What Are Your Greatest Weaknesses
It can feel awkward to discuss your weaknesses in an environment where youre expected to focus on your accomplishments. However, when answered correctly, sharing your weaknesses shows that you are self-aware with an interest in continued growth and learningtraits that are extremely attractive to many employers. Consider using this formula for your response:
1. Select an actual weakness that is honest but professionally relevant:”Im naturally shy…
2. Add context:”…From high school and into my early professional interactions, it sometimes prevented me from speaking up…
3. Provide a specific example:”…After being a part of a workgroup that didnt meet our strategic goals two quarters in a row, I knew I owed it to my team and myself to confidently share my ideas…
4. Explain how you overcame or are working to overcome it:”…I joined an improv acting class. Its fun and has really helped me overcome my shyness. I learned practical skills around leading discussions and sharing diverse perspectives. Now, in group settings, I always start conversations with the quieter folks. I know exactly how they feel, and people can be amazing once they start talking.
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Dont Lie Or Overshare
Whether they ask about your salary, job responsibilities or experience, always tell the truth. Getting caught lying is an instant deal breaker. Why risk it?
Along with not lying, dont overshare.
Lets say your interviewer asks you about your last place of employment. Our tendency is to give them every single detail. Instead of giving them a brief answer about your responsibilities at your last job, you tell them about the difficult people on your team and the long hours you were expected to work. When you do that, you create questions that dont need to be created.
Instead, answer the question specifically and let the interviewer ask follow-up questions if theyre needed.
During The Job Interview
You’ve done your research, you brought copies of your resume, and you’ve prepared responses for questions that might arise based on your resume. Now the time for the interview has come, and with that comes the oft-dreaded part of interviewing: the questions.
“Candidates get nervous about job interviews because there’s the potential they’ll be asked an open-ended question that will give the interviewer a secret view into who the candidate really is,” said Rich Milgram, founder and CEO of career network Nexxt. “But the real secret is that a lot of the time the interviewer doesn’t know what the right answer is either, or they’ll admit that there is no right answer, so just relax.”
Glassdoor recently compiled a list of the most asked questions to expect in an interview:
- What are your strengths?
- Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
- Why should we hire you?
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Be Your Beautiful Self
“You spend as much, if not more time with the people you work with as you do with your actual family, so you want to like them,” says Keltner de Valle. “You’re essentially entering into a relationship with this person. I would say, don’t ignore your gut reactions the opinion you form of someone the first minute of meeting them is usually pretty accurate.”
Don’t force it, either: If you’re going to click with someone when you’re actually in the job, you almost definitely will in the interview. “I think we all have a perception of what the ideal candidate is, and I think a lot people would be surprised to know that that’s not necessarily what someone’s looking for,” says Wilson. “You want someone special and unique, so I would encourage people to not try to act like they’re somebody they’re not who you are might actually be the thing that we want.”
Using The Star Method To Answer Interview Questions
Once youve got to know your CV and the role youre interviewing for, you must prepare for common interview questions.
Its all very well claiming that youre a good leader or a team player, but thats not the right way to answer an interview question in 2020.
Each time you reference one of your skills you should support it with an example to prove to the interviewer that your skills are genuine. A popular technique for illustrating your skills is the STAR method:
Situation: Give some context to the story youre about to tell, outline where you were and why you were there.
Task: Describe what you were doing and if you faced any challenges whilst doing it.
Action: Then explain the actions you took to complete the task and how you tackled any challenges you faced.
Results: Finally, reveal the outcome, this should demonstrate your skills, what you achieved and also anything you learnt from the situation.
Keep this method in mind and come up with a few go-to examples you can use in the interview. If youve done your research, you should be able to tailor these examples more specifically to the role youre applying for.
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Take Care To Answer The Questions
When interviewers ask for an example of a time when you did something, they are asking behavioral interview questions, which are designed to elicit a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don’t answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.
The 8 Questions Youll Be Asked In Nearly Every Job Interview
Preparing for job interviews can often feel like a Sisyphean task. With so many possible questions that an interviewer could ask you, how can you realistically practice answering each one? The good news is that most interviews are based on a cache of basic questions that youâre almost certain to be asked in one form or another. These are questions to determine the Ws: who you are, why youâre interviewing at the company and what you will bring to the role.
âIn the job interview, you are literally auditioning for a new role,â writesCathy Salit in the Harvard Business Review. âLike any good performer, you need to practice in advance,â she says. Use the tips here to craft your authentic response to commonly asked interview questions. Think about related questions that these answers could also be used for. Then take the time to craft a full response and rehearse saying it out loud â practice makes perfect!
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Why Did You Leave Your Old Job
Either a dreaded job interview question, a delicate one or one with a simple answer, youll almost definitely have to answer this common interview question. Whatever your situation, be sure to give things positive spin, but also be honest. Another important thing to remember is to not talk negatively about past jobs or employees.
If you were let go from your last job, theres no need to hide it or over-explain it. It happens most people were made redundant at some stage in their lives. You can say something as simple as unfortunately, I was let go. If your last company made a number of people redundant e.g. due to restructure or financial problems, mention that you dont want them to think you were the only employee who was let go, as it might make them think that it was due to low performance.
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.
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Is There Anything About This Interview Process That You Would Change
This is a question that no candidate can prepare for and it takes some by surprise .
It will give you an indication of how candidates are feeling about the process and forces them to think on their feet.
If you’re hiring for a management position it can also show you how a candidate thinks about process efficiency and illustrate the thinking style that they may apply to other areas of your business if hired.
This can also be a great way to get constructive criticism and improve your interviewing process and boost candidate experience.
What Do You Know About This Company
This interview question is a clear attempt to find out if youâve done your research. Show youâre enthusiastic about the job by researching the company before your interview. Chances are your interviewer isnât going to grill you, so it can be as simple as checking out the company website and doing a quick Google search. Bringing up recent news such as a leadership change, a big company event, or a recent product launch can earn you a gold star from your interviewer and demonstrate you know your stuff.
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Job Interview Tips: Dos And Don’ts
- Dress to impress. Make sure your clothes are clean, ironed and presentable.
- Make eye contact, and begin with a strong handshake. This will signal your confidence when you meet your interviewer for the first time.
- Sit still, with your feet firmly on the ground. This will help you maintain your posture and avoid fidgeting.
- Remember your CV details. In particular the experience most relevant to the role you’re interviewing for.
- Make a note of your questions. Bring a note-pad if you feel you might forget important points.
- Remember. It’s just as important for the interviewer to sell the benefits of working at their business, as it is for you to impress your next potential employer.
Don’t:
- Turn up late to the interview. If for some reason on the day it’s unavoidable, call ahead to let your interviewer know your expected time of arrival.
- Dress sloppily or inappropriately. Not sure what to wear? Read our guidelines.
- Smoke before your interview. Whilst a quick cigarette might seem like a good idea to calm your nerves, the smell will be noticeable and unpleasant for your interviewer.
- Volunteer your weaknesses. Whilst honesty is always the best policy, there is no need to volunteer your shortfalls unless asked directly.
- Criticise your current or previous employer. Doing so could give your interviewer the impression you’re difficult to work with.
What Is Your English Level Take Our Short English Test To Find Out
Wil is a writer, teacher, learning technologist and keen language learner. Hes taught English in classrooms and online for nearly 10 years, trained teachers in using classroom and web technology, and written e-learning materials for several major websites. He speaks four languages and is currently looking for another one to start learning.
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What’s Your Definition Of Hard Work
Some companies move at very different paces, projects that might be allocated a week at a large corporate might be expected in a few days time at a fast growing startup.
This question is a great way of telling you whether a candidate can keep pace with your team and fit in with your company’s definition of hard work.
Look out for the “hard worker in disguise”. A candidate who’s currently operating at half capacity at a slow moving company and is keen to, , ramp up.
What Do You Think Our Company Could Do Better
This question is an excellent opportunity for you to provide real insight and demonstrate that you will bring valuable skills and experiences to solve whatever problem you present. Just make sure to do your research prior to the interview. If youâre familiar with the company, youâll be able to provide a better answer. Never demur on this question and say you canât think of anything.
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Why Should We Hire You
What’s in it for you? Hiring is ultimately a one-sided game, if a candidate isn’t going to add value you shouldn’t bring them onboard. This might be a slightly intimidating question for candidates so be wary about how you use it – it’s best used towards the end of an interview when you can tell a candidate is comfortable.
If deployed correctly though, it can be a great one to separate the men from the boys. The best answers will cover three key bases. Candidates should articulate that they can not only do the work, but can deliver great results and fit in with the team and culture
How To Handle Inappropriate Questions
Under regulations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , employers are barred from asking certain questions that can be considered discriminatory. These questions involve ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, family arrangements or other personal identity factors. This Business News Daily article outlines other illegal job interview questions that employers shouldn’t ask.
If you feel uncomfortable with a question or believe it’s discriminatory, you have several options for how to respond:
- Politely ask the interviewer what relevance the question has to the position or why the question is being asked.
- Redirect the conversation toward a discussion of your skills and abilities as they relate to the position.
- Answer the question.
- Refuse to answer the question.
- End the interview.
- If an employer asks something truly offensive or discriminatory, you can file a complaint with the EEOC.
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How To Make A Good First Impression
In the first few seconds of meeting you, an interviewer will make a judgement, so its important to make sure its a positive first impression.
A crucial part of this is dressing for success, so before the interview, you should prepare a professional looking outfit and make sure youre well groomed.
When you first meet with the interviewer, be sure to smile confidently and introduce yourself. Also, avoid being late as this not only makes a bad impression, but you also run the risk of turning up looking flustered.
What Would Your First 30 60 Or 90 Days Look Like In This Role
The goal for every new hire should be to hit the ground running. The best answers will be well thought out.
Before diving in, top candidates will talk through the things that they’ll require to get ramped up. In the first 30 days, they’ll need to familiarise themselves with your process, sit down with key employees and get acclimatised to their new surroundings.
60-90 days should give them time to make key contributions in a number of different areas and bring at least one major initiative through to fruition. This is a pretty complex question, so feel free to break it up into 3 separate questions if you prefer.
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End Your Job Interview On A Positive Note
Find out what the next steps are and when you can expect to hear back on the outcome of the interview. Once everything has been wrapped up, be sure to thank them for taking the time to meet with you and tell them that you look forward to hearing from them soon. Exit on a handshake and follow the interview up with a phone call or an email and make sure you ask for feedback.
Ultimately, if you practise interview questions, do your research, deliver your answers concisely and get some interesting conversations going, theres no reason why a job interview cant be a pleasant experience.
You can learn from every job interview you go to even the failed attempts. Keep practising these techniques, and you can become a master of the 2022 job interview. Good luck!
Pitch To Me As If I Were Buying Your Product Or Service
This is a slightly different, and more challenging, alternative to our earlier “What do you know about the Company?” question. Not only does it make candidates to reference material from their research, but it forces them to come up with a compelling message on the fly.
Focus less on the delivery here. Sales and marketing candidates have an unfair advantage as they should be accustomed to this kind of task. The key to a good answer is thorough research and clear articulation of your business.
If you are hiring for a customer facing role though this is also a great way to gauge how they’d deal with the curveballs that customer meetings often produce.
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Interview Tips To Impress Any Hiring Manager
7 Minute Read | November 09, 2021
If youve gotten a job interview in todays crazy job market, then you should be proud of yourself! That alone is a big deal because it means your resumé really stood out to the hiring manager. Now its time to ace the next step: the interview.
Ready to get started? Bring your A game by following these 12 job interview tips:
What Does Customer Service Mean To You
If youre applying for a public-facing role, an employer may ask this question to determine what aspects of customer service are most important to you. . A good answer will align with the companys values, which you can glean through researching their customer service policy, understanding their products and clientele and reflecting on your own experiences as a customer. Your answer can either come from the perspective of a customer or a customer service provider.
Example answer:In my experience, good customer service involves taking responsibility when something goes wrong and doing what you can to make it right. For example, on a recent flight, I had pre-ordered my meal only to discover they didnt stock enough of my dish. Instead of simply stating the facts, the flight attendant apologized sincerely and offered me a free drink or premium snack. To me, this apology went a long way in smoothing things over. The freebie was a bonus that made me feel valued as a customer and choose the same airline for my next flight.
Read more: Interview Question: What Does Customer Service Mean to You?
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