What Questions Do They Ask You At A Job Interview

What Salary Are You Seeking

Questions to ask at the End of an Interview | Career Interview Tips

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?”

What Salary Do You Expect

Be realistic and answer this question in a respectful manner, as if you want to negotiate a good contract it is wise to be pragmatic. Do your research and propose a realistic salary based on what you earned previously and what you think is adequate for the job position. In the case that the job offers less than you had expected, you can always balance it out by asking for days where you can work from home, the number of holiday days and other benefits.

Instead of mentioning one specific number, you might want to mention a range e.g.:

I am interviewing for roles in the low 60s to high 60s salary range and I am flexible based on the nature of the responsibilities for the position.

I am ideally looking for 75k-80k but the most important thing is the job itself and the company culture.Whereas if you mention just one specific number, thats the maximum youll ever get and you might get offered less than that.

Most Common Interview Questions

When it comes to the interview process, research, and preparation for the interview can oftentimes determine your chances of making it to the next step. One of the best ways to get ready for a virtual job interview is to practice your responses to the most common interview questions.

To help you get started, Glassdoor sifted through tens of thousands of interview reviews to find out some of the most common interview questions candidates get asked during recent interviews. So, if you have a job interview lined up, practice in front of a mirror or ask a friend or family member to listen to your answers to the following questions so youll be ready to put your best foot forward.

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What Do You Like To Do Outside Of Work

Interviewers will sometimes ask about your hobbies or interests outside of work in order to get to know you a little betterto find out what youre passionate about and devote time to during your off-hours. Its another chance to let your personality shine. Be honest, but keep it professional and be mindful of answers that might make it sound like youre going to spend all your time focusing on something other than the job youre applying for.

Tell Us About Yourself

Ever wondered what interviewers think when they ask these ...

This predictable question is the icebreaker most often used to start the session. Interviewers often ask it in a casual, almost offhand way. This is purposeful, as the question is often meant to transition into the deeper, more meaningful queries that will follow.

When asked this question, you should offer the interviewer a new insight into your skills, traits, and/or background. They have already read your resume, so you will want to avoid simply repeating its contents. You should avoid getting too personal here, so try to skip talking about your spouse, children, age, or anything else relating to non-business activities. Instead, pick something safe if you want to add a personal touch. Im learning to surf or I recently adopted a dog are great examples.

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What Attracted You To Apply For This Position

By asking this question you, as the interviewer, should be able to gauge if job seeker has an enthusiasm for the job opening or if they just applied blindly to the position.

You could also review the experience in their resume with the job opening and ask them how they would react to specific situations.

If You Could Be An Animal Which Animal Would You Be And Why

In asking this strange question , your interviewer has a specific objective. They arent looking for a particular answer as much as theyre testing you to see how fast and well you think on your feet.

From this perspective, the answer you give is of secondary importance. Likening yourself to a powerful eagle, cunning fox, or lordly lion matters to the interviewer less than the poise and confidence with which you respond.

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What Would Your First 30 60 Or 90 Days Look Like In This Role

Your potential future boss wants to know that youve done your research, given some thought to how youd get started, and would be able to take initiative if hired. So think about what information and aspects of the company and team youd need to familiarize yourself with and which colleagues youd want to sit down and talk to. You can also suggest one possible starter project to show youd be ready to hit the ground running and contribute early on. This wont necessarily be the thing you do first if you do get the job, but a good answer shows that youre thoughtful and that you care.

Tell Me About A Conflict You Faced At Work And How You Dealt With It

This question is important to ace because it helps an interviewer understand how you deal with conflict. It also helps test how well you think on your feetso if you prepare ahead of time with a specific example, youll avoid the awkward moment of silence while you try to think of an example.

Once you have an example in mind, simply explain what happened, how you resolved the issue in a professional manner, and try to end the story with a happy note about how you reached a resolution or compromise with your co-worker.

Why Did You Leave Your Old Job

Either a dreaded job interview question, a delicate one or one with a simple answer, youll almost definitely have to answer this common interview question. Whatever your situation, be sure to give things positive spin, but also be honest. Another important thing to remember is to not talk negatively about past jobs or employees.

If you were let go from your last job, theres no need to hide it or over-explain it. It happens most people were made redundant at some stage in their lives. You can say something as simple as unfortunately, I was let go. If your last company made a number of people redundant e.g. due to restructure or financial problems, mention that you dont want them to think you were the only employee who was let go, as it might make them think that it was due to low performance.

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Do You Prefer Hard Work Or Smart Work

Smart work on the other hand, means doing the work efficiently. If you manage to get the job done in 2 hours instead of 5, with the same end-result, youre doing smart work.

Keep in mind, though, that by asking this question, the interviewer is looking to understand what your work ethic is like. Meaning, theyre looking for a healthy combination of both, not just one.

That is, they want you to be the candidate who not only thinks smartly but works hard as well.

So, your answer here shouldnt be one-sided…

Oh, I looove smart work. Thats when you come up with what to do, and make other people do it, right?

Instead, explain how you excel at both:

Sample answer:

I dont particularly have a preference – I believe that both hard and smart work is important to get the best results.

Smart work, on one hand, lets you figure out the best and most efficient way to get things done.

Hard work, on the other hand, means that youll do the job right. Even if theres no way to do it smart or efficiently, youll be willing to put in long hours of work to get it done.

Im the type that does both.

For an example of smart for, during my time at , I was in charge of the sales department. As a process improvement initiative, I migrated from an outdated, in-house CRM, to Pipedrive. This improved the departments productivity by around 20%.

Interview Question #: What Career Development Opportunities Would I Have With The Company

Entry-level interviewers may not be as concerned as mid-level or senior interviewers with developmental and growth opportunities, depending on your career goals. How the company answers this question will tell you how much value is placed on employees. Asking this question will show recruiters and hiring managers you are interested in a long-term position where you can not only help the company grow, but work on your skills, as well.

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Can You Tell Me About A Time Where You Encountered A Business Challenge How Did You Overcome It

Behavioural question alert! This is your opportunity to use the CAR method: Context, Action, and Result. Choose an example that demonstrates where you have solved a business challenge using a skill that the employer is looking for.

Provide the background, describe what action you took and the professional result you achieved.

Describe A Difficult Work Situation Or Project And How You Overcame It

What They Want to Know: When you’re responding to questions about what you did on the job, be prepared to share an actual example of a challenging situation at work, what the issue was, and how you helped resolve it.

Our team, already understaffed, was thrown for a loop when a major customer demanded that we complete our deliverables two weeks ahead of schedule. Normally we try to accommodate such requests, but this time it wasnt possible. I explained the situation to the client, and told them we could either charge them more to support the cost of hiring a temp or, if they accepted the original deadline, wed give them a 20% discount on their next order. They opted for the latter.

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How To Answer Questions About Past Earnings

It would be naive to pretend that money is irrelevant when you’re job hunting. Talking about earnings can be really uncomfortable, but it’s part and parcel of the interview process.

Your interviewers will want to know how much you made at the past positions on your CV, especially your most recent role. This is all part of the salary negotiation process they want to know how much you’ll accept. Unfortunately it can put you in a sticky situation, as it’s likely they’ll look to offer you something close to your last position even if it was underpaid. There’s also the risk they’ll back off if they think they can’t afford you, not knowing that you’re willing to take a pay cut for the right role .

If you’re currently underpaid, say something along the lines of: “I’ve always felt that salary history is a private matter. However, based on my accomplishments and talents, I think a compensation level of £X to £Y would be appropriate.”

If you’re making a lot more than the salary range and are willing to take the cut, address it head on after revealing or being asked about your current salary. Explain your reasons for taking the drop to reassure your interviewers that you’re serious and won’t regret the decision later. For example, “I’m passionate about working in this industry so a drop in salary is a small sacrifice” or “this role has different responsibilities than my current one and I feel the compensation you’re offering is appropriate.”

How Do You Define Success

8 Smart Questions To Ask Hiring Managers In A Job Interview

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.

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Why Are You Interested In This Position

Interviewers typically want to be sure that you applied for this job because youre genuinely interested in it. Avoid voicing concerns about your current position or companynegative comments about your employer are often interpreted as unprofessional. A good answer will positively frame your transition and communicate your desire to grow in the role youre interviewing for.

Research the role and company ahead of time to understand how it relates to your background. Ask yourself questions such as, How will this position help me advance in my career?, How does the position align with my future goals? and What makes me a good fit for this company or role?

Example answer:While I highly valued my time at my previous company, there are no longer opportunities for growth that align with my career goals. This position fits perfectly with my skill set and how Im looking to grow in my career. Im also looking for a position at a company like yours that supports underserved communities, which is a personal passion of mine.

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 Is Your Greatest Weakness

What They Want to Know: There are different ways to tackle questions about weaknesses. One is to turn a negative into a positive by sharing an example of how something you considered to be a weakness actually helped you on the job. The other is to speak about additional skills you now have because you worked on those that needed an upgrade.

Im an introvert, which I used to regard as being a weakness because I was always shy about reaching out to people. However, part of being an introvert is that Im a great listener, and I find this has really helped me as a Help Desk Technician. Im able to focus on our customers issues, ask the right questions to elicit information, and resolve their tech issues.

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Tell Me About Your Greatest Achievement/disappointment In Your Life

The best job interview questions to ask employers for ...

Give one personal example . Then give your best professional accomplishment story.

As for the disappointment, give an answer similar to the one above implying that overall, I would say that Im quite satisfied with the way my life and career have been developing, so I really cant think of any major disappointments.

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How To Prepare For A Job Interview

You must prepare before the interview to be ready and competent during it. Research into the company and your desired role is key to performing at your best during the interview.

Its important to know all you can about the product you are promoting yourself and the consumer youre targeting your potential employer. Its all the same thing: its sales, said Ryan Bernier, a career advisor at Southern New Hampshire University and a former staffing specialist. Figure out what the company needs, and explain how you can provide that. Its simple, but not easy. Its really about knowing what they need and what you can honestly provide.

Before you even step foot in the hiring managers office, how you prepare for a job interview goes further than what youre planning on wearing or how to give a firm handshake. Many career advisors and recruiters consider your pre-interview prep crucial for success. Heres how to go in well-prepared.

Research the Company

If you really want to work at the company you’ve applied to, you will have done your homework on them before entering their premises. There’s no excuse for not knowing the basic history, corporate culture and current industry trends for any business in the digital age. Information is widely accessible, often all with a close look at their company website.

His process is:

See yourself from an employers perspective.

Really look at the job description.

Network and Query Insiders

Know the Job Applicant Yourself

What Are Killer Questions

9 Killer Interview Questions to Pull Your Candidate Off-Script

What makes you tick?
What do you need to know to work out whether you can work with me?
What is it we should be doing better?
What have you learned about yourself in the last five years?
Name a time you made a big mistake and what you learned from it.

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