Can You Describe A Typical Day On The Job
No matter how good an official job description is, it’s always best to ask for further details on how an average day plays out so you know what to expect.
Sample answer:”The average day begins with associates clocking in at their scheduled time and heading to the warehouse in the back. You’ll sort new inventory and pile it onto a cart to distribute throughout your department. After, you’ll go back to the warehouse to scan items and manage inventory within our system. If we’re running low on a particular product, be sure to make your supervisor aware so they can make an order. Those are your primary duties. At the end of the day, clean up your department and your section of the warehouse.”
How Do You Prioritize Your Work
Your interviewers want to know that you can manage your time, exercise judgement, communicate, and shift gears when needed. Start by talking about whatever system youve found works for you to plan your day or week, whether its a to-do list app you swear by or a color-coded spreadsheet. This is one where youll definitely want to lean on a real-life example. So go on to describe how youve reacted to a last-minute request or another unexpected shift in priorities in the past, incorporating how you evaluated and decided what to do and how you communicated with your manager and/or teammates about it.
Questions About The Position
1. How will you measure the success of the person in this position?
This gets right to the crux of what you need to know about the job: What does it mean to do well, and what will you need to achieve in order for the manager to be happy with your performance?
You might figure that the job description already laid this out, but its not uncommon for a job description to be the same one an employer has been using for the last ten years, even if the job changed significantly during that time. Companies often post job descriptions that primarily use boilerplate language from HR, while the actual manager has very different ideas about whats most important in the role. Also, frankly, most employers just suck at writing job descriptions , so its useful to have a conversation about what the role is really about. You might find out that while the job posting listed 12 different responsibilities, your success in fact just hinges on 2 of them, or that the posting dramatically understated the importance of 1 of them, or that the hiring manager is battling with her own boss about expectations for the role, or even that the manager has no idea what success would look like in the job .
2. What are some of the challenges you expect the person in this position to face?
3. Can you describe a typical day or week in the job?
4. How long did the previous person in the role hold the position? What has turnover in the role generally been like?
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What Kind Of Work Environment Do You Like Best
Maybe you love working alone, but if the job you’re interviewing for is in a call center, that answer will do you no good.
So take a step back and think about the job you’re applying for and the company’s culture . If a flexible schedule is important to you, but the company doesn’t offer one, focus on something else. If you like constant direction and support and the company expects employees to self-manage, focus on something else.
Find ways to highlight how the company’s environment will work well for you — and if you can’t find ways, don’t take the job, because you’ll be miserable.
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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Do You Like Working With A Team Or Working Alone
This really depends on what opening the job seekers are applying for. Is it a desk job that only requires them to be by themselves self or is it work that demands coordination and communication with others?
If you analyze that the applicants are people who are flexible, willing to do multi-tasking, and wouldnt be bothered if at times they work alone or with a team, these could be the best professionals to hire.
This question has more importance at this time due to the current remote working environment.
What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment
Its easy to get hung up on figuring out your single most impressive accomplishment. Instead, think of a few achievements that showcase your work ethic and values. If you can, pick examples that also tie back to the job youre applying for. The STAR method is a great tool to ensure you highlight the parts of your story that employers want to hear.
Example answer:In my last role, I managed all social media content. I noticed other brands were experimenting with videos and seeing great engagement from their customers, so I asked my boss if we could do a low-budget test. She agreed, so I produced a video cheaply in-house that drove double the engagement we normally saw on our social channels. It also drove conversions with 30% of viewers visiting our website within a week of seeing the video.
Read more: Interview Question: What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
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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.
What Made You Excited To Get Up And Come To Work At Your Last Job
It’s true that many people dislike their jobs. For the companies that want to have the best culture and employer brand though, it’s important that employees are emotionally invested in coming to work. No doubt you have many employees for whom this is the case, your goal should be to swell their ranks!
Explore why candidates found their last role exciting and what motivated them to keep dig deep when the going got tough. If they didn’t find their last role stimulating, find out why.
Are they likely to find work at your company interesting? This is more important than you think. It can be a great motivator for those late nights and lengthy projects.
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What Is Your Teaching Philosophy
This isnt a question solely for those applying to teaching positions. Employers may ask this of anyone who might be leading or teaching others. Your response will allow employers to gauge your personal skills and if you would be a good culture add. A good answer will concisely identify what you think teaching should achieve and include concrete examples to illustrate your ideas.
Example answer:When it comes to managing people, my teaching philosophy is to start by asking questions that hopefully get the person to come to a new conclusion on their own. This way, they feel ownership over the learning rather than feeling micromanaged. For example, in my last role, I was editing an article written by a copywriter I managed. The story didnt have a clear focus or hook.
In a one-on-one meeting, I asked her what she thought was the main point of the article if she had to sum it up in a sentence. From there, I asked if she thought the focus was clear in the article. She didnt think it was clear and instead thought she should rework her introduction and conclusion. As a result, the article improved and my direct report learned a valuable writing lesson that she carried into her future work.
Read more: Interview Question: What is Your Teaching Philosophy?
Why Is There A Gap In Your Work Experience
In most cases, a gap in your work experience doesnt really mean anything. You probably have a very good reason for it.
The interviewer, however, will definitely ask about it, and you should answer adequately.
Theres no secret sauce to answering this question, just let the recruiter know about your situation, whatever that may be:
- Maternity leave
- Caring for a sick family member
- Time off to pursue further education
- Relocating to a different city
- Working on a personal project
Whichever the case may be, just explain the situation in brief and move on.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that if you were laid off at work, or you quit and had trouble getting a new job, you should be very subtle about it.
If the interviewer knows that youre struggling to find a job, youre going to give them the upper hand in salary negotiations.
Possible answers:
I had a baby and had to take maternity leave.
- Sample Answer 2:
My father was sick, so I had to be the one to take care of him full-time over a few months.
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Are There Opportunities For Training And Progression Within The Role/company
Enquiring about development opportunities demonstrates to the interviewer that you’re serious about your career and committed to a future with the organisation.
You don’t want to be stuck in a dead-end job so if you’re unsure of the typical career path for someone in this role, asking this question will help you to assess whether a long-term career with the company is a possibility, or if you’d need to move on to gain further responsibility.
An Interview Is A Two
Now that you have a better idea about the questions to ask in an interview, you can steer the interview toward becoming more of a two-way conversation, rather than the usual nerve-filled interrogation associated with the interview process.
Armed with these questions to ask your interviewer, get the answers you need and walk away well-informed of the opportunity presented to you.
Want to learn how to pull off the perfect interview? Get hired with these interview tips.
Need to spruce up your resume? Dont forget to check out our free resume templates or our easy-to-use resume builder.
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How Long Will The Interview Take
Once you know who and how many people youll meet with, you should have a vague idea of how long your interview will last. However, its better to have the company tell you than for you to guess.
For example, lets say youre meeting with 10 people. Thats a lot of interviewing! And, whether its a panel format or one-on-one format, youre going to be at the interview for a while. Having that information in advance helps you plan your day accordingly and prepare.
However, dont assume that just because youre meeting with one or two people means youll be in and out in an hour. Some interviewers like to ask a lot of questions or ask you to demonstrate your skills through problem-solving. Its better to ask the scheduler what to expect time-wise than make the wrong assumptions.
Interviews Are Learning Experiences
A job interview shouldnt be a one-way street. Its more effective when the experience is more conversational. Beyond assessing the qualifications of applicants, interviews can also be teaching moments for company leaders. Based on the questions theyre asked, interviewers can get a sense for whats important to candidates, and what areas the company might need to improve upon to attract talent.
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B Technical Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
These questions are at the core of technical interviews. If youre the hiring manager or a team member who does a similar job as the position youre hiring for, youll want to ask these questions. Note that technical does not mean tech-related in this case, it means specific and job-related.
To find the best technical interview questions to ask potential employees, search for the role youre hiring for in our vast library of 350+ interview question samples. Here are examples of jobs companies are often looking to fill:
Technical questions are usually part of the second interview questions to ask candidates who have been shortlisted after the initial interview or screening call. In this stage, youre evaluating the candidates ability to actually do the job.
How Do You Handle Stress
How you handle stressful situations is an indicator of your ability to solve problems. Employers want to hire candidates who react to stress constructively, so its important that your answer to this question demonstrates personal growth.
Spend some time thinking about your response to stressful situations and provide an example that communicates your abilities around perseverance, resilience and stress management.
Example answer:Im able to stay calm when I focus on the bigger picture and break down my projects into smaller tasks. I always start by asking myself, What is the ultimate goal Im trying to achieve? From there, I make a list of immediate and long-term action items with achievable but ambitious deadlines. Even if the big project is due tomorrow, I ask myself, Whats something I can tackle in the next 30 minutes? Before I know it, Ive made significant progress and that impossible project doesnt seem so impossible.
Read more: Interview Question: How Do You Handle Stress?
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Tell Me About The Last Time A Co
Conflict is inevitable when a company works hard to get things done. Mistakes happen. Sure, strengths come to the fore, but weaknesses also rear their heads. And that’s OK. No one is perfect.
But a person who tends to push the blame — and the responsibility for rectifying the situation — onto someone else is a candidate to avoid. Hiring managers would much rather choose candidates who focus not on blame but on addressing and fixing the problem.
Every business needs employees who willingly admit when they are wrong, step up to take ownership for fixing the problem, and, most important, learn from the experience.
Do You Have Any Interests Outside Of Work
If the interviewer asks you this question, take it as a good sign!
It means that they liked your professional background, and now theyre just trying to get to know you and see if youre a good fit for the company culture.
Its pretty hard to go wrong here, unless youre going to answer something like:
I have literally no hobbies.
or…
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Why Are You Interested In Working Here
Another common interview question that could be phrased a number of ways:
- Why do you want this job?
- Why are you interested in this position?
However, this question is specifically asking you to keep the company in mind in your response.
A good, well-thought-out response should touch on aspects of the company or job that werent on the job ad, or the industry itself, thus displaying your own research.
Some examples of this could be:
- Thought leaders within the company or industry
- Company mission, values, culture, and/or reputation
- Company projects or initiatives
- The products or services within their portfolio
You want to make sure you display your enthusiasm and motivation for the role. You dont want to be too general that could imply a lack of research so you want to be specific aspects of the company, as well as the specific position you are applying for.
For example, As someone who regularly uses technology products, I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to work on your marketing campaigns. I would be proud to work for an industry leader and not just in tech trends, but in cutting edge research and development. I also have friends who work here, and I know this organisation rewards innovative thinking. I love coming up with novel, out-of-the-box solutions to business challenges, so I think I could make a great contribution not just to the company, but to the marketing team itself.
Can I Expect This Role To Evolve Over Time
If you are looking for a job with room for growth, this is an excellent question to ask. It can help you figure out if you can progress in your profession while working for the company. If you are someone who isn’t looking for a change, it can also help you determine if this is job will stay the same.
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B Illegal Interview Questions
This goes without saying. Using one of these illegal interview questions to ask the interviewee can damage your employer brand at best and, at worst, you might actually run afoul of the law or even get sued.
The problem with illegal questions is that they often crop up in an interview without the interviewer being aware that theyre illegal. But, often, these questions are also personal and not job-related, so its easy to learn to steer clear of them. Here are some examples of illegal questions:
- How old are you?
- Are you a native English speaker?
- Do you plan to have children?
- Are you married or plan to get married soon?
- Have you ever been arrested?
- Have you ever used any drugs?
- When did you graduate?
These interview questions have the potential of illegally disadvantaging a protected group. For example, in the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warns against making decisions based on arrest records because this may cause you to unwittingly discriminate against protected groups. Similarly, in the UK, age is one of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. This means that a direct question about age, or even an indirect one might get you in trouble.
