Types Of Questions You Should Ask During An Interview
To be successful, you should ask a range of questions during the interview to show your interest and further demonstrate your ability. It’s best to write down a list of top questions regarding the position, the interviewer’s career path, etc. and bring it to the interview. Here are the types of questions you should ask in an interview and why:
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Questions about the position
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Questions about the department where the open position is located
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Questions about the company culture
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Questions about the next stage of the interview process
A Cliche Interview Questions
You might have noticed that many of the common questions to ask in an interview are missing. These are questions were all familiar with such as Whats your greatest weakness? or Why should we hire you? The biggest problem with these questions is that theyre some of the most asked interview questions and candidates likely have prepared their answers ahead of time. There is plenty of content online for candidates instructing them how to answer these questions, meaning you may not get a truthful answer at all.
Plus, you cant be sure what exactly the answers to these questions indicate. Granted, if someone says I dont have any weaknesses or offers the covert brag of Im too hard-working, youll know they may not have the attitude youre looking for. But, most candidates will likely take the middle road naming a weakness thats small and unimportant. So, how do you compare answers of different candidates? You probably cant at least not confidently.
So, every time youre thinking of asking a well-worn, cliched question, consider a refreshing alternative not to catch the candidate off-guard, but to get a more genuine answer from them. Here are some examples:
Old question: Why should we hire you?
Better alternative: If you were hired, how do you think you could help with this project?
Old question: What is your greatest weakness?
Better alternative: Describe a time when you failed in your previous job.
Old question: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
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:
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What Is Your Greatest Achievement
When answering interview questions like this, it is important to think carefully before you answer – you need to avoid sounding like your bragging, whilst still demonstrating your achievement in a way that makes you stand out from other candidates.
Continuing our list of common interview questions with answers, click the link below to find out why employers ask this interview question, as well as professional and non-professional greatest achievement examples, ideas and sample answers to help you construct your own answer to the interview question…
How to answer what is your greatest achievement
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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B Teamwork Interview Questions
- Describe a group project you worked on. What was your role and what did you achieve?
- Has your team ever failed to reach a goal? If so, what went wrong and what did you learn from that experience?
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a colleague you didnt get along with.
- Imagine you have submitted a piece of work that you thought was finished, but a colleague returns it to you with multiple corrections and comments that would take you hours to address. What would you do?
- Your manager hates your latest work. What do you do?
- Describe a time you were assigned new tasks How did you adapt?
What Are Your Pet Peeves
Heres another one that feels like a minefield. But itll be easier to navigate if you know why an interviewer is asking it. Most likely, they want to make sure youll thrive at their companyand get a glimpse of how you deal with conflict. So be certain you pick something that doesnt contradict the culture and environment at this organization while still being honest. Then explain why and what youve done to address it in the past, doing your best to stay calm and composed. Since theres no need to dwell on something that annoys you, you can keep this response short and sweet.
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Why Are You Leaving Your Job
Makeameme – Sayingimages
This is another one of those behavioral interview questions.
The specific reasons for your leaving are often less important to the interviewer than how you conduct yourself when discussing it.
The interviewer is often looking to see if you speak ill of your former employer and/or left on good terms.
How to Answer:
When asked about why you are moving on, state your reason in a positive manner rather than being directly critical or accusatory.
Focus on what you’ll get out of the change in employment. If you are currently employed, you can explain that your career goals dont line up with the company’s direction, and if you were recently let go, give them a brief overview about why, without ever bashing your previous employer.
Example Answers:
“My current employers vision has changed over the past few years and no longer lines up with mine.
After 4 years with the organization, Ive made the decision to look for a company where I can utilize my skills and share similar values…”
Explain How You Would Handle Hard Decisions You Have To Make As A Nurse Manager
It’s important to understand by asking that question, the interviewer wants to see what you find difficult about nursing leadership.
Example Answer
From what I have learned about the role of the nurse manager, I feel that the hardest decision I will have to make will involve prioritizing competing demands of patient care and staff within an ever-changing working environment. I will need to coordinate resources to ensure the best treatment and care for our patients and balance that against the needs of staff and partners to provide continuous safe, effective, and efficient service. I believe that I have the necessary skills and experience to ensure that I consistently meet the demands of this role.
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What Is Your Salary Range Expectation
Interviewers ask this question to make sure your expectations are in line with the amount theyve budgeted for the role. If you give a salary range exceedingly lower or higher than the market value of the position, it gives the impression that you dont know your worth. Here are three ways to approach this response:
Provide a range
Research the typical compensation range for the role on Indeed Salaries and make the low end of your range your lowest acceptable salary. For example, if you require at least $50,000 annually, you might offer the interviewer a range of $50,000-$60,000 per year. Let the hiring manager know if youre flexible.
Example answer:My salary expectation is between $XX,XXX and $XX,XXX, which is the average salary for a candidate with my level of experience in this city. However, I am flexible and willing to discuss.
Include negotiation options
There may be other benefits, perks or forms of compensation you find just as valuable as your salary.
Example answer:I am seeking a position that pays between $75,000 and $80,000 annually, but I am open to negotiate salary depending on benefits, bonuses, equity, stock options and other opportunities.
Deflect the question
If youre early in the hiring process and still learning the specifics of the job duties and expectations, you may want to deflect the question for later in the conversation.
Read more:
What Are Your Greatest Strengths And Weaknesses
This common interview question can often catch candidates off guard, especially for those who haven’t come across it before in a job interview – you will be tested on your level of self-awareness, your skillset, as well as your composure and communication skills.
We have explored this interview question and how to answer effectively without sounding like you’re bragging or giving a cliché answer and trying to spin a strength as a weakness! Check out a top ‘what is your greatest strength’ and ‘what is your greatest weakness’ sample answer and what else you should avoid when answering one of the most common interview questions for graduates.
How to answer what are your strengths and weaknesses
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Tell Me About A Time You Demonstrated Leadership Skills
You dont have to have a fancy title to act like a leader or demonstrate leadership skills. Think about a time when you headed up a project, took the initiative to propose an alternate process, or helped motivate your team to get something done. Then use the STAR method to tell your interviewer a story, giving enough detail to paint a picture and making sure you spell out the result. In other words, be clear about why youre telling this particular story and connect all the dots for the interviewer.
Tell Me About A Time You Had To Deal With A Difficult Client How Did You Handle It
This question may be more relevant to some roles than others, but what interviewers want to know is this: can you stay level headed in a challenging situation? Are you able to put aside your anger and frustration in order to do a professional job? What do your conflict-resolution skills look like?
A variation of this is likely to come up regardless of whether you have a customer-facing role. It may be phrased like this:
- Have you had any experience responding to unhappy clients?
- Tell us about a time you made a mistake at work.
- Tell us about a time you led a team while there was conflict.
The best way to answer this question is, again, utilising the STAR method.
Describe the situation outline the task you were responsible for talk about the action you took and why you chose to response in that way and end with the result, and perhaps a lesson you learned.
For example: In my last position as a receptionist, I received a call from an unhappy customer demanding a refund for a faulty product. However, as I worked at the corporate office, I couldnt process the refund myself that had to be done at a store level.
So, I expressed my understanding at their frustration, apologised that they had received a product that didnt work, and told them that their local store would be able to work with them to either provide a working product, or process a refund. I asked them what suburb they lived in in order to provide the phone number and address of the store closest to them.
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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.
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Ask Questions To Show Interest And Learn About The Organization
Keep in mind that an interview is a two-way street. Not only is the employer assessing you, you are also deciding whether you would want to work for the organization. Welcome the interviewers invitation to ask questions as an opportunity to show your interest and find out information that will help you make a good decision.
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Tell Me About A Time You Made A Mistake
Youre probably not too eager to dig into past blunders when youre trying to impress an interviewer and land a job. But talking about a mistake and winning someone over arent mutually exclusive, Moy says. In fact, if you do it right, it can help you. The key is to be honest without placing blame on other people, then explain what you learned from your mistake and what actions you took to ensure it didnt happen again. At the end of the day, employers are looking for folks who are self-aware, can take feedback, and care about doing better.
What Major Challenges And Problems Did You Face How Did You Handle Them
What They Want to Know: With this question, the interviewer is trying to understand how you handle issues and problems. Can you figure out solutions and workarounds when there is a problem? How adept are you at problem-solving? Do you enjoy a challenge, or do you get nervous when there’s a glitch?
When I was first hired as store manager, our turnover rate was 75% and we were chronically understaffed. I implemented performance incentive programs that reduced attrition by 63% and significantly improved our talent pipeline by focusing on internal training and promotion.
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Best Interview Questions To Ask Candidates In 2021
You found our list of the best interview questions to ask candidates.
Interview questions are questions that employers ask to determine the best fit for a position among a pool of candidates. Because interviewers have a limited amount of time to evaluate candidates, recruiters select questions that elicit informative and comprehensive answers. Examples of the most common interview questions include tell me about yourself, and what is your greatest accomplishment? but interviewers occasionally pose more strategic or unique questions to test applicants critical thinking skills and creativity.
These questions can also serve as icebreaker questions or team building questions.
This article contains:
So, here is the list!
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.
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How Do You Handle Conflict At Work
Employers ask this question to gauge how you interact with various stakeholders or colleagues of differing opinions. Often, being the right person for the job involves more than just hard skills, hiring managers also value candidates who can collaborate with others and approach conflict in a productive way.
A good answer will discuss a time you encountered a conflict with a colleague, client or manager and maintained the patience to resolve it. Its important to relay what you learnedhow you grew personally and professionallyas a result of the experience. Use the STAR method to construct your response.
Example answer:I was working as a project manager on an IT project, and one technician was constantly late finishing tasks. When I approached him about it, he reacted defensively. I kept calm and acknowledged that the deadlines were challenging and asked how I could assist him in improving his performance.
He calmed down and told me that he was involved in another project where he had to do tasks that were not in his job description. After a meeting with the other project manager, we came to a resolution that alleviated the technicians workload. For the remainder of the project, the technician delivered great work.
I learned that you dont always know what others are experiencing and by keeping that in mind, I can better navigate conflict and be a more helpful and supportive colleague.
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