Question No : Why Did You Leave Your Last Job / Why Are You Planning To Leave Your Present Job
Hint: Changing a job, or even a career, is completely normal. Nevertheless, employers want to understand why you plan to make a change, or why you were forced to make your move. They try to understand whether they can count with you in a long run, and how it will feel to work with you. Do you look for good things, or for bad things in a job? Do you demand a lot from your colleagues, or do you demand a lot from yourself?
Regardless of your past experience, you should focus on good things. Even if they fired you in your last job , try to speak nicely about your former colleagues and employers. Nobody wants to hire an employee who will complain about everything, a person who always looks for the worst
I had my job in a restaurant for four years. I enjoyed the company of my colleagues, and believe that I helped the guests to enjoy the place. But I needed a change. The duties were repetitive, and I felt I was not moving forward anymore. Thats why I left, and decided to apply for your offer, as I really see a potential for learning and growing in your company.
They fired me because I had a different opinion than the director of the company. Nothing wrong with himwe just had a different philosophy of leadership, and how things should be done. Maybe he was right, maybe I wasonly time will tell. But I do not want to live in the past. Now I am here, looking for a new challenge, and an opportunity to help your company to prosper.
What Is Your Greatest Achievement
Answer: My last employer had a history of missing the mark when preparing promotional activities. It was no fault of their own they were a small company, and the budget focused on the product itself, which was smart and understandable. While employed as a marketing supervisor, I took the time to make a very low-cost plan for three different promotional events. We managed to have enough in the budget for all three, and we brought on a ton of new clients through them. I think my ability to brainstorm and budget are important to this position, and that achievement really proved that to me.
Common Residency Interview Questions And How To Answer Them
Preparing for residency interviews can be daunting , especially if you have no idea what questions will be asked. In this blog, Ive compiled strategies to answer the most commonly asked questions in residency interviews. The full list of +200 residency interview questions is already listed in another blog
Before we start, a word of warning: do not memorize your answers! Instead, write your key points down in bullet points, so that during the interview your answers seem natural and unrehearsed. Do not spend too much time answering interview questions. Try to complete your answer within 1-1.5 minutes.
If you need any coaching or guidance with your interview preparation, make sure to check out our interview coaching package here in which we do one-on-one mock interviews and provide feedback.
If you need access to our FREE +100 questions to ask residency program directors and residents , sign up to our newsletter here.
Without further ado, lets discuss the questions standing between you and your dream residency program.
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Common Interview Questions And Answers
Interview questions help recruiters assess a candidate’s suitability for a role. Answering questions is also an opportunity for the job seeker to share career highlights and address weaknesses. In this article, we will look at ways to prepare for interview questions and sample answers you can provide.
What Are The Top 5 Interview Questions And Answers
- Is it possible to tell me about yourself?
- Are you interested in this job?
- Do you have your greatest strengths?
- What are the biggest weaknesses of you?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Wouldnt it be great if you knew what questions potential employers were going to ask you in a job interview? You could wow the hiring managers with your wit, experience, and charm if you were prepared and confident. Every job interview has its own rhythms and quirks, its job-specific questions and themes, but there are a fairly standard set of questions that hiring managers often lean on.
An icebreaker is supposed to get you talking during a job interview. Your answer should focus on your professional experience and interests, and anything that shows you are the right candidate for the job.
Think of it as an elevator pitch for your career, a quick recap of who you are in a professional sense. It might be interesting if your hobbies include leathercraft and Brazilian martial arts, but they are not relevant here. This shows that you are interested in the role and that you are prepared for it.
Make sure you read the job posting carefully and say what you think is right for the position. Make sure you tell the truth and talk about your communication skills. If you are concerned about coming across as arrogant, you can tell someone what people have said about you in the past. Its a good idea to use measurable achievements to back up what you say, just make sure to have an anecdote ready.
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What Makes You Unique
They genuinely want to know the answer, Dea promises. Give them a reason to pick you over other similar candidates. The key is to keep your answer relevant to the role youre applying to. So the fact that you can run a six-minute mile or crush a trivia challenge might not help you get the job . Use this opportunity to tell them something that would give you an edge over your competition for this position. To figure out what that is, you can ask some former colleagues, think back to patterns youve seen in feedback you get, or try to distill why people tend to turn to you. Focus on one or two things and dont forget to back up whatever you say with evidence.
How Would Your Boss Or Coworkers Describe You
This question is pretty much the same as what are your greatest strengths, the only difference is that it should be from the point of view from your boss or coworkers.
Here, you want to focus on your traits and achievements that youve previously been praised for .
There are at least 2 ways to answer this question:
1) Describe a specific situation where you excelled at work
Sample Answer
Theyd say Im super hard working. During my weekend-off, not one, but three of my coworkers got sick, and I had to spot for them.
The weekend was peak season in Nantucket, so the restaurant was getting seriously overwhelmed. All of a sudden, we went from being very prepared for the season, to complete panic.
Had to jump between serving, bussing, and line-cooking, but overall, managed to survive through the weekend successfully.
2) Quote a performance review
If youve previously worked in an office job, youre probably all too familiar with these.
Did your boss give you a glowing performance review? Make sure to mention it here!
Sample answer:
Well, in my last performance review in September, my boss described me as someone who takes initiative.
My position as a PR manager involves constantly keeping track of our clients brand reputation, and if something goes wrong, dealing with it as fast as possible.
In a lot of cases, you need to be very proactive – if you wait for your entire team to have a meeting on how to deal with the issue, it might already be too late.
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Tell Me About Yourself/your Work Experience
Begin your answer with an overview of your highest qualification then run through the jobs you’ve held so far in your career.
You can follow the same structure as your CV, giving examples of achievements and the skills you’ve picked up along the way. Don’t go into too much detail – your interviewer will ask you to expand on any areas where they’d like more information.
How Do You Feel About Working Weekends Or Late Hours
Youre gonna get asked this question in one of the following 2 cases:
1) Youre applying for a job that requires working odd hours.
In this case, your answer is pretty straightforward – since youre applying for such a job, you probably dont have any problems working odd hours.
Sample answer:
Sure! Im OK with working late hours or weekends, as long as you let me know about it at least a few days in advance.
2) Youre applying for just about any other type of job.
Now, you should look at this as a red flag. Is the employer just checking your dedication, or are they looking for someone thats going to work 24/7 with no overtime pay?
In this case, ask them to clarify what they mean.
Sample answer:
Given enough warning, sure. Is that something Ill be required to do often? Do you offer overtime pay for this kind of situation?
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What Is Your Preferred Style Of Management
This question reveals whether the candidate would be a suitable fit for your company and the style of management you have in place. If their answer conflicts with your corporate setup, ask them how they plan to adjust to a different type of management.
Red flags: The candidate does not know, would prefer not to be managed, or their answer conflicts with your management style.
How Quickly Do You Adapt To New Technology
Today, whether youre applying for a software engineering job, or as a cashier in a supermarket, youre going to need to use technology at least on some level.
Its very common for a company to adopt new tech – new point of service system, self check-out kiosks, customer management software, and whatever else.
So, you should be able to pick up new tech ASAP. Any new change shouldnt completely disrupt your work.
So, when answering this question, you should talk about how tech-savvy you are.
Possible answers:
- Sample Answer:
Im pretty tech-savvy. Ive worked with a lot of different Point of Service systems so far, and have zero difficulties learning how to use new ones.
As a given, I own a PC, have used Office 365, and all the usual stuff.
- Sample Answer 2:
Ive always been interested in tech. In fact, Im the type of person to actively seek out new software to help solve business problems at work.
Ive worked with 3 different Customer Management Software in the past, such as PipeDrive, SalesForce, and Zoho CRM.
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Best Star Or Behavioral Interview Questions And Answers
Below is a sample response to each job interview question that fits into the “common behavioral question” group. It may be part of the interview process to ask regular interview questions that test a candidate’s previous work experience, then ask a behavioral interview question that prompts tests their competencies.
Hr Interview Questions: The Top 10 Questions Asked In The Hr Interview
Contributor
In the initial screening phase of a hiring process, an HR professional will ask candidates a set of HR interview questions. The purpose of these questions is to gauge the candidates basic skills and interest for the role, and to clarify various points about their application and resume.
Here, we put together a list of the best human resources interview questions for candidates, plus sample answers.
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What Do You Look For In A Boss
When an interviewer asks this question, theyâre probably trying to gauge how youâll fit in with the company culture and current leaders. The best path? Be honest without getting too specific you never know what type of leaders youâll be working with. Stick with traits that are universally positive such as fairness, good listener, capable, intelligent, etc. Most managers like to think they embody these traits, so thereâs no risk of alienating your potential boss.
What Are The Most Important Things You Are Looking For In Your Next Role
Start with your skills. Identify a skill that you exceed in and talk about how you are looking for a role that will utilise and further develop that skill.
You should also explain your motivations and how this role can help you achieve your long-term goals. Always ensure that your answer is relevant to the company and the role in question.
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How Do You Prioritise Your Work
The employer wants to know whether you’re organised, can meet deadlines and are able to handle multiple projects at the same time. The best way to answer this question is to provide examples of times when you’ve juggled a number of different tasks and still delivered them to a high quality and on time. These examples can come from previous jobs, university study or your extra-curricular activities. Give some detail about what methods you use to keep track of your progress and productivity.
Mastering The Rest Of The Interview Process
Now that youve adequately prepared for the behavioral round, its time to triumph over the rest of the interview process. From tips on auditing your digital footprint to preparing for video interviews, we are here to help you with every step of your journey. Visit our 2020 Job Search Guide to continue your expedition.
Kforce is a professional solutions firm specializing in building and managing elite teams within Technology and Finance & Accounting with top employers nationwide. Merging your vision and our expertise, we help you achieve powerful results.
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Can You Explain Why You Changed Career Paths
Dont be thrown off by this questionjust take a deep breath and explain to the hiring manager why youve made the career decisions you have. More importantly, give a few examples of how your past experience is transferable to the new role. This doesnt have to be a direct connection in fact, its often more impressive when a candidate can show how seemingly irrelevant experience is very relevant to the role.
What Makes A Great Team Player
Numerous people say in their CV that they are great at working agreeably or are team players. However, few say what this implies. Consider cases from your past that show your capacity to build bridges, shape networks or get on with individuals. This needn’t be from your professional life. You could refer to any cases from clubs or associations to which you have a place. Answering this particular question well is particularly important for people who need to be team leaders or to deal with a department.
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What Are Three Positive Things Your Former Boss Will Say About You
This is another way of asking “what are your strengths?” Except, in this case, the candidate can name anything that they feel will be advantageous to the company including soft skills, hard skills, personality traits, or work experience.
Red flags: The candidate doesn’t think their former boss would say anything nice about them, or the candidate simply names skills listed in the job description.
Out Of All The Candidates Why Should We Hire You
Since a candidate cannot compare himself with people he doesn’t know, all he can do is describe his incredible passion and desire and commitment and … well, basically beg for the job.
And you learn nothing of substance.
Here’s a better question: “What do you feel I need to know that we haven’t discussed?” Or even “If you could get a do-over on one of my questions, how would you answer it now?”
Rarely do candidates come to the end of an interview feeling they’ve done their best. Maybe the conversation went in an unexpected direction. Maybe the interviewer focused on one aspect of their skills and totally ignored other key attributes. Or maybe candidates started the interview nervous and hesitant, and now wish they could go back and better describe their qualifications and experience.
Plus, think of it this way: Your goal as an interviewer is to learn as much as you possibly can about every candidate, so don’t you want to give them the chance to ensure you do?
Just make sure to turn this part of the interview into a conversation, not a soliloquy. Don’t just passively listen and then say, “Thanks. We’ll be in touch.” Ask follow-up questions. Ask for examples.
And of course if you’re asked this question, use it as a chance to highlight things you haven’t been able to touch on.
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How Do You Like To Be Managed
This is another one of those questions thats about finding the right fitboth from the companys perspective and your own. Think back on what worked well for you in the past and what didnt. What did previous bosses do that motivated you and helped you succeed and grow? Pick one or two things to focus on and always articulate them with a positive framing . If you can give a positive example from a great boss, itll make your answer even stronger.
Why Do You Want To Work At This Company
Beware of generic answers! If what you say can apply to a whole slew of other companies, or if your response makes you sound like every other candidate, youre missing an opportunity to stand out. Zhang recommends one of four strategies: Do your research and point to something that makes the company unique that really appeals to you talk about how youve watched the company grow and change since you first heard of it focus on the organizations opportunities for future growth and how you can contribute to it or share whats gotten you excited from your interactions with employees so far. Whichever route you choose, make sure to be specific. And if you cant figure out why youd want to work at the company youre interviewing with by the time youre well into the hiring process? It might be a red flag telling you that this position is not the right fit.
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