Sunday, March 17, 2024

What Are The Most Popular Interview Questions

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Why Did You Leave Your Last Job

Glassdoor 50 Most Common Interview Questions | Part 3

This question can really make a lot of job seekers nervous. If you were literally fired from your last job, youre going to have to own up to it and show what you learned from the experience and what measures you have taken to address the reasons you were let go.

If you left voluntarily be sure to explain why. For example: You wanted a different challenge. Hint: A challenge offered by the company and position youre interviewing for

We tackle this question in more depth in our blog post here.

  • If it was because you left voluntarily then reference a specific characteristic that the company you are interviewing for has that you are attracted to. One that your previous employer didnt have.
  • If you were let go, be honest and explain the situation and own it. Explain what you learned from the experience, because the interviewer knows youre human, you make mistakes, and just wants to see that you were able to do something about it
  • Words like downsizing and budget cuts and bad economy are good defenses if they are true and are the reasons for departure from the job.

DONT:

  • Dont bash your last company or boss or anything along those lines.
  • Dont say, Its time for a career switch and Id like to try my hand at the job you are offering or Im tired of doing the same old thing. Give a pointed, Positive reason for why you want to head off in a new direction.
  • Dont lie if you were fired.

What Questions Might A Candidate Ask An Interviewer

Most interviews end with the question, do you have any questions for us? Here are some questions a candidate might ask an interviewer:

  • Why is this position open?
  • What are the average daily responsibilities of this job?
  • How would you describe the company culture?
  • What is your training/onboarding process?
  • What can I expect in my first 30/60/90 days on the job?
  • What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?
  • What is your favorite part of working for this company?
  • What development opportunities does the organization offer?
  • What changes do you expect to see within the company over the next year/five years?
  • What are the next steps in the interview process?

Remember that an interview is a two-way street where the candidate evaluates whether to join the company. Preparing thoughtful, thorough, and confident responses to common applicant questions makes a positive impression. Of course, a candidate may pose a unique or interesting question that catches you off guard, in which case you can buy time to think by commenting, that is a great question!

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Who Was The Most Difficult Person You Ever Worked With

Approach this question with an abundance of caution. Youre going to be working with a lot of people in your new role, and you wont get along with everyone. But youll still need to work together productively.

The who here isnt importantand no matter what, do not give a specific name. Rather, the interviewer wants to know how you managed to work with this person despite the difficulty. After all, if you worked through a challenging work relationship in the past, you can do it again. Dont be petty and be sure to end on a positive note.

I had a challenging lab partner last year. He was disorganized, and we kept missing deadlines because he didnt update me on his progress. Eventually, I insisted on weekly, in-person check-ins to stay on track. He found it annoying at first, but we got the work done, and in the end, we walked away on good terms.

Also Check: How To Do A Group Interview

What Are The Top 20 Interview Questions

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • What responsibilities do you have?
  • What do you like and dislike about your previous job?
  • How much was your starting and final levels of compensation?
  • Do you have any major challenges or problems?
  • What is your greatest strength?

Think about possible answers that relate to the job you are applying for, while highlighting your skills and experience. The goal of anticipating interview questions is not to memorize responses, but to get comfortable talking about these topics.

Pick anecdotes and examples from your previous work experiences to give to your interviewers as you develop your answers. Review other questions related to the position in order to ace the interview.

Asking about you is a way to break the ice during an interview and make you feel more comfortable. A synopsis of your background is a good way to prepare a response. When you respond to the recruiters, focus on the responsibilities that align with the job youre interviewing for. At a large inner-city school, I worked with parents and other teachers to support the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms, as a special education teacher.

Employers cant ask about your prior wages in some locations. When I started my entry-level job as an accountant, my annual salary was $42K I became a CPA and now take home around $80K.

When they describe the culture of their organization and their expectations for whoever they hire, pay careful attention to them as they speak.

What’s Your Favourite Non

The 5 most common interview questions (and how to answer ...

It’s always important to try and understand what kind of person a candidate is, and finding out what they enjoy outside of work is a great way to dig into this.

While it may not impact their work at all, it can help you understand someone’s character. These kind of interview questions help to relax candidates and encourage them to open up and speak about their life.

It’s also pretty interesting to know that you have a budding kitesurfer or a weekend chess aficionado in your team!

Read Also: What To Ask A Company In An Interview

What Will You Miss The Most About Your Current/former Job

This is a personality question in disguise. Even in a difficult work environment, top employees will develop relationships or techniques to deal with stress. Candidates should be able to provide an answer that will give you some insight into their coping mechanisms.

Red flags: The candidate hated their former job, or they don’t have an answer.

Who Was Your Best Boss And Who Was The Worst

What They Want to Know: This question is designed to discover what type of leadership and management style works best for you. Be careful answering, and don’t be too negative. Even if you had a terrible boss, how you speak about them can leave the interviewer wondering how you will speak about other supervisors if you didn’t get along with them.

My best manager had an open-door policy where we were always welcome to speak to her privately about issues. Ive never had a bad manager. Im not as comfortable with those who prefer to micromanage my work, but when this happens I try to gain their trust so that theyll feel more confident about giving me some autonomy.

More Answers: Job Interview Questions About Your Best and Worst Bosses

Read Also: What To Wear To A Job Interview As A Teenager

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.

What Do You Consider To Be Your Biggest Professional Achievement

Glassdoor 50 Most Common Interview Questions | Part 2

Here’s an interview question that definitely requires an answer relevant to the job. If you say your biggest achievement was improving throughput by 18 percent in six months but you’re interviewing for a leadership role in human resources, that answer is interesting but ultimately irrelevant.

Instead, talk about an underperforming employee you “rescued,” or how you overcame infighting between departments, or how so many of your direct reports have been promoted.

The goal is to share achievements that let the interviewer imagine you in the position — and see you succeeding.

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What Skills Would You Bring To The Job

While this is similar to questions like, Why should we hire you? or What can you bring to the company? it allows you to be more specific about your work ethic, style and unique abilities as it relates to the role.

An impactful answer will discuss your hard and soft skills and use the STAR method to illustrate how your unique skills might benefit the team or organization.

Example answer:I can make anyone feel comfortable in a new environment, which makes me a good fit as a human resources assistant. In my previous position, a new employee came to me and told me that she didnt think she was right for the company culture. After talking to her for a few minutes, we realized that she felt too much pressure to participate in company events. I started introducing events that involved fewer competitions and more casual environments, and she quickly grew more comfortable with her team.

Read more: Interview Question: “What Skills Would You Bring to the Job?”

What Were Your Starting And Final Levels Of Compensation

What They Want to Know: Hiring managers will want to learn how much you earned to see if you’re a competitive candidate for the company from a salary perspective. Be honest when discussing how much you were paid because employers can ask about salary when checking your background.

However, also be aware that in some locations employers are prohibited from asking about your prior wages. Some employers have also implemented policies that restrict questions about salary from being asked.

When I started my entry-level job as an accountant, my annual salary was approximately $42K I then became a CPA and currently take home around $80K.

More Answers: Interview Questions About Your Salary History

Recommended Reading: How To Prepare For Google Coding Interview

Common Interview Questions & Answers

The number of questions that can be asked by Human Resources, the hiring manager, and other interviewers is limitless.

These are some of the most commonly asked questions and my thoughts on how to answer them in a way that makes you memorable in a positive way.

Even these boring, standard questions can have unique and useful answers your best answers smart answers to these questions!

How Is Memory Managed In Python

TOP 15 Most Common Interview Questions

Memory management is handled via Pythons own heap space. All Python objects and data structures are stored in a private heap. This private heap, which is controlled by the Python interpreter, is not accessible to the programmer.

Allocating heap space for Python objects is handled by Python memory management. Programmers can use the core API to access some programming tools.

Python has a built-in garbage collector that recycles all unused memory, freeing it and making it available to the heap.

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What Are 3 Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You

Sample Answer:

During my last job, I was very well-known for being a knowledgeable employee. I had memorized all of the content, statistics, and case studies for our company so everyone in the office would use me as their personal content encyclopedia.

My boss also commented on how punctual I was – I never missed a deadline or was late to work for the 3 years I worked there.

Finally, I would have to say that my boss would also bring up my team spirit. I was known for bringing in treats to the entire team after every successful event that took place. Everyone in the office looked forward to cookies or donuts after a huge sale, new product launch, or new milestone.

Quick Tip: Be unique. Be modest. Be humble. Don’t exaggerate.

Questions About You And Your Goals

Another crucial aspect of an interview? Getting to know a candidate. Thats why youll likely encounter questions about how you work, what youre looking for , and what your goals are. Its a good sign if your interviewers want to make sure youll be a good fitor addto the team. Use it as an opportunity!

Read Also: What To Ask When Interviewing Someone

How Would You Handle A Difficult Customer

Sample Answer:

The first thing I’d want to do if I was approached by a difficult customer would be to understand their situation.

I’d want to sympathize with the customer and let them know that despite their negative feelings, I want to help them.

I’d patiently work with them to try and resolve any of their problems. Killing them with kindness.

I have a pretty solid track record of turning difficult customers into raving advocates and feel more than capable of doing this for ABC Company.

Quick Tip: Not every difficult customer will be turned into a raving advocate. All you can do is be patient and remain calm. Do not lose your cool!

How Will You Manage Pressure Or Stress

7 Most Popular Interview Questions | Interview Preparation Tips | TalentSprint

The best answer you need to give is: “Well.” While you probably donât want to truly say that, the thought is to pass on the ability to deal with difficulty and ideally pressure isn’t an issue for you. To be honest, this inquiry tends to accompany high-pressure, stressful jobs or organizations and they need to know whether you’ll have the capacity to deal with extraordinary circumstances.

Ideally, you had self-chosen into this sort of job and connected to the organization and part with your eyes open about those substances and trust you can flourish in an environment that requests a considerable measure of you.

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What Do You Know About This Company/organization

A quick search in the About page of the company/organization you are applying for should be enough, right? Well, yes and no.

Think of this as an open-ended question. Theres no real wrong answer here, other than:

Incorrect Example

I dont know anything about this organization. In fact, how did I end up here? Can you guys call me a cab real quick?

However, the more you actually know about the company, the better your chances of getting hired.

Imagine 2 equally competent candidates:

  • One who doesnt particularly care much about your company, and is only applying because they know you pay good salaries
  • Another whos been following your company blog for ages, loves your product, and has several friends already working in the company
  • Which one would you pick? Exactly, the second one!

    So, with this job interview question, you want to convince the recruiter that youre the candidate #2.

    Now, how do you do that? Well, a rule of thumb here is to do some Googling before the interview and learn the following about the company:

    • What does their product or service do?
    • What impact does the product / service have?
    • Whats the company culture like?
    • What are the latest news about the company? How are they performing?
    • …And pretty much whatever other type of info you can dig up.

    Possible answers:

    • Sample Answer 1:

    I hadnt heard about you until recently, actually. I found out about through your job ad on RandomJobBoard.

    • Sample Answer 2:

    Do You Prefer To Work On A Team Or Independently

    Theres no right or wrong answer here, but you want to be diplomatic. Regardless of whether youre an extrovert or an introvert, its crucial your answer clearly shows that youre versatile. Share your preference, but also keep the role itself in mind. If youre an event planner, hopefully you like working with others.

    For a great answer, include two positive examples: one in which you worked well with a group and another in which you worked well on a solo project.

    I love working on a team. When I interned with XYZ Company, there were issues with a few fellow interns not getting along. I intervened, organized a social gathering for the group, and it really helped them put their differences aside. We finished the summer on a great note and came up with the best ideas by putting our heads together. At the same time, I enjoy working independently when necessary. In school, I prided myself on never missing an essay deadline. That was because Im able to put my head down and focus.

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    Question No : Tell Us About Your Greatest Achievement

    Hint: Employers try to find out if you have just gone to the job , or if you actually tried to achieve something while doing your routine.

    Whenever possible, you should speak about your achievements from the perspective of an employer , rather than achievements from your own perspective .

    If you have no other option, however, you can talk about personal promotion, employee of the month award, or other recognition of your good work for the employer. If you apply for your first job, however, you can speak about achievements from your personal life. For example, a chain smoker who managed to quit smoking recently shows their strong determination and will.

    When I worked in sales at ABC Inc., our sales volume grew by twenty percent or more each year. It was a team work, and we helped their business a lot.

    I have become a better person over the years. I learned to listen to others, and to see the good things in people, which is something I had struggled to do early in life. I consider this my biggest achievement, since it made my life better, and I hope people enjoy my company more.

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