Commonly Asked Questions & Answers at Job Interviews
Companies use job interviews to gauge a candidate's interest and abilities for a particular position. Some interview questions are designed to identify your technical proficiency to complete job tasks. Others are commonly asked questions that apply to many jobs. These questions typically relate to soft skills, or transferable skills that are needed in various positions.
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About You
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"Tell me about yourself" appears first on most lists of common job interview questions. Not technically a question, it is a common opener to an interview. It is tempting to deliver your life history, but a writer in USA Today advises that you should prepare a short and organized statement centering on professional achievements and objectives. Close by connecting qualifications obtained in your education and career path to the job and organization.
The Company
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"Why do you want to work for this company (and in this position)?" is another basic interview question. An effective response must be based on pre-interview research on the company. Finding out as much as you can about the organization you want to work for is necessary to success in most interviews. The company wants to see that you were interested enough to find out about the company and the job ahead of time. State the things you have learned about the company that align with your interests and goals, advises a writer on the I Seek Jobs website.
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Goals
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"What are your goals?" or "What is your five-year plan?" are examples of common interview questions intended to derive your ambition and plan. Keep your response modest and center it on getting a good position now, with a growing company, and using that to grow personally and professionally, suggests CareerBuilder editor Kate Lorenz in her article "Answers to the 7 Toughest Interview Questions." Going overboard by mapping out your life is off-putting. Instead, show you are focused for the near-term and desire to grow.
Weaknesses
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Inevitably, you will hear questions about your strengths and weaknesses in an interview. Identifying your strengths is typically easier, as long as you stay focused on what the company is looking for. However, interviewees often struggle to effectively address the "Tell me about your weaknesses" request. Some sources, including USA Today, advise that you turn a weakness into a positive. An example is to say, "I sometimes stress too much over work." Lorenz cites John Challenger, CEO of global outplacement consultancy with Challenger, Gray & Christmas, who says spin a weakness into a position. He suggests that during the interview, you tell the interviewer that a skill (such as being detail oriented) may not fit every job, but for the position you're applying for, "I think its a good match."
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References
- Photo Credit A young pretty businesswoman image by Paolo Frangiolli from Fotolia.com
