, do you really want to talk them into hiring you?
Sample Answers For The Ten Most Common Interview Questions
End of Script
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Tell Me About A Time When You Disagreed With A Coworker How Did You Handle It
How to Answer: Be ready to have anecdotes about your experiences for these kinds of situational interview questions. They dont have to be about the most interesting days youve had at work instead, think of situations that have highlighted the fact that youre mature and capable of working with a variety of people, even if you dont always see eye-to-eye.
Example: A previous colleague and I disagreed over how to handle a clients social media campaign. So instead of choosing their idea or mine, we agreed to A/B test both ideas to see which would resonate more with the clients demographic. Ultimately, both campaigns worked out well.
How Did You Learn About The Opening
Job boards, general postings, online listings, job fairs — most people find their first few jobs that way, so that’s certainly not a red flag.
But a candidate who continues to find each successive job from general postings probably hasn’t figured out what he or she wants to do — and where he or she would like to do it.
He or she is just looking for a job often, any job.
So don’t just explain how you heard about the opening. Show that you heard about the job through a colleague, a current employer, by following the company–show that you know about the job because you want to work there.
Employers don’t want to hire people who just want a job they want to hire people who want a job with their company.
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What Do You Expect Me To Accomplish In The First 90 Days
If you weren’t asked this question, ask it yourself. Why? Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don’t want to spend weeks or months “getting to know the organization.” They don’t want to spend huge chunks of time in orientation, in training, or in the futile pursuit of getting their feet wet.
They want to make a difference — and they want to make that difference right now.
Question: How Do You Explain Your Gap In Employment
Ive dedicated a whole article to this topic . The bottom line is you should make sure to paint a picture that you were productive, improving yourself, helping family, or something constructive.
Hiring managers dont want to hear that you felt it was time for a long-awaited break from the rat-race. Or time to recharge your batteries. The first thought that will pop into their heads: When is your next break coming? Probably in the middle of a big project were working on.
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Why Are You Leaving Your Current Position
This is valuable information for employers to understand. It helps them ensure the opening will be a better fit, make sure they can provide for what your previous employer did not or see if you might have contributed to a negative experience for both you and the employer. Answer this question honestly, but refrain from providing too much personal or negative detail.
Example:While I highly valued my time at my previous company, there are no longer many opportunities for growth that align with my career goals. This position aligns perfectly with my skill set and how Im looking to advance my career.
‘how Would You Describe Yourself In Three Words’
Although this is a common interview question, many candidates fall into the trap of giving a cliché answer like driven, team-player, results-oriented, innovative, problem-solver.
Here is your chance to give solid proof of why you are any of the above things. Andrew Pullman, head of HR at Dresdner Bank said: think of something edgy maybe something about how you push yourself and the people around you beyond whats expected. Saying youre detail-oriented is also good, but follow it up with specific examples.
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Tell Me About Your Strengths
This should be the easiest question to prepare for. Identify two or three of your best attributes and give concrete examples of those strengths, articulating how they led to the professional success you achieved.
Be sure to close the loop and articulate how they are relevant to the job youre interviewing for.
Why Are You The Right Fit To Succeed In This Role
You should use the interview as an opportunity to say something interesting about your skills and experiences that relate back to the role at hand. Remember that interviewers will be looking for you to demonstrate key skills that match the job and behaviour that align with the organisation’s culture, so prepare examples in advance that you can call on when required.
Examples of the key attributes employers look for include:
- Project management skills
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What Are Your Hobbies And Interests
Continuing our series of common interview questions and answers, next we look at ‘what are your hobbies’ example answers. When put on the spot, selecting your hobbies and interests that are simultaneously work-appropriate and not too vague can present a real challenge – especially under time pressure.
We dive into why employers ask the question, the difference between hobbies and interests, loads of example answers and what to avoid when answering!
How to answer what are your hobbies and interests
What Do You Look For In A Boss
When an interviewer asks this question, theyâre probably trying to gauge how youâll fit in with the company culture and current leaders. The best path? Be honest without getting too specific you never know what type of leaders youâll be working with. Stick with traits that are universally positive such as fairness, good listener, capable, intelligent, etc. Most managers like to think they embody these traits, so thereâs no risk of alienating your potential boss.
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What Attracted You To Our Company
This is your opportunity to demonstrate that youve done your research. Prior to the interview, read up on everything you can about the company from their own website, social media channels and other news articles and forums.
Identify what stands out about the companys mission and values, and how that resonates with your own desired career path and personal values.
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How Do You Ensure Effective Team Communication
Effective communication and active listening are essential skills in the workplace. Employers may ask this question to understand how you discuss important information with team members, gather input, and provide feedback. Use examples from prior experiences that showcase your ability to contribute to collaboration sessions, listen to others’ ideas, and give feedback.
Example:âWhen collaborating with my team, we discuss all aspects of a project to establish team roles and encourage open communication when completing tasks. I also support my team’s communication by encouraging honest feedback and considering diverse perspectives. By setting objectives that support active listening and sharing ideas, my team can better approach important projects successfully.â
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+ Interview Questions And Answers
The time has come!
After creating a killer resume and cover letter and passing the first round, it is time to face the final challenge:
Your job interview.
And that scares even to the best of us.
Being judged and evaluated by people who have your future in their hands is more anxiety-inducing than meeting the in-laws.
Youve heard the interviewers and hiring managers say there are no right or wrong answers to calm you down before an interview.
But heres the thing:
They are almost always looking for a specific way of answering.
Which brings us to this guide. Were going to cover the most common interview questions and answers, turning you into a bona fide interview expert by the time youre done reading.
So, lets get started!
To make this guide as practical as possible, we covered just about every interview question out there.
Dont let that put you off, though. You dont have to read the whole thing end-to-end. To get the most out of the guide, wed recommend:
Most Common Interview Questions:
Behavioral Questions in an Interview:
Take Your Time And Ask For Clarification If Needed
This is one of the most under-utilized ways to answer interview questions
And its dead simple:
Take a breath, relax and really think before answering. You cant take something back after you say it, so dont rush yourself.
And if youre not sure you understood the question, ask for clarification.
You can say things like:
- Are you hoping for a specific example? I just want to make sure I understand the question.
- Do you only want to hear about my hands-on experience? Ive done this directly, but Ive also led small project teams for this.
And you can ask for feedback at the end of your answers too, for example:
- Did that answer your question, or did you want more detail?
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Why Should We Hire You Over Another Candidate
How to Answer: You dont know what another candidate will bring to the table, but you do know what you have to offer. Describe your most important qualities as a worker and what sets you apart in terms of how you work and what you produce. Back up these qualities with examples to demonstrate why youre the best person for the role.
Example: My unique experience in will prove beneficial. I can bring a fresh perspective to the table.
