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How to answer interview questions
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Before you find yourself in the interview hot seat, prepare yourself for the flood of inevitable questions coming your way. By learning what employers are looking for when they ask common interview questions and preparing some answers for these, you will increase your chances of success dramatically.
This is your opportunity to show the company you have what it takes to do the job. The interviewer will want to suss out what you can bring to the position including your particular skills, knowledge and experiences. And the interviewer will also want to get some idea about your character to assess whether you are the right person for the job and whether you will fit into the corporate culture.Sample job interview questions
Tell me about yourselfWhat do you know about this company?
Why are you applying for this job? Why do you want this job?
Why should we give you this job?
What are your strengths?
What do you like about yourself?
How would you describe your current boss?
Describe a time when you were faced with a difficult situation and how you handled it
What did you most enjoy about your last job?
Describe a time when you had to deal with conflict
Describe a situation when you were under pressure
Can you describe a time when you have taken initiative? What was the result?
Would your current boss describe you as the type of person who goes that extra mile?
Why should we hire you?
Why did you choose this career path?
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it
How do you handle criticism?
Why did you leave your last job?
What's your biggest weakness?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
If you were an animal, what would you be?
What are your pet hates?
Why do you want to work here?
What motivates you?
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
Tell me about a time you experienced failure and how you handled it.
Describe a situation where you had to show leadership.
Do you prefer to work alone or in a team?
Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult person.
Questions for you to ask at a job interview
At an interview, you may have the opportunity to ask questions to the interviewer. It's important to have some questions planned.
Even if the interviewer does not ask you if you have any questions, before the end of the interview, make the point that you would like to ask a couple of questions about the job or the company. This shows that you have thought seriously about the position and the company.
Back to job interview tips
What do you think about this? Tell us below.
Latest comments
I really enjoyed this site and it helped me with my own interview.
Posted by: Steph Bischoff (Hattonvale) at 2:49pm, 1 March 2010
This is a very interesting website. Particularly on interviews. I would encourage candidates to use the interview to equally interview the company. There are many standards by which a company can be judged to make it an attractive destination for employment. Most of them are non monetary. Consider the company mission statement: it's on the website and is often an indication as to whether you should have even applied or not. So use the interview to interview them. Have they met promises to investors clients? Is there a clear path for promotion? Do they promote their own people or hire in experts from else where? How do they structure management and reward people?
Posted by: Michael (Aus) at 12:54pm, 5 June 2009
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