Job searching and interview preparation are two different but equally important aspects of the job-seeking process. While it's impossible to predict exactly what questions an employer will ask, there are some common interview questions that can be anticipated. It is recommended to prepare for these questions to improve the chances of a successful interview. Here are some sample questions and answers:
1. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
To respond, guide them through your past, beginning with how you got started in your career or your present field of work take them through your important successes and professional movements, and then share what you want to do next in your career and why you are seeking this job.
Good answer sample: "I started my work after graduating with a Business degree in 2018. I've spent my whole career at Google, where I've received three promotions for exceptional performance. I want to join a smaller firm and take on additional leadership and project management responsibilities."
2. How did you hear about the position?
The fact that this is the simplest question-and-response situation in an interview doesn't mean it can't harm your prospects at the job if you answer poorly.
Answer sample:
"I noticed the job advertised on a website and it seemed fascinating, so I wanted to learn more."
“I found the position while looking for jobs online”
“I heard about it from a friend”
3. What do you know about our company?
Your key objective is to demonstrate that you did your study or were familiar with their firm before applying. If you don't appear to know anything about them, you will come out as desperate, taking whatever work you can find. And that will make you unappealing to any potential employers.
Answer sample:
“According to what I've read, your organisation is a market leader in supplying security software to other businesses. I glanced over your client list on your website. According to your website, your headquarters are in ........ and you have 25,000 workers globally."
4. Why did you apply for this job?
You should sound as though you want the job and are selective. Companies want the top performers, and the best performers are selective when it comes to job opportunities. Avoid negativity and complaints as well. Do not disparage your existing employer or supervisor. Concentrate on the good aspects of the firm you are talking with.
Answer sample:
"I've always wanted to work for a larger business in this area, and I know you're one of the leaders in this space," is a good example of an answer. I'm quite interested in your services, particularly the mobile applications you've lately developed, and I'd be thrilled to come here and expand my talents with a company like yours."
5. Why should we hire you?
Talk about them and how you can help them. What will be the benefit to them if they hire you? What will you do better for them? And demonstrate that you have done your homework. Make it obvious that you understand the responsibilities of this job and are
Answer sample:
"I saw in the job role that you're searching for someone with software development experience. I've been doing it for three years and can quickly assist you with software programming".
6. Why do you want to work here?
Show them that you understand their job (at least as much as you can from the job description and company website) and that you are happy to be interviewing for this position.
Answer sample:
"I've been actively looking for work since receiving my Nursing degree. I'm interested in critical care and emergency medicine, and I've heard that your hospital has one of the greatest ERs in the region. I believed the job description suited my experience well, and I saw some of my personal characteristics highlighted, such as multitasking and being able to flourish in a fast-paced workplace, therefore I'd love to start my career here."
7. Why are you looking to leave your current company?
Stay optimistic and focused on what you wanted to gain from the decision if you opted to leave on your own terms, rather than bad-mouthing or dwelling on downsides you wanted to avoid.
Answer sample:
"I was hired for a project management function, but over time that changed and I was no longer being given the opportunity to perform the work I was interested in.
I left to seek an opportunity that I believed was better aligned with the direction I'd like to take with my career."
8. Why did you leave your last job?
If we decided to leave on our own terms, we must remain optimistic and focus on what we want to learn from the experience. We choose to avoid bad-mouthing or dwelling on negativity.
Answer sample:
"I left in order to better my career."
"My department hired a new boss, and I thought it was the proper moment to quit."
"I was employed for a certain purpose, but that changed over time, and I was no longer given that role."
“I didn’t feel there was an opportunity to grow or advance further in that role so I decided a
9. What is your greatest weakness?
You never want to confess that you have problems relating with others, that you are bad at resolving disagreements, that you are bad at receiving instructions from your bosses, and so on. These things will result in our rejection during the interview. So select a specific speciality, but one that will have no substantial impact on our ability to do this assignment.
Answer sample:
"I'm not particularly skilled at social media marketing. For the first several years of my career, I was entirely focused on email marketing. That is still my expertise, which is why I applied for the role of Email Marketing Manager. However, I've discovered that understanding the fundamentals of social media marketing is also important since some of the techniques that work there also work well in email. So I started researching and learning about this new area on my own time, a few hours every week, and it's really helped me."
10. What type of work environment do you prefer?
Ideally, one that is comparable to the setting of the organisation for which you are applying.
Make your point. Although most companies have a section on their websites dedicated to defining their culture, it is usually loaded with platitudes like "committed to customer satisfaction" and "we encourage our staff to flourish." That tells us absolutely nothing.
11. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Choose a work-related objective for where you want to be in five years, and make it seem a little tough or ambitious.
Also, discuss an objective that is relevant to the sort of position you are interviewing for. You want to sound as though the experience you will get in this position will help you achieve your long-term goals.
Answer sample:
"I'm delighted you inquired. I envision myself taking on additional responsibility in five years, either through management or higher-level individual contributions.
I'm not sure which road to take, but I know my priority right now is to lay a solid foundation and gather significant experience so that I may have a great future in this business."
12. How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
A fantastic method is to go over our go-to stress-reduction techniques (creating the world's best to-do list, pausing to take 10 deep breaths), and then provide an example of a difficult scenario you handled with ease. People assume that these queries are all about the narrative. And it's a crucial component. Even if our tale isn't precisely what the interviewer asked for, if it's well-framed and we go the additional mile to inform the interviewer what he or she should take away from it, we'll end up making a greater impact. So don't worry too much about having the proper story or appropriate experience. Instead, concentrate on the messages we want to convey.
13. What are your salary requirements?
Unfortunately, this question is missing from many listings of example job interview questions and responses. But it's critical because the wrong response here might cost you a lot later in the discussion. They're not convinced if you are any good or if they want to hire you at all. As a result, you can't command a large wage right now. If we set our pricing too low, they will hold us to it afterwards. Have you gone too far? We'll frighten them away before they realise how much we're worth! Maintain our position and tell them we don't have a figure in mind yet or are unsure.
Answer sample:
"Right now, I'm focused on finding a job that is a good fit for my career. Following that, I'm willing to take any offer you feel is acceptable, but I don't have a certain number in mind just yet, and my goal is to find a position that's a good fit for me."
14. What do you like to do outside of work?
If someone asks about our hobbies outside of work, it’s totally OK to open up and share what really makes us tick. (Do keep it semi-professional, though: Saying we like to have a few beers at the local hot spot on Saturday night is fine. Telling them that Monday is usually a rough day for us because we’re always hungover is not.)
15. Do you have any questions for us?
Do not inquire about compensation, benefits, time off, or anything else unrelated to the job. Wait for them to bring it up, or until we know they want to hire us. We are highly unlikely to get employed if we do not ask good questions to each individual we interact with.
Answer sample:
"Yes, I do have a few questions. The first question I had was if this was a freshly formed position or if someone had previously held this post. And, if so, what did that person do after leaving this position?"
