How To Prepare For Interview Questions

What Would Your First 30 60 Or 90 Days 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.

Understand Behavioural Competency And Situational Interview Questions

When preparing for a job interview, you should next make sure you understand how to answer job interview questions. To get to the motivations and working style of a potential employee, interviewers often turn to behavioural, competency, and situational interview questions to understand your behaviours and establish your core skills and competencies relevant to the role, such as teamwork, creativity and innovation, decision making ability, business awareness or conflict resolution.Behavioural and competency based interview questions usually begin with, Tell me about a time when or Give me an example of an occasion when Both behavioural and competency based interviewing are based on the idea that past behaviour can predict future action.

Sample competency based interview questions and behavioural based interview questions include

• Describe a situation in which you didnt meet your stated goal. How did you handle it?
• Describe a situation in which you took the initiative to change a process or system and make it better. How did you identify the problem? How did you go about instituting change?
• Describe a time when you were required to use your analytical skills to make an informed decision.
• Tell me about a time when you used your creativity to solve a problem.

Sample situational interview questions include:

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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Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job

This is a toughie, but one you can be sure youll be asked. Definitely keep things positiveyou have nothing to gain by being negative about your current employer. Instead, frame things in a way that shows that youre eager to take on new opportunities and that the role youre interviewing for is a better fit for you. For example, Id really love to be part of product development from beginning to end, and I know Id have that opportunity here. And if you were let go from your most recent job? Keep it simple: Unfortunately, I was let go, is a totally acceptable answer.

What Motivates You At Work

Your hiring manager may ask this question to understand what makes you excited to go to work and remain engaged in your role. This question can help provide them with insight into your core values and allow them to recognise if your values align with their company’s mission. Share specific examples of how your motivations helped you succeed, advance or achieve an important goal in previous roles.

Example:I am motivated by the desire to help guide all of my team members to success. For example, I remember when I was helping one of my team members complete a new task. I provided them with examples of similar tasks I completed in the past and some helpful tips. They ended up receiving praise for this task and it fulfilled me knowing I helped them accomplish success.”

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Situational Interviewing: Assessing Future Action

While behavioral interview questions assess your past performance, situational interview questions evaluate your ability to respond to hypothetical challenges. An employer will present you with a hypothetical situation related to a project, supervisor, or other workplace issue and ask you to develop a response. The interviewer may also pose an ethical dilemma and ask how you would address the situation. Your response should resolve the issue presented while highlighting the strengths you wish to convey during the interview.

OPIA has compiled a list of sample behavioral interview questions for you to consult in advance of your interview.

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years Time

This question can feel daunting: nobody knows where their career path will take them! However, your interviewer is not going to ring you in five years and ask if you stuck to the plan, so dont worry about being too accurate. A good answer will list some definite goals, some less definite ones, and paint a bright future for yourself within your industry. It will show that you are:

• Ambitious
• Looking to staying in your industry long-term
• Applying for this job because it will help you live a life you aspire to

In five years time, I hope to be working as a Manager in a hotel. I want to be totally beloved by my staff and known for having an open-door policy so that any team member feels free to discuss their problems or successes with me. I want to have gained a few extra professional qualifications in Human Resources management and refined my skills as a sommelier. I also want to get to B1 level in French.

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Other General Interview Questions To Prepare For

Here are other questions about your personality and background you may encounter as well:

• What interests you about this role?

• What are your greatest

• What is your dream job?

• What qualities do you think make a good leader?

• What qualities do you think are needed in this role?

• Why do you feel you are the right person for this position?

• Where do you see yourself in five years? 10 years?

• How do handle shifting deadlines?

• What do you want to accomplish in the first 30 days in this role?

• When was your last peer evaluation? How did you team describe you?

• What’s your Myers-Briggs personality type?

• What is your favourite part about coming to work? What is your least favourite?

• How do you keep yourself organised at work?

• What qualities do you want in your next workplace?

• Who are your role models, and why?

• What are your hobbies and interests?

• What did you go to university for? Why did you choose that subject?

• What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?

• Describe your leadership style.

Interview Questions Everyone Should Be Prepared To Answer

If youre targeting 2019 as your year for professional reinvention, go full throttle on your prep. Refine your professional narrative by formulating responses to those interview questions that always seem to come up.

Lavie Margolin, career coach, consultant and author of Mastering the Job Interview explains that a well-formulated response is not ‘cookie cutter’ but utilizes the opportunity to prove yourself as a wonderful fit in answering the question with relevant examples. To that end, amass responses and professional anecdotes that demonstrate your skills, character and experience.

This holiday season, explore and tweak your narrative as you converse with friends and family. Margolin emphasizes that rehearsing is key: Building rhythm is important. To enter a stressful situation cold is anxiety-inducing. Once someone gets into the interviewing mindset- considering what he/she would want to convey in the interview and practicing with a mentor allows one to get comfortable answering questions.

Get comfy talking goals and ambitions over eggnog formulate and rehearse your answers to these key questions.

These questions come up in nearly every job interview.

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Tell Me About Your Work Experience

An interviewer may or may not already be familiar with your background. Regardless, this question gives you the chance to detail your experiences that are most valuable to the prospective role. Employers want to know that youve reflected on their expectations for a qualified candidate and that you have directly relevant or transferable skills. Consider these tips for answering:

1. Quantify your experience:I have 10 years of experience in personal finance management, and I have assisted 45 repeat clients in increasing their capital by an average of 15% every year.

2. Illustrate connections to role:As a financial analyst, Ive used visual growth charts to show my clients how each saving plan option can impact their goals. When I became a senior financial analyst, I supervised other analysts and trained them in providing the most helpful experience to our customers.

3. End with a goal statement:”As your senior financial consultant, I aim to integrate my individualized approach to helping clients build the retirement fund they will depend on.

Read more: Interview Question: Tell Me About Your Work Experience

Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter: How To Pass An Interview

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If you think most hiring decisions are based on your experience and qualifications, then you better keep reading. Your resume gets you in the door, but how you interview determines whether youre offered the job.

This article will teach you proven job interview tips to help you pass a job interview and get the job you want. Heres what were going to cover:

• Part I: Job Interview Preparation Tips everything to do before your interview
• Part II: Interviewing Tips the best strategies to use during your interview to stand out
• Part III: Tips for After Your Interview how to make sure you get the job offer after your interview is over

These are the best interview tips that I know, from close to 5 years working as a Recruiter.

After you finish this article, youll know how to stand out from other job seekers and pass a job interview a majority of the time.

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Prepare To Describe Your Work History Briefly

Most interviewers will ask you to give a quick walkthrough of your background at the start of the interview. Thats why I mentioned reviewing your resume beforehand. Its a pretty commonly overlooked but its one of my favorite job interview tips and its so easy to do!

If youve prepared a good, brief narrative of your career, you can impress them right off the bat. What got you interested in this field? What have you accomplished recently?

But it has to be concise. Nobody wants to hire somebody that rambles on or sounds scattered, and thats the biggest mistake people make with this relatively open-ended question.

Spend most of your time on the recent portion of your career. Go through the beginning rather quickly. 2-3 minutes total should be your target.

What Did You Like Most About Your Last Position

Knowing what you enjoyed about your last position can offer employers insight to your motivations, personality and whether you will enjoy the position available. To answer this question, focus on positives, speak to work rather than people, explain how it prepared you for this new position and reasons why moving to this role is the right choice.

Example answer:It was a great entry-level position at a start-up agency. Not only was I learning more about marketing, but management was also very transparent, teaching us a great deal about owning a business. It was a very collaborative atmosphere, and the team and I worked together on almost every project. Everyone’s weak point was countered by another’s strong point. I learned more working there than I ever did in college, and I’m excited to apply these skills to a new position.

Read more: Interview Question: “What Did You Like Most About Your Job?”

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Think Of An Explanation For Why Youre Job Searching

Companies will often choose someone less talented if they also seem less risky or if their motivations make more sense. Ive seen it first-hand.

Dont lose out on a job to somebody with less skill than you. Prepare some legitimate reasons why you want to make a move . Here are some examples:

• Youve accomplished ____ in your current role and youre ready for a new challenge
• Your companys direction has shifted and you feel its time to join a new organization
• Youre interested in a different type of product/service
• Youre looking for a larger or smaller organization

You can get more specific based on your situation. These are general ideas. If you do a good job with this you can beat out applicants that have more experience than yourself, because theyre not using these strategies most likely.

And if youre unemployed right now, here are 20 good explanations for why you chose to leave your last job.

Reflect On Your Accomplishments

Now that you have a bit of an idea of what youll need to cover, spend a little time reflecting on your achievements. During an interview, youll want to show the hiring manager you have what it takes to excel. Typically, that means discussing a relevant accomplishment.

Ideally, you want to identify key moments in your career that showcase you as a great fit. As you reflect, write down the ones that stand out most and that show that you possess the skills and qualities you found on the job description. Those are the accomplishments you want to work into your answers.

Recommended Reading: Top 10 Behavioral Questions

What Is Your Greatest Strength

This is a fairly straight forward question to handle. Talk about a strength that you know the company puts a lot of value in.

We have written an in depth blog post over at: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• Grab hold of the opportunity this question gives you. This question really lets you guide the interview where you want it to go. This your chance to relate your most impressive success story, so take advantage!

• Highlight a strength that is crucial to the position.

• Find out from your company research and from the job description what strengths the company puts a lot of stock into.

DONT:

• Dont make claims that you cant illustrate with a brief example or fact.

• Dont be overly modest but dont claim to be Superman or Superwoman either.

• Dont name a strength that is irrelevant to the job at hand.

Practice Your Speaking Voice And Body Language

Its important to make a positive and lasting impression during the interview process. You can do this by practicing a confident, strong speaking voice and friendly, open body language. While these might come naturally to you, you might also want to spend time performing them with trusted friends or family or in front of a mirror. Pay special attention to your smile, handshake and stride.

To learn more about interview body language, consider the following resources:

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Ask The Right Interview Questions

You never want your interview to turn into an interrogation. You also dont want it to simply duplicate the contents of your professional resume. An interview provides you with an opportunity to get to know the people youll be working for, and you should take advantage of this. Youre not there simply to get the job youre there to be sure that its a job you actually want and will enjoy long term.

Asking high-quality questions shows your would-be employer that you are paying attention and are engaged with the interview process. They also help to build up rapport. Good questions serve other purposes as well:

They create a dialogue that help you to get a feel for what working with the interviewer might be like, which is especially important if your interviewer will be your direct supervisor.

• They help you to clarify your understanding of what the company does and what your position will entail.
• They show that you understand the details of the interview and youre paying attention throughout the interview.
• They illustrate your ability to probe beneath the superficial and indicate a willingness to learn.

When thinking up questions to ask at your job interview, youll want to slant them in such a way that they build empathy and understanding of the employer. You dont want to ask obvious job interview questions that you could have solved with a brief internet search. You want to ask questions that make it clear youre envisioning yourself already in the role.

Follow These Steps To Get Properly Prepared For Your Interview

Alright, now that you know a bit about why preparing for an interview is important, as well as some mistakes to avoid, lets get down to brass tacks: how to prepare for an interview. After all, knowing you need to do it is only half the battle you have to follow through, using the right approach, too.

Luckily, we have your back. If you want to blow away the hiring manager, you need to take your interview prep to the next level. Heres how to do just that:

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