How Would You Improve This Company/specific Operation
How to Answer: Your vision for improving the company is the reason why youor someone elsewill get hired. Come prepared with ideas for how youd make one aspect of the companysomething that is, of course, related to the job function of the position in questionbetter.
You dont need to disparage the way the company is currently doing things to make your point instead, just demonstrate that youve thought about this question and have innovative ideas.
Example: Ive considered the way this department operates and would work to streamline that process by .
Question: What Is Your Greatest Weakness
I hate the greatest weakness question. Everyone knows its a trap, and everyone knows the candidate is going to say something trite .
Focus on them: Dont pick a weakness that will disqualify you for the job, but do give a real answer.
When you give a real answer, you are being genuine. You are admitting you have some growth opportunities and are not perfect. But you can include that you already have a plan to overcome this weakness through training or practice .
Some people even insert a little humor in their answerI wish I was better at tennis. You can, too, if you feel like the interviewer has a sense of humor. But, be sure to quickly follow with a serious answer. Showing you have a lighter side is usually a good thing.
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.
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Why Are You Currently Unemployed
How to Answer: Ok, we admit its unlikely the interviewer will put the point so bluntly. Typically, this question is asked in the following way: Tell me about why you left your .
What they really want to ask is: Were you fired and if so, why? People are reorganized and fired all the time for reasons that have nothing to do with their individual performance. On the other hand, some people are fired for cause as well.
Whichever category you fall into, be sure to spin the best story possible without being defensive. The more casual and confident you can be in your answer, the easier it will be for your interviewer to conclude what you want them to: Ok, no big deal.
Example: I took some time off to fully immerse myself in my studies. Now that Ive gotten my second degree in education, Im looking forward to putting it into practice.
What Should I Know Thats Not On Your Resume
Its a good sign if a recruiter or hiring manager is interested in more than just whats on your resume. It probably means they looked at your resume, think you might be a good fit for the role, and want to know more about you. To make this wide-open question a little more manageable, try talking about a positive trait, a story or detail that reveals a little more about you and your experience, or a mission or goal that makes you excited about this role or company.
Read More:The Right Way to Answer What Should I Know Thats Not on Your Resume?
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What Percentage Of Employees Was Brought In By Current Employees
Employees who love their jobs naturally recommend their company to their friends and peers. The same is true for people in leadership positions — people naturally try to bring on board talented people they previously worked with. They’ve built relationships, developed trust, and shown a level of competence that made someone go out of their way to follow them to a new organization.
And all of that speaks incredibly well to the quality of the workplace and the culture.
What Really Drives Results In This Job
Employees are investments, and you expect every employee to generate a positive return on his or her salary.
In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR team to fill job openings, but what you really want is for them to find the right candidates, because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.
You need your service techs to perform effective repairs, but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits — in short, to build customer relationships and even generate additional sales.
Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference and drives results, because they know helping the company succeed means they will succeed as well.
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What Single Project Or Task Would You Consider Your Most Significant Career Accomplishment To Date Walk Me Through The Plan How You Managed It How You Measured Success And What The Biggest Mistakes You Made Were
Lou Adler, one of the world’s foremost recruiting thinkers, has made no secret of his 10 year search for the perfect interview question. After all his research, this is the question that he landed upon. He believes it’s the best indicator of whether you should, or shouldn’t hire someone.
Interview questions like this are the whole package. Candidates have an opportunity to give you a behind the scenes tour of the professional accomplishment that they’re most proud of. You’ll get insights into how they plan and run projects, as well as how the bar they set for success.
Top candidates will also use the “biggest mistakes” part of the question to display a sense of ownership for any weak points in the project.
Know When To Tell A Story And When Not To
Storytelling is a great skill to be more memorable and persuasive, but you need to know when to use it
Dont tell a story for a yes/no question. Thats going to drive the interviewer insane.
However, for questions that open the door for you to give a longer answer, like behavioral questions , storytelling is a powerful skill.
Example:
Lets say they ask a question like, tell me about your experience serving customers in a fast-paced environment.
You could just say, Ive worked with customers a lot and my last company was very fast-paced, but thats not going to be very memorable.
Youll be a lot more memorable if you paint a picture through storytelling.
You might say, In my last job, I interacted with an average of 50 customers per day. I really excel in a fast-paced environment like this. In fact, each year our company gives an award to the top person in customer service, and I won last year for earning the highest customer satisfaction rating.
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Most Common Interview Questions
Preparing yourself for a job interview is crucial for getting through to the next stage of the job application process. Interview questions can stump jobseekers or catch them off guard, leaving them speechless or in a muddle as to what to say. Thats why its a good idea to prepare for the most common interview questions and do plenty of research on the company and the type of job before the interview.
Use the following tips to learn how to answer interview questions and read through our typical interview questions.
Describe Yourself In 3 Words
Attempting to describe your personality in a graduate job interview can be tricky – and this is especially true when you’re limited to just a few words.
What’s the best approach to this common job interview question? Choose from our list of words to describe yourself in an interview, you’ll want to select the words that describe your working style, personality and priorities in the very best light!
How to answer describe yourself in 3 words
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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.
What Are You Expecting In Terms Of Salary
How to Answer: We believe that anchoring your salary expectations to your prior salary is the surest way to get very incremental pay raises. Ideally, youve done your compensation research and understand the salary possibilities for the role. If not, and you must anchor your salary expectations to what you have previously earned, dont frame the expectations that way.
Simply state the number you believe you should receive for the role .
Example: Understanding the market and given my experience, I believe that is fair.
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Have You Ever Been On A Sales Team You Didnt Like Why
Winning Tip: This one is meant to throw you off. And answered inappropriately it can be a dealbreaker. Youll want to avoid especially harsh statements here. For example, describing your old team as lazy, dimwitted, and annoying may be true. But they reflect on you negatively and make you come off as judgmental or hard to work with.
Instead, try to highlight business-related problems and, specifically, what you did to help overcome those problems.
Example:
At my previous employer, our sales team was consistently falling short of our monthly goals. And despite being a fantastic motivator, our manager wasnt particularly good at problem-solving. So it was left to the reps to define and refine our own sales processes to meet our numbers.
After I developed a successful process, I shared what I learned with the team, and we closed more deals than ever.
‘why Should We Hire You Over Other Applicants’
This is one of the most ridiculous questions its not like your best buds with your competition and know what their strengths and weaknesses are. The hiring manager is testing you with this question to see how much you want it and how you can sell yourself.
Ignore the other candidates and tell them what you can bring to the table. You could say something along the lines of from what I understand you are looking for a candidate you can do X Y and Z which sounds a lot like what I did at my previous company. I dont personally know the other candidates but I have the dedication and passion thats right for this position and company.
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Question: Why Do You Want This Job
There should be a heartfelt answer on this one. Your gut should be giving you the answer.
Although, if the reason is about money, location, work schedule, benefits, and other factors not tied to actual role, you may want to think a little more about your answer. None of those reasons are important to the hiring manager.
Focus on them: They want to hear that this job is exactly what youve been thinking about as a next step in your career.
Of course, the follow-up question theyll ask is: How so?
Be prepared to answer with your rationale for how this job meets your professional needs and how you can contribute at your highest potential while in this role. People want to feel like their work means something. There is nothing wrong with sharing that feeling in a thoughtful way.
How Christianne Yu Followed Her Purpose To A Role At Helm
How Christianne Yu Followed Her Purpose to a Role at Helm
Christianneor Tianne, to her colleaguesYu has been her family’s tech support for as long as she can remember.
Over the years, she has helped her family set up their cell phones, use their computers, and solve their wifi issues, along with fixing other technical snafus.
In so doing, she found her way into an overarching passion and mission that’s guided her career ever since.
“My purpose in life is to help people, especially the elderly, make their lives easier with technology,” explains Christianne, who is a Quality Assurance Engineer at Helm, a data and technology platform for community organizers. “It’s fulfilling for me to be part of this company that creates an impact for their community, that creates more civic engagement.”
We sat down with Christianne to hear more about her career journey, including how she landed her first job in tech after moving to the U.S. from the Philippines, how she’s made the most of the opportunities at Helm, and what advice she has for other engineers looking to grow their careers.
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Give An Example Of A Challenge You Had To Overcome
This interview question is a tough one and also a disliked one amongst those who find it difficult to think of the different challenges and professional hiccups they have had. Dont forget that this doesnt have to be a solitary challenge, as you might have completed it in a group or achieved the goal as a team. When you give your example, include the skills and necessary measures you took to ensure that the goal was reached and the challenge was overcome. Ideally, pick a challenge that would be relevant to the job youre interviewing for and make sure you follow the STAR format.
For more interview advice, read our blog for professional career advice such as how to calm nerves before a job interview or how to dress for a job interview. If you havent quite got to the interview stage of the job application process and youre still writing your resume, check out our resume builder and how easy it can really be to write a resume.
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The Ultimate Guide To The Tell Me About Yourself Job Interview Question Which Includes 8 Example Answers
Tell me about yourself is one of the most common job interview questions. Its also one of the trickiest interview questions for many candidates. What is the interviewer really trying to find out?
The truth is the question isnt that complicated. But it is one of the most important job interview questions as your answer can establish the tone for the rest of the interview.
The best way of answering this question is to use your answer to show interviewers why youre the perfect candidate for the job. You can do this by framing your answer in a way that highlights your experiences, achievements and key skills.
‘you Are Stranded On A Desert Island And Can Only Take Three Items With You What Would They Be’
You might be wondering if youve landed on a Tinder date, rather than a professional interview. Yet, some employers ask this question to get an insight into your personality.
Although you might be thinking an unlimited supply of booze and Doritos, refrain from giving that answer. Your potential boss wants to see that you are smart, have good judgement and can contribute to ideas. You could answer something like a water purifier, endless supply of matches and a good book. Depending on the industry youre applying for, you can tailor it to show youre thought process and favourite items.
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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.
