Can You Tell Me More About The Day
Asking this question enables you to learn as much about the role as possible. The interviewer’s response will provide insight into what skills and experience are needed, and will also help you decide if the role is right for you.
The answer will give you an idea of what the employer’s expectations are, so if you’re offered the job there should be no surprises when you start.
The Companys Own Words
Before your interview, become familiar with the companys website and literature. Pay attention to the words usedwhats important to the organization?
In your interview, hit key words that appeared on the company website or brochure, says Olivia Ford of Adeptio. These key words might include team, leadership, simplistic, culture or growth.
Mixing these keywords into your answers can provide a subtle hint that you are plugged in to what the organization is looking for.
‘this Job Aligns Well With My Long
Mentioning your professional goals helps show employers you’re a motivated and ambitious candidate. State your goals and how they align with the position on their team. These goals can assure an employer that you’re not just interested in the current job opening, but that you have a vested interest in developing your career within the company. Because employers aim to keep staff engaged, showing that you plan to grow with the company can help distinguish you from other candidates.
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So When You Answer What Skills Do You Need To Improve Pick A Real Area Youd Like To Get Better At But Make Sure Its Not Something Essential To The Job
You can choose something youre already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. You can choose something that you learned a long time ago but havent used in recent jobs very much.
You can name something not directly related to your work but something youre passionate about learning. For example, maybe youre an Accountant but someday youd like to be a Team Leader, so youd like opportunities to improve your leadership. You could suggest that youd like to lead a meeting or project to begin, just to build out that skill-set over the long term.
Lets look at some example answers and this will start to make more sense
Ill put that Accountant example above as the first example.
Remember Manners Matter At Job Interviews
Regardless of the job you are applying for, you will be expected to act professionally throughout every phase of the interview process, from greeting the interviewer to saying thank you after your interview.
Review job interview etiquette tips for before, during, and after a job interview to ensure that you’re minding your manners. Make sure you know what to say, what to bring with you, and how to answer and ask questions politely and professionally to make the best possible impression.
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Why Interviewer Ask About Weaknesses
So why do hiring managers ask this question during job interviews? In short, because they cant get a complete picture of you as a candidate by only talking about your strengths.
In addition to learning about what you can do, the interviewer wants to know about what you can’t do, or what you have difficulty with on the job.
How you respond will also help the interviewer understand how well you know yourself, as well as whether you would be a good fit for the role. It also shows the interviewing that you know that nobody is perfect, and that you’re willing to work to improve your skills and excel.
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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Why Should We Hire You
This interview question seems forward , but if youre asked it, youre in luck: Theres no better setup for you to sell yourself and your skills to the hiring manager. Your job here is to craft an answer that covers three things: that you can not only do the work, but also deliver great results that youll really fit in with the team and culture and that youd be a better hire than any of the other candidates.
How Do You Set Goals Outline The Process
Most of your best employees will be highly goal-oriented and results driven, hardly surprising then that hiring managers want more of the same!
This interview question is great at ensuring that candidates are going to match up to the goals that you set them, and should show you whether they have sufficient initiative to set their own targets.
The best candidates will articulate their exact goal setting process. This should involve: how they select goals, how they split these lofty goals up into smaller tasks, how they plan to tackle these tasks, and ultimately how they measure success.
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Introducing Yourself At A Video Interview
When you’re interviewing via video, be sure to arrive at the meeting slightly early, so you’re sure all your technology is in working order. Arriving late is one of the Zoom interview mistakes you don’t want to make.
Look directly at the camera, and try to keep your focus on the camera during the interview. That’s how you’ll make eye contact with your interviewer. The interviewer will start the meeting by introducing themself. After the interviewer’s introduction, you can reply with a simple introduction of your own:
- Hi. I’m Sylvia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
- Hello , I’m Katie, and I’m looking forward to talking with you.
- I’m Jason. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.
I Have Trouble Saying No
Helping colleagues on projects and properly managing your workload is an artful balance. From an employers perspective, someone who accepts all requests seems dedicated and eagerbut can also be someone who doesnt know their limits and ends up needing help or deadline extensions to finish their work.
If youre so eager to take on new projects that you cant bring yourself to say no to, share how youre working to better self-manage by organizing your tasks and setting more realistic expectations with yourself as well as those around you.
Example:My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have trouble saying no to requests and end up taking on more than I can handle. In the past, this has led me to feel stressed or burnt out. To help myself improve in this area, I use a project management app so I can visualize how much work I have at any given moment and know whether or not I have the bandwidth to take on more.
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+ Questions To Ask In An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are the key to expanding your network and opening yourself up to unexpected career opportunities. Here are 40+ questions you need to ask in your next informational interview.
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Tell Me About A Time You Made A Mistake
Youre probably not too eager to dig into past blunders when youre trying to impress an interviewer and land a job. But talking about a mistake and winning someone over arent mutually exclusive, Moy says. In fact, if you do it right, it can help you. The key is to be honest without placing blame on other people, then explain what you learned from your mistake and what actions you took to ensure it didnt happen again. At the end of the day, employers are looking for folks who are self-aware, can take feedback, and care about doing better.
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But Inject Some Passion Into Your Answer
Keeping your answer professional, however, shouldnt stop you from shedding light on why youre passionate about your work or about this company, even if that broaches slightly more personal territory.
If people feel comfortable telling their story from a passionate perspective, it helps engage the interviewer and set them apart, says Wascovich. For example, Wascovich recently worked with a special education administrator whod actually been a special education student in elementary school. Her teachers inspired her to pursue the career she did. So in telling your story about how you got your start, that could be a unique hook.
You dont have to go into a huge amount of detail, but if your goal in an interview is to stand out among the applicant pool and be memorable, then infusing this answer with some passion can help you do that.
People dont want to talk to robotsthey want to talk to humans, Dea says. I love it when someone tells me, I knew I wanted to work in marketing when I was a kid. Ive always really loved writing.
Campos agrees. If a person really is connected to their mission and what they want to go after in their next role and this company really aligns, this is a great place to bring that in, she says. You might incorporate a sentence like, Im really passionate about x and y and so I was really attracted to your company
Tell Me About Yourself Sample Answers
Thats all great in theory, but what would a solid answer actually sound like? Check out these examples from Zhang, Dea, and Campos.
Stav is the deputy editor at The Muse, where she covers careers and work with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Before joining The Muse, Stav was a staff writer at Newsweek, and her work has also appeared in publications including The Atlantic, The Forward, and Newsday. Stav earned a B.A. in history with a minor in dance at Stanford University and holds an M.S. from Columbia Journalism School. She won the Newswomen’s Club of New York’s Martha Coman Front Page Award for Best New Journalist in 2016. She prefers sunshine and tolerates winters grudgingly. You can find her on and and can visit her website here.
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Overly Prepared Answers Or Cliches
One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to research questions you expect the interviewer to ask and prepare answers for these questions. However, when using prepared answers during an interview, you want to make sure the answer sounds genuine. Many candidates will use cliches when answering common interview questions. During your interview, try to choose an answer that is honest and will make you stand out as a candidate. Instead of saying “My greatest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist,” which interviewers often hear, try to identify an experience you were able to learn from in your previous position.
Example:”In my last role, I would sometimes struggle with taking on too many responsibilities and then find myself overburdened. While I don’t like to say no to a task or project, I was able to learn that it is ok to ask for help and to delegate tasks so our entire team could accomplish our goals together and on time.”
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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.
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How Could I Impress You In The First Three Months
This is a good question to ask at the end of a job interview because it shows potential employers that you’re eager to make a positive contribution to the organisation.
Pay close attention to the recruiter’s response as it will tell you how they want you to perform and will highlight particular areas of the job you should be focusing on during the first few weeks of employment.
How To Answer Interview Questions About What You Need To Improve
Heres how to answer what areas need improvement? when employers ask in your interview.
First dont give some cheesy answer like well, I work too hard sometimes, so I need to learn how to take breaks and not work so much.
No hiring manager will be impressed with that. When hiring managers ask interview questions about areas of improvement, they want to really hear something legitimate that youd like to improve and feel you could improve upon.
Also, dont name anything thats vital to the job. For example, if this is a supervisor position, dont say you need to improve your communication skills or get better at delegating tasks
Those are vital pieces of a supervisors role, and the hiring manager is going to have serious concerns about your ability to lead if you give that type of answer when they ask about your areas for improvement.
Thats essential stuff for being a good supervisor and theyre less likely to hire you if you say youre lacking in those areas!
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Whats Your Current Salary
Its now illegal for some or all employers to ask you about your salary history in several cities and states, including New York City Louisville, North Carolina California and Massachusetts. But no matter where you live, it can be stressful to hear this question. Dont panicthere are several possible strategies you can turn to. For example, you can deflect the question, Muse career coach Emily Liou says, with a response like: Before discussing any salary, Id really like to learn more about what this role entails. Ive done a lot of research on and I am certain if its the right fit, well be able to agree on a number thats fair and competitive to both parties. You can also reframe the question around your salary expectations or requirements or choose to share the number if you think it will work in your favor.
What To Say When You Arrive At The Interview
Be prepared to make a quick introduction to the person who greets you. When you arrive at the interview site, introduce yourself to the receptionist by stating your name and the reason for your visit.
For example:
- My name is Tim Jones, and I have an interview scheduled with John Smith at 2 p.m.
- I’m Janine Bellows, and I have an appointment with Jack Clark at 10 a.m.
Be courteous and respectful to this first contact at the company. Many hiring managers will ask the receptionist for his or her impression of a candidate. If you act rudely or dismissively, you could put yourself out of the running for the job before you even meet with the hiring manager.
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Negativity About A Previous Employer Or Job
The interviewer may ask you questions like “Why are you looking for a new job?” or “What didn’t you like about your previous positions?” Answering these types of questions in a manner that avoids saying anything negative about your previous employer or the job can show your ability to remain professional and positive regardless of the situation.
Positive answers to these questions can also give the interviewer confidence that you will be a good addition to their company’s culture and that you probably wouldn’t say anything negative about them in the future either. When answering questions about your previous employer, try to focus on things the position you are applying to has to offer that your previous employer wasn’t able to offer.
Example:”While I have enjoyed my time in my current position, I am really looking to apply the skills and experience I have gained in my role over the last five years to a supervisory position where I can help others grow in their success. Unfortunately, my current employer does not have any supervisory positions available and doesn’t expect any to become available soon.”
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Example Strength : Technical Skills
I have extremely strong writing skills. Ive worked as a copywriter for eight years in several industries, and am committed to both creative excellence and performance metrics when it comes to my work. Ive had to learn how to find the perfect balance between that creativity and analytics, and its a personal passion of mine to demonstrate what good writing can achieve for the bottom linein advertising or otherwise.
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