What To Say In A Job Interview

‘i Am Always Looking For Opportunities To Build My Skills’

What to say in an interview

Although you need to show that you’re qualified for the position, employers also appreciate seeing that you’re willing to learn and adapt to a new work environment. When possible, highlight these traits with examples from your professional experience. For example, you may mention a situation where you had to learn a new software within a short time period to complete a task. You can also show your passion for the industry you’re in by mentioning how you stay updated on new trends and developments. Support these statements by referencing specific publications, blogs or podcasts that you use.

I Read About That Project On Your Website

An informed, knowledgeable candidate is a powerful candidate. Any time you can demonstrate youve done your homework is a way you set yourself apart, says Marinelli.

So, do a little detective work before you interview by reading not only the companys website but also its social media, business reports, and press releasesand look at recent news stories about the company for timely insight into the companys agenda.

At The Beginning Of The Interview

At the beginning of the interview, your goal is to make a strong first impression on the interviewer. You want to present yourself as polite, professional, and conscientious. While you shouldnt spend too much time on pleasantries, remember that your interviewer is a human being who will appreciate common courtesy. This will also start your interview off on the right foot!

Start the interview with a polite greeting:How are you today? or Im pleased to meet you!
Thank the interviewer for meeting with you:Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.
Mention who you know at the company:I was so excited when _____ told me this position was open!
Express your gratitude for being considered:I really appreciate being considered for this role.
Convey that youve researched the role and the company:“Ive done a lot of research already, and Im excited to learn more about your company from you.
Point out that youre a great fit for the job:Ive reviewed the job description, and it aligns well with my experience and qualifications. Im looking forward to talking more about these with you.

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How Do You Avoid These Common Interview Mistakes

Study up before your interview. Learn about the company and review the job description to identify which of your skills fit the job.
Give them a solid handshake and make eye contact. These things give an immediate impression that you’re confident and trustworthy.
Be on time!
Keep detailed information about your personal life out.
Leave your cell phone in your car, or put it on silent and leave it in your purse or briefcase.

Discussions About Benefits Vacation And Pay

The interview is the time you want to focus on portraying why you are the best candidate for the position and motivate the interviewer or employer to make you a job offer. You should try to avoid asking about benefits, vacation time and pay unless these topics are first brought up by the interviewer. Instead, try to wait until they give you a job offer before you begin negotiations. Instead of explicitly asking about benefits, vacation or pay, you can mention this conversation toward the end of the interview. This politely lets the interviewer know you still have questions about the benefits the position has to offer but doesn’t pressure them to answer those questions right away.

Example:”I look forward to hearing more about the benefits and compensation during our next conversation.”

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Useful Expressions To Built Rapport With Your Interviewer

If youve done any research on successful interviewing, by now you probably have a good idea of what not to say in an interview. But, what you should say might not be so obvious. It can be hard to know how to make a persuasive case for an employer to hire you.

Its also easy to get caught up in practicing interview questions and answers and completely forget to review the basic ideas you should express in order to make a great first impression on your interviewer. Remember that an interview isnt a test or at least, it isnt only a test. Its also a conversation and a chance to discover whether youll be a good fit for the role.

Tell Me A Little About Yourself

If you’re the interviewer, there’s a lot you should already know: The candidate’s resume and cover letter should tell you plenty, and LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook and Google can tell you more.

The goal of an interview is to determine whether the candidate will be outstanding in the job, and that means evaluating the skills and attitude required for that job. Does she need to be an empathetic leader? Ask about that. Does she need to take your company public? Ask about that.

If you’re the candidate, talk about why you took certain jobs. Explain why you left. Explain why you chose a certain school. Share why you decided to go to grad school. Discuss why you took a year off to backpack through Europe, and what you got out of the experience.

When you answer this question, connect the dots on your resume so the interviewer understands not just what you’ve done, but also why.

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List Of Weaknesses: 10 Things To Say In An Interview

It can be hard to answer the question, What is your greatest weakness?especially when you expect to be discussing the skills, talents and capabilities that make you the strongest candidate for the job.

Framing your weaknesses positively can be challenging, but when you combine self-awareness with an action plan, you can quickly stand apart from other job applicants.

The key to preparing for this question is to identify weaknesses that still communicate strength. This will show the interviewer youre introspective enough to know your areas of opportunity.

Can You Tell Me More About The Team I Would Be Working In

5 Dangerous Things to Avoid Saying In a Job Interview

This will help you understand the way the company is structured, who you’ll report to and the department the role sits within. These are the people you’ll work most closely with, so it’s worth trying to find out about the team dynamic and working methods.

Depending on the response, it may also give you the opportunity to mention any experience or success you’ve had working in similar teams – just to give the employer one final example of how well you’ll fit in if you get the job.

Other useful questions to ask at interview include those about:

performance appraisals
opportunities or challenges facing the department/company
company-specific projects or campaigns.

If the employer doesn’t give an indication of what happens next then a good way to wrap up the interview is by asking about the next steps and when you can expect to hear from them.

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Why Should We Hire You

Employers ask, Why should we hire you to see how well you understand the role, and to hear your perspective on how your skills can help them.

When you hear interview questions like this, you should be thinking about their role, their needs, and how youll help them. How will they benefit if they hire you? What will you improve for them? What will become easier, more efficient, or more profitable?

And show youve done your research. Make it clear that you know what this position involves and that youre ready to perform those exact tasks in your next job.

Be confident in your skills and abilities
Talk about specific things you can help them do or achieve if they hire you
Do your research before the interview and understand their needs, so you can tailor your answers and target the specific things theyll need if they hire you in this role

Dont:

Say I dont know
Say You should hire whoever you want
Give a generic answer thatd fit any company. You really need to tailorthis to the specific duties youll be performing in THIS specific job. Otherwise your answer will not impress them.

Example interview answer:

I read on the job description that youre looking for someone with experience in ____. Ive done that for 3 years and can immediately help you accomplish ____.

What Is Your Current Salary

Of all the tough interview questions you might be asked, salary interview questions might be some of the toughest to answer.

Of course, every job seeker wants to get the highest possible salary. But should you disclose your current salary to a potential employer? The short answer is no, if you can help it.

Heres why: Several states and localities now bar employers from asking this question in an attempt to end pay discrimination, which can happen when employers continuously base a persons salary on what a previous employer paid them, says Brie Reynolds, FlexJobs Career Development Manager and Coach.

Even if you live in a state where this question is legal, here are some ways to answer that dont force you to disclose your current salary, thereby locking you into a cycle of lower pay than youre actually worth:

Before we discuss pay, Id like to learn more about the full scope of the role.
Id be happy to discuss salary and Im interested to know what you had in mind for the pay range for this role.
Im looking for a range of $75,000 to $85,000 for this type of role and Im very open to talking it through further.
Would you be able to tell me more about the budget or range for this role?

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I Could Use More Experience In

Each candidate has areas to improve upon in their expertise. Maybe its something specific like building pivot tables in Excel. Perhaps its a skill like math, writing or public speaking. Whatever the case, sharing something you want to improve upon shows the interviewer that youre self-aware and like to challenge yourself. Be sure, however, that you dont answer with a weakness that is essential to the role.

A few common areas people need experience in include:

Verbal communication
Specific programs

Based On What I’ve Learned I Believe I Can Do This Job Well

Telling the interviewer that you believe you can meet the expectations discussed in the interview can make them feel that you care about the compatibility of you and the company. This shows that you took everything they said into consideration and only made your decision about your ability once you received all the information.

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job

There are a lot of good answers to this interview question. There isnt just one right answer. Here are some guidelines:

If you chose to leave on your own terms, stay positive and focus on what you wanted to gain from the decision, rather than bad-mouthing or focusing on negatives you wanted to avoid.

And if you were fired or laid off, be upfront and clear. Youre not going to make employers want to hire you by being vague or trying to hide something.

If you got fired, show what youve learned from the experience, and what youve done to make sure this doesnt happen again. Thats how to spin it into a positive.

Be clear and direct and address the question head-on
If you were fired, own up to it and share what youve done to make sure this never happens again
If you chose to resign, focus on the positive things you hoped to gain by moving to the next opportunity, rather than badmouthing or talking about the negatives in your last role

Dont:

Dont badmouth or complain
Never say you resigned because of a disagreement or argument with a coworker
Dont make it sound like money is your main priority
Dont try to hide facts or avoid the question this will just lead to more questions and suspicion from the interviewer

Example answer:

You can also get more ideas for how to answer this on our list of 20 answers for why did you leave your last job.

Remember This Is Often Your First Impression And It Matters

We really only have one chance to make a first impression, Davis says. My opinion is that most hiring decisions are made in the first minute, which includes your greeting, handshake, eye contact, and the first thing you say, which may very well be your response to tell me about yourself.

Even if the powers that be arent making an irreversible determination shortly after the conversation begins, a first impression can color the rest of the interview. If you have to spend the rest of the time making up for a bad opening, youre in a very different position than if you gave a succinct, confident, and relevant answer right off the bat.

Be prepared for this question and show interviewers you prepared for it, Campos says. The confidence that comes across in this is a really good place to start from.

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What You Should Not Say

Many job candidates make the mistake of answering this question with talk of something personal. Some even launch into their life story, starting with their hometown and continuing on through their college graduation.

Alternately, others share descriptions of the problems in their current job, explaining that they applied for this position because their boss is a micromanager or their employer wont allow them to work a flexible schedule.

And some job seekers simply summarize their resume, going point-by-point through their work experience and education history.

All three of these responses can quickly send your new-job dreams down the tubes. If you answer with either of the first two, hiring managers see a red flag an indication that youre not that serious about the position or simply trying to escape a bad situation at your current job.

And if you go with the third approach, youre throwing away an opportunity. You can assume the interviewers read your resume before inviting you for the interview, and they dont need you to walk them through it.

What Not To Say

What to say at your job interview (all my BEST phrases and tips!)

Dont share too much or too little information. The interviewer doesn’t want to know everything about you, but disclosing too little can make him or her wonder why you aren’t more open.

Avoid potentially contentious subjects such as political or religious leanings, unless you are absolutely positive that your opinions would be well-received by your interviewer.

Dont talk about a hobby that might seem to be more important to you than your career. No employer wants to take a chance on hiring someone who will miss a lot of work or ask for extensive vacation time to pursue their passions outside of work.

Avoid sharing personal information about your family. There is no need to discuss spouses, partners, children, or any other strictly personal information.

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I Look Forward To Hearing From You

Telling the interviewer that you look forward to hearing from them further expresses your interest in getting started. If your next step is hearing from a different person like a manager or business owner, tell the interviewer that you look forward to hearing from that person. You might consider asking for his or her name so you can make a good first impression when you are called.

‘what Are The Next Steps In This Process’

Understanding the next steps in the hiring process can help set your expectations. For example, the hiring manager may provide a timeline for when you can expect to hear from them. Asking about future steps will also show interviewers you’re eager and interested in the position. In the final interview stages, you may also use this question as an opportunity to ask if they need anything else from you to make their decision.

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Getting Past Tough Interview Questions And Acing The Interview

Theres no way around it, youll have to answer hard interview questions, but your goal should be to always be prepared for them. That way, youll know how to answer any interview question easily and deftlyand get the job. .

If you’re looking to practice your interview skills, FlexJobs can help. Our in-house expert career coaches can conduct mock interviews that will help you gain confidence. Learn more about these and other benefits of membership today!

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