Congratulations, you've made it to the interview stage!
Your resume was impressive, your research and networking activities have paid off, your recruiter has landed you an interview - NOW WHAT?
Perhaps the biggest mistake made by some interviewees is going to an interview unprepared. If you're looking for a job, then it is in your best interests to do everything possible to maximize your chances of being offered a job, and that includes preparing for a job interview.
Let's face it, the questions that you're asked during an interview, and the exchange of information that takes place, is not how we normally communicate with others. It is a structured and formal process because of the very compressed time period in which job interviews take place.
It's also a very important process to both the interviewer and the job applicant because a very important decision takes place following an interview: whether or not to make an offer of employment to an applicant. Overall, the entire process is suboptimal, but it's the best solution we have right now. In the end, however, we still come to the same conclusion. Properly preparing for an interview can maximize your chances of being offered a job.
But because of the "unnatural" way in which a job interview is conducted, interviewing is a skill that we need to develop. The more we practice this skill outside of an actual job interview, the better our chances of "nailing" our responses during an interview.
Below we have listed some of the most common questions you will be asked during an interview:
1.What are your strengths?
2.What are your weaknesses?
3.Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
4.Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
5.Why do you want to leave your current company?
6.Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7.What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8.What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9.Are you willing to relocate?
10.Are you willing to travel?
11.Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12.Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13.What is your dream job?
14.How did you hear about this position?
15.What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16.Discuss your resume.
17.Discuss your educational background.
18.Describe yourself.
19.Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20.Why should we hire you?
21.Why are you looking for a new job?
22.Would you work holidays/weekends?
23.How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
24.What are your salary requirements? (Hint: if you’re not sure what’s a fair salary range and compensation package, research the job title and/or company on Google)
25. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
26.Who are our competitors?
27.What was your biggest failure?
28.What motivates you?
29.What’s your availability?
30.Who’s your mentor?
31.Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
32.How do you handle pressure?
33.What is the name of our CEO?
34.What are your career goals?
35.What gets you up in the morning?
36.What would your direct reports say about you?
37.What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
38.If I called your boss right now and asked him what is an area that you could improve on, what would he say?
What other questions have you been asked during an interview?
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