Friday, March 22, 2024

How To Answer The Most Common Interview Questions

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So Explain Why I Should Hire You

How to answer the Top 10 Most Common Interview Questions

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 description. It’s also good to avoid taking potshots at other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your talents, not other people’s flaws.

What Was Your Biggest Accomplishment In This Position

What They Want to Know: What are you proudest of? Was there a time something didn’t work out, but you were able to learn from it? Let the hiring manager know what you achieved, again sharing examples from your most recent job.

Im most proud of having convinced our CEO to implement an internal training and promotion program that allowed our personnel to steadily advance within our organization.

More Answers: Interview Questions: What Were Your Biggest Successes and Failures?

Do You Have Any Serious Medical Conditions

When asking this question, the interviewer wants to learn if you have any medical conditions that could impair your ability to do the job correctly.

In most cases, youre not obliged to give an answer. If you do have a health condition, and it doesnt have anything to do with your career, you can simply choose not to answer, or to say No.

However, you might want to disclose anything that could potentially have an impact on how you perform.

For example, if the job requires you to lift heavy boxes, for example, and youre not able to do so because of a condition, you should let the HR manager know.

Possible answers:

I dont have any serious medical conditions

Im unable to lift heavy objects because of issues with my back, but it wont have any impact on how I perform at an office job

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How Do You Handle Success/failure

For employers, its important that you not only know how to celebrate successes but that you can also overcome failure. Indeed, your ability to maintain a positive outlook regarding your work is a definitive attribute to possess.

Think about a few instances from the past and provide a case for each. When talking about success, make sure to give credit to everyone who was involved in the process. As for your failures, make sure to talk about what you gained from the situation, and explain how you would have acted differently now. All in all, your answer should convey your self-awareness and humility through your examples.

Tell Me About A Challenge Or Conflict Youve Faced At Work And How You Dealt With It

10 of the most common interview questions

Youre probably not eager to talk about conflicts youve had at work during a job interview. But if youre asked directly, dont pretend youve never had one. Be honest about a difficult situation youve faced . Most people who ask are only looking for evidence that youre willing to face these kinds of issues head-on and make a sincere attempt at coming to a resolution, former recruiter Richard Moy says. Stay calm and professional as you tell the story , spend more time talking about the resolution than the conflict, and mention what youd do differently next time to show youre open to learning from tough experiences.

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What To Ask During A Job Interview

It’s your turn! As your job interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is, “What can I answer for you?” Your interviewer will expect for you to have some questions.

Not asking any questions could make you seem unprepared or disinterested, so take the time to have some questions of your own ready to ask the hiring manager.

Plan ahead and have interview questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer.

You aren’t simply trying to get this jobyou are also interviewing the employer to assess whether this company and the position are a good fit for you.

Why Should We Hire You Common Interview Questions

For this question, you need to answer in a way that shows a benefit for both yourself and your potential employer. You need to make it clear that youre the best person for the job, and you can only do this if you provide examples. Think about what is required for the position youre trying to fill, then tailor your answer to that. Here are a few examples of key qualities that might convince the interviewer that youre the best person for the job:

You are able to work in a fast-changing environment that requires enthusiasm You can make a positive impact on profit and can deliver under all kinds of conditions You are loyal and hard-working, and can inspire those around you to be at the top of their game in the workplace.

Also Check: How To Deal With Conflict Interview Question

Other Potential Questions Could Include

Why did you leave your previous position?

Right answer: Avoid the temptation to criticise your employer. Stay positive, but try not to lie. Always avoid saying that youre simply looking for a new challenge if you cant back it up, because the recruiter will dig deeper. If all else fails, explaining that there were no opportunities for career progression sounds a lot better.

Why is there a gap in your work history?

Right answer: Wherever possible, be honest. If it was for personal reasons, then say that. Otherwise, something along the lines of taking a break whilst looking for a new career direction should be enough to move the interview along.

Why did you apply for this position?

Right answer: Very similar answer to why you want the job, but focus more heavily on why the position and company excite you, rather than why you should excite them. Demonstrate what you know about the company .

Whats your dream job?

Right answer: You can be relatively honest here, but use your common sense. Because its unlikely anyone one grew up dreaming of the day theyd become a Transaction Banking Systems Migration Specialist.

What Motivates You At Work

How to answer the ten most common interview questions

Number 13 of our guide to the most common job interview questions and how to answer them ‘what motivates you at work?’ This will often catch graduates off-guard so it’s important to make sure you are fully prepared to answer it.

Want to boost your employability and increase your chances of job interview success? Find out the best way to answer this interview question, example answers as well as what to avoid when answering…

How to answer what motivates you at work?

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Do You Consider Yourself Successful

This question might make you uncomfortable. But you can think of it as an opportunity to allow the interviewer to get to know you better and to position yourself as an excellent choice for this job. First off, make sure you say yes! Then pick one specific professional achievement youre proud of that can be tied back to the role youre interviewing forone that demonstrates a quality, skill, or experience that would help you excel in this position. Youll want to explain why you consider it a success, talk about the process in addition to the outcome, and highlight your own accomplishment without forgetting your team. Zooming in on one story will help if you feel awkward tooting your own horn!

Bring The Right Things

It’s important to know what to bring to a job interview a portfolio with extra copies of your resume, a list of references, and questions you have for the interviewer. Be sure you have everything you need ready to go. If youre job searching in earnest, its a good idea to prepare a bag with all your materials so that you can be ready to interview whenever an opportunity arises.

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What Is Your Greatest Professional Achievement

Nothing says hire me better than a track record of achieving amazing results in past jobs, so dont be shy when answering this interview question! A great way to do so is by using the STAR method: situation, task, action, results. Set up the situation and the task that you were required to complete to provide the interviewer with background context , then describe what you did and what you achieved : In one month, I streamlined the process, which saved my group 10 person-hours each month and reduced errors on invoices by 25%.

Read More:The Perfect Formula for Answering What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment in an Interview

What Relevant Experience Do You Have

infographic : How to answer the 5 most common interview ...

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.

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Describe Yourself In 3 Words

Attempting to describe your personality in a graduate job interview can be tricky – and this is especially true when you’re limited to just a few words.

What’s the best approach to this common job interview question? Choose from our list of words to describe yourself in an interview, you’ll want to select the words that describe your working style, personality and priorities in the very best light!

How to answer describe yourself in 3 words

Can You Tell Me About A Difficult Work Situation And How You Overcame It

This question is often used to assess how well you perform under pressure as well as your problem-solving abilities. Keep in mind stories are more memorable than facts and figures, so strive to show instead of tell. This is also an excellent opportunity to show your human side and how when faced with adversity you are able to persevere.

For this question, consider sticking to the STAR method:

  • Situation
  • Action
  • Result or learning

Example answer:It was the first day of my bosss two-week vacation and our agencys highest-paying client threatened to leave because he didnt feel he was getting the personalized service he was promised. I spent my lunch hour on the phone with him talking through his concerns. We even brainstormed ideas for his next campaign. He was so grateful for the personal attention that he signed another six-month contract before my boss even returned from her trip.

Related: Interview Question: “What Is the Biggest Challenge You’ve Faced In Work?”

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What Were Your Responsibilities When You Worked At

A good candidate is able to talk in detail about their responsibilities. These should match up to what is expected for the job and even exceed it. The responsibilities should also match what they’ll need to perform the job they’re applying for.

Red flags: Candidates who are vague about what their responsibilities were, who didn’t have the responsibilities that normally come with the job, or didn’t have ones relevant to the job they’re applying for.

How Would You Improve Our Product/service

The Powerful Formula to Answer the Most Common Interview Questions (Story Toolbox)

Your knowledge and understanding of what the company does will prove invaluable. Don’t be too critical of the product or service – you want to work there after all – but at the same, don’t say you wouldn’t change anything. The interviewer wants to hear some ideas.

Try to come up with one or two things that you think could be improved. The key is to offer an explanation of how and why you’d make these changes. Make sure you focus on relevant areas that you would have some responsibility for if you got the job.

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What Are Your Biggest Strengths

I’m not sure why interviewers ask this question your resume and experience should make your strengths readily apparent.

Even so, if you’re asked, provide a sharp, on-point answer. Be clear and precise. If you’re a great problem solver, don’t just say that: Provide a few examples, pertinent to the opening, that prove you’re a great problem solver. If you’re an emotionally intelligent leader, don’t just say that: Provide a few examples that prove you know how to answer the unasked question.

In short, don’t just claim to have certain attributes — prove you have those attributes.

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.

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Q: Are You Happy With Your Career

A: This question is really about your self-esteem, confidence and career aspirations. The answer must be ‘yes’, followed by a brief explanation as to what it is about your career so far that’s made you happy. If you have hit a career plateau, or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must qualify your answer.

What Is Your Salary Range Expectation

23 Most Common Interview Questions with Answers

Interviewers ask this question to make sure your expectations are in line with the amount theyve budgeted for the role. If you give a salary range exceedingly lower or higher than the market value of the position, it gives the impression that you dont know your worth. Here are three ways to approach this response:

Provide a range

Research the typical compensation range for the role on Indeed Salaries and make the low end of your range your lowest acceptable salary. For example, if you require at least $50,000 annually, you might offer the interviewer a range of $50,000-$60,000 per year. Let the hiring manager know if youre flexible.

Example answer:My salary expectation is between $XX,XXX and $XX,XXX, which is the average salary for a candidate with my level of experience in this city. However, I am flexible and willing to discuss.

Include negotiation options

There may be other benefits, perks or forms of compensation you find just as valuable as your salary.

Example answer:I am seeking a position that pays between $75,000 and $80,000 annually, but I am open to negotiate salary depending on benefits, bonuses, equity, stock options and other opportunities.

Deflect the question

If youre early in the hiring process and still learning the specifics of the job duties and expectations, you may want to deflect the question for later in the conversation.

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How Many Pennies If Stacked On Top Of Each Other Would Equal The Height Of The Empire State Building

Employers may ask questions like this to understand your thought processes. They want to gauge whether you can think analytically, deal with ambiguity and communicate clearly. It is completely appropriate and even encouraged to ask for a few minutes to gather your thoughts. Even if your answer seems silly or wrong, employers are simply looking for an answer with logical support. It is also appropriate to ask follow-up questions for more information or context, though they may or may not provide the answer.

Example:Start by breaking down a solution based on related information you might already know. What is the approximate height of the Empire State Building? You can probably deduce that 500 feet is too short and 5,000 feet is too tall. Lets say you guess roughly 1,500 feet. From there, consider the thickness of a penny. To do this, you might think about how many stacked pennies equal one inch. Lets say 15. Next, since you know there are 12 inches in a foot and youve estimated the buildings height at 1500 feet, you multiply to get an approximate answer of 270,000 pennies to equal the height of the Empire State Building.

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

Also Check: How To Perform Well In A Job Interview

What Are Your Weaknesses Common Interview Questions

This is the polar opposite to the previous question. This one requires you to think carefully about what weaknesses you do possess, but wouldnt impact your ability to work well in the role youre applying. Whatever you do, do not say that you dont have any weaknesses. Everyone has a weakness of some kind, so if you claim not to have any your interviewer will think youre lying or simply naïve.

For this question, try to give one example of a weakness, but within it reveal or reiterate your strengths. Also, make sure that your weakness is not one which would stop you from doing the job well. If your job involves working with people, dont say that you struggle to work with people.

Example: I often find it hard to delegate work to others. This is because Im a perfectionist and sometimes dont trust people to handle things for me. This feedback was given to me by my colleagues, and so I made attempts to change my approach which improved morale in my workplace.

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