Why Have You Switched Jobs So Many Times
If youve switched jobs in a very short period of time , the interviewer is bound to ask about it.
After all, job-hopping is one of the biggest red flags for HR managers.
True, you might have had a reasonable cause. Maybe the second company you got hired in just wasnt a good culture fit for you.
Well, youll have to communicate that.
Companies tend to be skeptical because of the following reasons
- You might be a job hopper. Some people tend to switch jobs the moment they get a better salary offer.
- You might be unqualified for the job and you quit because you couldnt deliver.
- You get bored easily and your solution to that is quitting.
So, your job here is to convince the interviewer that you dont belong to any of those 3 categories.
You need to make them realize that you will not jump ship a few months after getting hired just because some recruiter PMd you on LinkedIn with a better offer.
The best way to answer this question is to explain the reason you switched jobs. It could be one of the following:
- The company culture wasnt a good fit. This happens to the best of us – sometimes, the company just isnt the right one.
- The job description was misleading and you ended up doing something you either didnt enjoy, or were not qualified for.
- You learned that you simply didnt enjoy the job, and are not willing to try out something different. While this isnt the best potential answer, its honest and chances are, the HR manager will understand.
Possible answers:
If You Started A Company Today What Would Its Top Values Be
This question is meant to test a candidate’s emotional intelligence. A good answer articulates values, and the values are a good fit for their role and for the company’s mission.
Red flags: They have a hard time nailing down any values, values are negative or completely opposed to the company’s mission.
Why Did You Leave Your Last Job What Are Your Weaknesses If You Were A Type Of Fruit What Would You Be And Why
OK, so some interview questions are easier to answer than others. But whilst you cant predict exactly what youll be asked, any question has the potential to make you stumble unless, of course, youve prepared in advance.
To help give you an idea of what could come up, heres our list of common interview questions, and how to answer them:
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Describe The Workplace Where Youll Be Most Happy And Productive
This can take other forms, too, such as What can we do to keep you happy if you were hired? or What do you like about your current job that youd like to find here as well? These are examples of culture fit interview questions that aim to assess the candidates suitability as an employee of the company. Usually, theres no right or wrong answer. It all depends on whether each candidate is a fit for each individual company.
Sample answer:
I like workplaces that emphasize both autonomy and teamwork. I like collaborating with others and exchanging ideas, but I also want to have flexibility to work uninterrupted for some time. Also, I value the absence of restrictions, such as a casual dress code unless Im meeting with customers or partners.
You Dont Have The Experience/background For This Position How Could You Handle It
Say youre confused by their comment, that youre quite confident that you DO have the experience and background for this position, and that youre a very strong match for the responsibilities.
Ask what specifically concerns them about your background whats missing in your experience? Re-state your qualifications as needed, tying your accomplishment stories to the employers requirements.
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What Is The Reason For Your Current Unemployment
Usually, this is asked in an accompanying way: “Explain to me about why you left your current job.”
What they truly need to ask is: “Were you fired and if it is so, then why?” People are reorganized and fired all the ideal opportunity for reasons that have nothing to do with their execution. On another side, some people are fired for cause as well. You should answer this question with a casual and confident approach, as it would be easier to be interviewer to conclude.
What Salary Are You Seeking
When you’re asked, “What salary are you seeking?” it is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer would be: “I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?”
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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?
Are You A Team Player
Wherever youre applying, the answer to this question should be a Yes!
Even if youre applying for a completely solo role, chances are, youre still going to have to work in a team occasionally.
Wed recommend being very specific about your answer here – dont just say yes. Give the interviewer an exact example of when you excelled at working with a team.
Possible answers:
- Sample Answer 1:
Im much better at working in a team than alone, actually. Thats what I love about working in advertising – everyone has their own specific type of a creative spark, and when you combine it all, magic happens!
Im good at both leading and following in terms of creativity and brainstorming. Im also super receptive to others ideas, and do my best to help them execute it without nay-saying or criticism.
- Sample Answer 2:
Yep, definitely. I excel at team-work.
This one time while working at , I was assigned to an existing team working on a web application for a business process management company.
They were working on a tight deadline, and needed help on the API side.
I optimised their development cycles and oversaw a team of three developers while collaborating with the other two dev teams.
Everything went pretty well, and we managed to finish the project on time.
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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 Define Success
Employers ask this to help them understand how your definition of success influences your goals and how you measure them. A good answer will show that you know how to define and measure goals and youre willing to challenge yourself and work hard to meet them.
Consider your proudest achievements, your long and short-term successes and how the company youre interviewing with views success. Give specific examples of how youve succeeded in the past.
Example answer:I define success as fulfilling my role in my team and in the company. I work toward completing my individual duties as effectively as possible, balancing that with professional growth and contributing to larger organizational goals. In my previous role, success meant exceeding weekly metrics, implementing processes that supported the companys KPIs and meeting quarterly professional development goals.
Read more: Interview Question: “How Do You Define Success?”
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Tell Me About A Goal You Failed To Achieve
With this question, the interviewer is evaluating how you handle disappointment and failure. They also want to see how you decide when it’s time to give up, accept that something didn’t work and move forward. A great response is one where you set a huge goal, didn’t achieve it, took responsibility and learned from the experience. Some examples of things you could learn from it are what you would do differently next time, something about yourself, what motivates you or what is truly important to you.
Example:“I was working on a start-up where our goal was to create content that would educate parents about why it’s important to spend time as a family around the dinner table. Unfortunately, we were never able to figure out a way to monetize the business. We polled our audience and tried many different ideas, but after a year we had to move on. However, I learned so much from the process. I developed numerous skills and realized I’m incredibly good at shifting direction when something isn’t working. I realized I don’t let defeats discourage me for long. Each time something didn’t work, I picked myself back up and moved forward.”
How Would Your Boss Or Peers Describe You
The best way to answer this is to back up your response with examples or real quotes. Think of the question as What have your boss or peers said about you in the past? even if its not phrased that way. For example, reference positive feedback your boss has given you in an annual review or things your coworkers have said that affirmed youre in the right line of work.
Another approach is to list a few examples of situations where youve been able to help others with projects, take work off peoples plates, or solve problems. That showcases your ability to be a team player and gives you a solid case for what you believe theyd say about you.
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Do You Know Anyone Who Works For Us
The purpose of this HR interview question and its answer is tricky and most of the interviewees these days fail to give an appropriate answer.
Your interviewer wants to find out if you have relatives, friends or acquaintances working for the organization.
From a psychological point of view, they want to know if you already have a mentor within the organization.
So it is recommended that you frame a positive answer while facing your round of HR interview questions and answers.
Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job Interview Question
Whilst I very much like my employer, and the team I am in, I feel ready for a new and fresh challenge. I had planned on staying there for many years to come, but now is the right time to move forward and I have been on the lookout for the right position to emerge within your company. I have so much to offer and I feel excited about the prospect of putting my skills, attributes and experience to test with hopefully your organisation and a new and innovative team.
TIPS FOR HOW TO ANSWER WHY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR CURRENT JOB OR EMPLOYER? INTERVIEW QUESTION
Tip #1 Do not be disrespectful about, or criticize your previous manager, company or employer.
Tip #2 Say you want a fresh challenge with a new company.
Tip #3 Be respectful in your answer by telling them they are innovative and forward-thinking.
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Why You Deserve The Job
Why should we hire you?
This questions is one of the most common interview questions.
The moment this question is asked, you should seize the opportunity and present yourself as the most suitable applicant, provided you have what it takes to land the job profile.
Highlight all those major points that shed the light on your suitability for the targeted profile.
Sample Answer: I am confident that I can bring something new to the table if given the chance by applying the skills and expertise which I have gained over the years.
Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job
Let’s start with what you shouldn’t say .
Don’t talk about how your boss is difficult. Don’t talk about how you can’t get along with other employees. Don’t bad-mouth your company.
Instead, focus on the positives a move will bring. Talk about what you want to achieve. Talk about what you want to learn. Talk about ways you want to grow, about things you want to accomplish explain how a move will be great for you and for your new company.
Complaining about your current employer is a little like people who gossip: If you’re willing to speak badly of someone else, you’ll probably do the same to me.
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What Are Your Strengths
The consensus is to go for quality, not quantity here. Candidates should give a short list of strengths, and back each one up with examples that illustrate the strength.
Also, they should explain how these strengths will be useful in the job they’re applying for, and use this question to say something interesting about themselves. Whilst this is one of the most common interview questions it is also one of the best interview questions to ask early in the interview process.
Red flags: The candidate is unprepared for the question or only gives generic answers.
This is the most common job interview question – everybody should be expecting it. If they don’t seem prepared or give a fairly stock answer, it’s probably a bad sign.
Are You A Risk
This ones pretty tricky, as the answer here depends on your profession and field.
Ask yourself – is risk-taking a valuable skill for the job?
If youre a pilot, for example, the answer should be a strict No!
If, on the other hand, youre a day trader, then risk is an essential part of your job.
So, depending on how valuable risk is for your job, answer accordingly.
You could also give a more strategic answer. Lets say, for example, you work in investment banking. You need to be a risk taker to an extent, but being too risk-friendly might make the entire company go bankrupt.
The strategy in such a case would be to show that youre all about calculated risk. Youre willing to take chances, but only when the odds are in your favor.
As with most interview questions, you should give examples of situations where you had to take risks, and what the end-results were.
Possible answers:
- Sample Answer 1:
Yes, Im a risk-taker. I believe that to achieve real results, you always need to be willing to take a certain level of risk.
Pretty much any marketing initiative you launch is tied to risk. You can plan everything from beginning till the end, but no matter how well you plan it out, things might just not work out.
Its just part of the job – in order to succeed, you need to take launch risky campaigns on a regular basis, and hopefully, one in every 5 is going to bring you massive results.
- Sample Answer 2:
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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.
How Much Do You Know About The Company
This interview question is one of the most common interview questions asked and is essentially a test to check that youve done your research and know your stuff. If you can prove that youve dug a little deeper than the company website and refer to a company achievement, press release or recent update, youll be sure to win extra brownie points.
Researching the company is a must, and almost all job candidates do it to some degree today. But the interview is not a test to see whether you read the company website. Instead, you want to identify opportunities and demonstrate how you can add value to the company, if they hire you. Take the information you gain through your research and prepare insightful questions and observations that can serve as discussion points during the interview. Here are some ways to do that:
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Most Common Interview Questions In : 10+ Sample Questions/answers
How to answer interview questions confidently?
The answer to that is … by preparing oneself before the interview!
Being shortlisted by recruiters based on the competence of your resume is not the finale of your job application.
There is an important process that can seal the deal for your job landing, and that is the interview round.
But interviews can be tricky for quite many people seeking jobs and it can be quite nerve-wracking and stressful at the same time.
The best way to overcome such barriers is by preparing oneself beforehand and getting acquainted with the most likely questions that recruiters may ask during job interviews.
In this blog, we have compiled some of the most common interview questions that a recruiter may ask and have provided sample answers for reference.
You can also check out our Interview Preparation library where we have stored 20,000+ questions and sample answers to help you bag that targeted job.
