Monday, March 25, 2024

How To Answer Job Interview

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Whats Your Biggest Weakness

English Job Interview Tips and Tricks – How to Answer Job Interview Questions in English

Employers may ask about your weaknesses to see if you have a sense of self-awareness and how youre working to improve.

Example:One weakness Ive been working on is my ability to provide constructive criticism. I understand how providing feedback on work or projects that could have been handled better is extremely valuable. To improve on this, Im writing down my feedback before I approach my colleagues. This helps me to plan out my answer, give the best criticism possible and be less nervous.

Related: 7 Tricky Interview Questions With Example Answers

How Do You Handle Conflict At Work

Employers ask this question to gauge how you interact with various stakeholders or colleagues of differing opinions. Often, being the right person for the job involves more than just hard skills, hiring managers also value candidates who can collaborate with others and approach conflict in a productive way.

A good answer will discuss a time you encountered a conflict with a colleague, client or manager and maintained the patience to resolve it. Its important to relay what you learnedhow you grew personally and professionallyas a result of the experience. Use the STAR method to construct your response.

Example answer:I was working as a project manager on an IT project, and one technician was constantly late finishing tasks. When I approached him about it, he reacted defensively. I kept calm and acknowledged that the deadlines were challenging and asked how I could assist him in improving his performance.

He calmed down and told me that he was involved in another project where he had to do tasks that were not in his job description. After a meeting with the other project manager, we came to a resolution that alleviated the technicians workload. For the remainder of the project, the technician delivered great work.

I learned that you dont always know what others are experiencing and by keeping that in mind, I can better navigate conflict and be a more helpful and supportive colleague.

Read more: Interview Question: “How Do You Handle Conflict in the Workplace?”

Why Do You Want This Job

Don’t be tempted to answer Because I need a job!. The interviewer is looking to see if you’ll be a good fit with the company, and if you have specific goals for your career.

How to Answers:

Be specific about why youre a great fit for the role.

Mention aspects of the company that appeal to you along with your short and long term goals. Reiterate your commitment to the hiring manager prior to finishing the interview.

Example Answer:

“I know the company’s mission and growth-oriented mindset are in line with my values. Both get me excited about work and what the future holds which is why I would love to be part of the team.

Also Check: Design Interview Preparation

How Do You Deal With Pressure Or Stressful Situations

Heres another question you may feel the urge to sidestep in an effort to prove youre the perfect candidate who can handle anything. But its important not to dismiss this one . Instead, talk about your go-to strategies for dealing with stress and how you communicate and otherwise proactively try to mitigate pressure. If you can give a real example of a stressful situation you navigated successfully, all the better.

Top 10 Interview Questions And Best Answers

Common Question In Job Interview And How To Answer It ...

Review these most frequently asked interview questions and sample answers, and then prepare your responses based on your experience, skills, and interests. Remember that its less about providing the right answers and more about demonstrating that youre the best candidate for the job.

1. Tell Me About Yourself Best Answers

This is one of the first questions you are likely to be asked. Be prepared to talk about yourself, and why you’re an ideal candidate for the position. The interviewer wants to know why you’re an excellent fit for the job.

Try to answer questions about yourself without giving too much, or too little, personal information. You can start by sharing some of your personal interests and experiences that don’t relate directly to work, such as a favorite hobby or a brief account of where you grew up, your education, and what motivates you.

You can even and showcase your personality to make the interview a little more interesting.

2. Why Are You the Best Person for the Job? Best Answers

Are you the best candidate for the job? The hiring manager wants to know whether you have all the required qualifications. Be prepared to explain why you’re the applicant who should be hired.

3. Why Do You Want This Job? Best Answers

Be specific about what makes you a good fit for this role, and mention aspects of the company and position that appeal to you most.

4. How Has Your Experience Prepared You for This Role?Best Answers

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Whats Something Positive Your Boss Would Say About You

This is one of those behavioral interview questions which can be tricky to understand exactly what they’re looking for.

Just saying that your boss approves of your work isn’t enough. The interviewer is looking to see what kind of relationships youve built with the management team, and get an impression about how you may fit in with their team.

How to Answer:

This is a great time to brag about yourself with someone else’s words. Start with My boss has told me that… so that it’s clear you understand the question.

Stay humble and refrain from sounding arrogant.

Example Answers:

My boss has mentioned that my attention to detail and thoroughness cant be matched.

She said the last campaign we ran together produced amazing results because of my effort and ability to thoroughly run it from start to finish…

My boss mentioned that she’s gotten a lot of compliments about my customer service from customers.

Getting Past Tough Interview Questions And Acing The Interview

Theres no way around it, youll have to answer hard interview questions, but your goal should be to always be prepared for them. That way, youll know how to answer any interview question easily and deftlyand get the job. .

If you’re looking to practice your interview skills, FlexJobs can help. Our in-house expert career coaches can conduct mock interviews that will help you gain confidence. Learn more about these and other benefits of membership today!

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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?

Can You Explain Why You Changed Career Paths

Interview Questions and Answers! (How to PASS a JOB INTERVIEW!)

Dont be thrown off by this questionjust take a deep breath and explain to the hiring manager why youve made the career decisions you have. More importantly, give a few examples of how your past experience is transferable to the new role. This doesnt have to be a direct connection in fact, its often more impressive when a candidate can show how seemingly irrelevant experience is very relevant to the role.

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What Is Your Desired Work Location

Of course, if youre looking for a flexible job, your desired work location might be your home office. But some flexible jobs might require you to come into the workplace on occasion or even travel.

While you can say that youre flexible when it comes to your desired work location, you can also add you would be amenable to working remotely, too. Try saying this: Im open and flexible to the location of this role, and Im definitely interested in working remotely if the job allows it.

Prepare For The Interview

You don’t need to memorize an answer, but do take the time to consider how you’ll respond. The more you prepare, the more confident you’ll feel during a job interview.

When you’re not sure what to expect during an interview, also take time to review this refresher on how job interviews work, and these tips on how to prepare to ace your job interview.

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When Were You Most Satisfied In Your Job

The interviewer who asks, “When were you most satisfied in your job?” wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences. “I was very satisfied in my last job, because I worked directly with the customers and their problems that is an important part of the job for me.”

How To Answer: What Are Your Strengths And Weaknesses

Interview Questions and Answers to Prepare You for a Job ...

In most job interviews, candidates will be asked to describe their strengths and weaknesses. In preparation for an interview, candidates should consider how best to answer this question so that the information is useful to employers while not damaging your chances of being hired.

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Read Also: Best System Design Interview Prep

Show How You’ll Surmount The Challenge

If possible, you should also discuss how you might get yourself up to speed in the least amount of time. For example, you might take a course, complete online training, or take seminars. Mention a fundamental strength you possess that would help you overcome the challenge. You could say that you’ve always been a quick learner.

Question: What Is Your Current Salary

This question is illegal for an employer to ask in many locations in the USA .

In addition, asking for your current salary is inappropriate because that salary is being paid by a different employer for a different job in a different environment .

If this question is legal in the employers location, and even if it is not legal, be prepared to answer. You can probably dodge the question for a while by offering your salary expectations for the job and/or asking for the typical salary band for this role in their company.

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Practice Your Answer Before The Interview

As a final tip make sure you go practice everything you plan on saying when the interviewer asks, what can you tell me about yourself?

Nothing comes out perfect the first time, and you dont want to appear nervous and stumble when they ask.

So Id recommend grabbing a piece of paper and writing down the key points you want to talk about in your answer. I like to write them in bullet format.

Then, use your smartphones voice recorder app to record a few practice answers and see how you sound.

Dont look at your notes as you give your answer. The idea is to try to remember what you want to talk about without reading off the paper. Then glance at the paper AFTER to make sure you covered everything.

Keep practicing until you can give a smooth answer without forgetting anything important.

Note: If youre having a phone interview, you can use notes/bullet points to help guide you through your answer. Nobody can see you on the phone, so take advantage!

Example Answer Template If Unemployed:

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” Interview Question – 5 Key Tips and Example Response

In my most recent position at XYZ Company, I specialized in doing ___. The reason I applied for this job is I saw ___ on the job description and I think I would be able to help you ___ and ___. One of my key accomplishments in my last role for XYZ Company was helping them ___, and Im confident I can help your team get similar results here.

Read Also: Interview Questions For A Cfo

How Do You Answer Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years Medical Assistant

  • Make sure your long-term goals are tied to your current position within the company
  • Your enthusiasm for the company and position should be shown.
  • Your response should be general rather than specific, so that you do not give a specific role or task.
  • Make sure to emphasize your commitment to the company
  • Example.
  • Question: Why Should We Hire You

    This is clearly a differentiation question. What you want to tell them is: theyd be crazy not to they hire you.

    Focus on them: You need to only share how you meet almost all the criteria they seek, and also have two to three additional abilities that they might not even know they needyet. They need to know you are a candidate who can not only meet their needs now, but will also be valuable for where they want to go in the future.

    • Are they likely to need another skill set as they grow as a company?
    • Or maybe you have skills that you noticed are in another job description they are looking to fill?

    You can help out with those deliverables until they find someone .

    Have you been down a path already that they are currently starting? Having lessons learned to offer them is a very strong plus for a job candidate.

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    Learn To Think On Your Feet

    Interviewers sometimes ask tough question to test how well you perform under pressure. Questions like, “Tell me about your biggest failure as a project manager” or, “Have you ever had to work through a crisis? How well did you cope?”

    They might also throw you a “curve ball” question. Favorites include, “If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?” or “How many pennies would it take to make a pile as big as the Empire State Building?” These types of questions demand some creative thinking on your part, as well as a good sense of humor!

    Thinking on your feet will help you to navigate tricky questions like these. This means remaining calm and cool-headed. So, before you answer a question, take a deep breath and relax. Think about your response beforehand, and don’t start speaking until you know what you want to say.

    If you’re unsure about a question, ask the interviewer to repeat it and don’t be afraid to request some extra “thinking time.” It can also be a helpful to take some notes during the interview which you can refer to when you give your response.

    If you really don’t know the answer, come clean! Don’t just make something up the interviewer will likely realize what you’re doing and it could damage your credibility. Instead, explain where you could go to find out the answer. For example, could you talk to a data analytics expert or industry specialist?

    Note:

    Think About Your Strengths And Weaknesses

    How To Answer Common Interview Questions

    Interviewers often ask about strengths and weaknesses. So, make a list of yours in advance by doing a Personal SWOT Analysis .

    Be honest about your weaknesses, but keep your comments short and positive, and focus on what you’re doing to overcome them. For example, “My biggest weakness used to be my communication skills. But I’ve been improving through self-study and practice. Now, I touch base with every team member first thing in the morning to share project updates.”

    When you talk about your strengths, focus on the ones that apply most to this role. Demonstrate how your strengths will help you to meet the organization’s needs. For example, you could say, “My strong organizational skills mean that I have a great track record of managing and delivering key projects to budget and on time.”

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    Describe A Difficult Work Situation & How You Overcame It

    This is another typical interview question. The interviewer is looking for some insight about how you problem-solve and how you handle a challenge.

    How to Answer:

    Break it down into parts, giving a detailed overview on how it was fixed, especially your role in solving the issue. Make sure to provide measurable metrics and results for the interviewer.

    Example Answer:

    We were down 5 staff members prior to a charity event we organized for our client who generates roughly 75% of our annual business. They expect a flawless evening every time we put the event on so missing 5 key staff members who had prominent roles was crucial. I ran through all options immediately after receiving the news and began coming up with another game plan. . The evening went without a hitch and the client continued doing business with us the following year…

    Why Should We Hire You Example #: Project Manager

    Well, I have all of the skills and experience that youre looking for and Im confident that I would be a superstar in this project management role. Its not just my background leading successful projects for top companies or my people skills, which have helped me develop great relationships with developers, vendors, and senior managers alike. But Im also passionate about this industry and Im driven to deliver high-quality work.

    Why We Like It:

    .

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    Tell Me About A Time You Failed

    This question is very similar to the one about making a mistake, and you should approach your answer in much the same way. Make sure you pick a real, actual failure you can speak honestly about. Start by making it clear to the interviewer how you define failure. For instance: As a manager, I consider it a failure whenever Im caught by surprise. I strive to know whats going on with my team and their work. Then situate your story in relation to that definition and explain what happened. Finally, dont forget to share what you learned. Its OK to faileveryone does sometimesbut its important to show that you took something from the experience.

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