It's time to interview for that job you've always wanted. You head to their office (or considering the pandemic, you log onto the Zoom meeting), get yourself settled and... your mind goes blank or you start to stutter your answer or you just have no idea what they're talking about. A little advanced prep might have saved you some heartache.
For the most part, every one of us has to go through an interview at one point or another. And while every one of us has a different answer for what you are most proud of, what does customer service mean to you, or how do you define success, there are still some rough guidelines that have to be followed if we want to suitably impress your interviewers.
Below you will find some of the most common interview questions, as reported by Indeed, Grammarly, and TheMuse, as well as their suggestions on how to answer. At the bottom of the page, I will provide links to the sites so you can further explore various questions and how they suggest you answer them.
Remember:
“The secret of success in life is for a man [or person] to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”
― Benjamin Disraeli
“Opportunity doesn't make appointments, you have to be ready when it arrives.”
― Tim Fargo
Tell me about yourself. Answer: There are two competing theories on the matter. The first is to resist the most obvious approach of listing off all the qualities that make you the best person for the job. As Grammarly points out, you’ll get to those questions soon enough. Instead of going straight for the jugular, share something interesting that the interviewer might find relatable. A hobby or major life event works wonders. Include volunteer work you do and how you’ve parlayed your interests into desirable job skills. Also, only include anything political like rallies or campaigning if the job you are applying to has political activities as relevant or expected. Keep it neutral. The other theory holds that they are actually seeking to understand your qualifications right off the bat. Forget ice breakers. It’s time to strike first and pin this sucker to the ground, so to speak. As Indeed puts it, start by describing your background with a summary of your most impressive responsibilities. Next briefly summarize your previous experience with key achievements. Lastly, express how you found the new job and why it’s a good fit for you and your goals. You don’t have to be vicious about it though. According to TheMuse, a highly recommended formula is to focus on present, past, future. “Talk a little bit about your current role (including the scope and perhaps one big accomplishment), then give some background as to how you got there and experience you have that’s relevant. Finally, segue into why you want—and would be perfect for—this role.”
What are your greatest strengths? Answer: TheMuse states it most concisely. “Think quality, not quantity. In other words, don’t rattle off a list of adjectives. Instead, pick one or a few (depending on the question) specific qualities that are relevant to this position and illustrate them with examples. Stories are always more memorable than generalizations. And if there’s something you were hoping to mention because it makes you a great candidate, but you haven’t had a chance yet, this would be the perfect time.”
What are your weaknesses? Answer: A common mistake is to try to turn a fake “weakness” into a real strength. You had your chance with your strengths to show accomplishments. Now is time for something else. As TheMuse puts it, this question goes beyond any potential major red flags. This question is about judging your honesty and self-awareness. It’s also about striking the balance between completely tearing yourself down, giving your interviewers reasons not to hire you, and claiming to be perfectly perfect in every way (and yes, I know this is a misquote from Mary Poppins), so full of yourself that no one else fits in the room. Consider using Indeed’s formula: Select an actual weakness (not a strength disguised as one) that is honest but professionally relevant: “I’m naturally shy…” Add context: “...From high school and into my early professional interactions, it sometimes prevented me from speaking up…” Provide a specific example: “...After being a part of a workgroup that didn’t meet our strategic goals two quarters in a row, I knew I owed it to my team and myself to confidently share my ideas…” Explain how you overcame or are working to overcome it: …”I joined an improv acting class. It’s fun and has really helped me overcome my shyness. I learned practical skills around leading discussions and sharing diverse perspectives. Now, in group settings, I always start conversations with the quieter folks. I know exactly how they feel, and people can be amazing once they start talking.”
Tell me about an achievement you're really proud of. / Greatest Accomplishment / Greatest Professional Achievement...? Answer: This is your chance to “show, don’t tell” what you bring to the table. As Grammarly puts it, “I single-handedly turned our sales department around” not only is overly braggy, it doesn’t really tell the potential employer HOW you turned it around. Instead, something like “Under my management, our sales team was able to increase their conversion rate by 87 percent over six months” shows measurable effects. When in doubt, both Grammarly and Indeed suggest you use the S.T.A.R. method to illustrate your accomplishment. · Situation What lead up to your accomplishment that made it necessary? · Task What task were you required to tackle? · Action What action did you take to address the problem? · Results What were the measurable and impressive results of your actions? If you have a brief statistic, this is the time to share that. If not, what other visible improvement came of your accomplishment?
Why are you leaving your current job / looking for a job? Answer: All sources agree. Stay positive. Avoid focusing on the negative of your previous job. Badmouthing your current or previous employer just puts you in a bad light. Even relatively light fare like “there wasn’t enough opportunity for growth” isn’t as helpful as saying something along the lines of “I’m looking to expand my horizons and move into a more hands-on development role, which is where I know I’d excel.” Focus on your skills, keep it positive, relate it back to the job and provide a recap. If you focus on the future instead of the past, people will see you as someone with a future instead of a past. They will focus on where you can go rather than see you poking holes in what was.
What brought you to [Insert Company Name Here] / Why do you want to work here? Answer: According to Indeed, interviewers ask this question to figure out if you actually researched the company and thought critically about whether or not you are good at it. The best way to prepare for this question is to do your homework and learn about their products, services, mission, history, culture, etc. Make sure your answer mentions aspects of the company that appeals to you and aligns with your values and goals. Think of it as an opportunity to show your stellar research skills!
Tell me about a time when a customer or colleague disagreed with you. What did you do? / How do you handle conflict at work? Answer: This actually falls into a series of questions on disagreements and how you handle conflict. Other variations look at your ability to handle conflict with those in authority. The main thing employers are looking for with this question is how well do you collaborate with others, how well do you persuade others of your point of view, how well you take criticism and/or adapt to other points of view, and how you deal with adversity. One of the best ways to tackle this is to go back to the S.T.A.R. method mentioned in Question 4. Stick to the situation at hand, what you did to handle it, and what your results were. As Indeed puts it, often being the right person for the job involves more than just hard skills; hiring managers also value candidates who can collaborate with others and approach conflict in a productive way. After all, you won’t get along with everyone always and there will always be one or two customers that prove difficult. It is in how you handle difficult situations that you show your mettle.
What would your boss / colleagues / coworkers / friends say about / describe you? Answer: There are two competing theories as to why employers ask these questions. 1) Potential employers could be asking this to see if you can successfully make meaningful connections in your life, as Indeed suggests. 2) Another theory, as put forth by Grammarly, is that potential employers could be asking because they want to get an honest sense of your strengths and weaknesses, and this usually gets a more honest answer than simply asking, “how would you describe yourself?” or “what can you tell me about yourself?” Careersidekick.com insists that employers are asking to find out both. Either way, as Grammarly states it, honesty is the best policy for oh, so many reasons. Both intentions require honest answers. You don’t want to say your boss would describe you as cool under pressure and always confident but you’re sitting in the interview looking extremely nervous, you’re telling a potential employer that you either are completely unaware of your own strengths and weaknesses or a complete phony. Even something a little less obvious of a lie is likely to come back to haunt you in the end. People also tend to give more honest answers when answering about how others see themselves than how they see themselves. And claiming that you are either buddy-buddy with your previous employers when you tend to be detached or introverted or that you are exceedingly impartial / professional when you prefer to call everyone a nickname aren’t going to do you too much good for very long. So here are the most important guidelines in answering this question: A. Be honest when possible. They want a genuine answer that doesn’t sound too fake / scripted so they can feel comfortable in trusting you. B. Chose one or two traits to keep your answer simple and easy to deliver. You’ll do more harm than good by mentioning five different things, and your answer will become scattered and more difficult to deliver impressively! C. Explain why you chose those traits, ideally with an example. Is there a key accomplishment from a recent job you want to talk about? D. If possible, show how these traits would help you succeed in their job. It isn’t entirely necessary to “tailor” your answer to the employer’s job, but it can help. E. Keep your answer concise (unlike this answer). If they ask for something NEGATIVE that could be said of you, answer it like you would Question 3. Stick to something non-mission-critical but make sure to show how you are working to improve.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Answer: You don’t want to be too aggressively ambitious nor too humble. Grammarly’s examples of extremes are between “I want your job”, or worse “I’m going to be CEO of this company,” and “I just want to do the best work I can and see where my talents take me.” As Indeed puts it, employers are trying to understand whether the trajectory of the role and company fits in with your personal development goals. Grammarly suggests responding in a general way that speaks to the challenges and added responsibilities you hope to acquire. Look ambitious without looking like you are after your employer’s job. As Indeed puts it, “A candidate they can anticipate will stay awhile is a better investment than one they expect to leave after a year or less. That’s why it’s good to show you want to gain more experience in the role you’re applying for and eventually get promoted to a higher-level position when you’re ready.” You are proving you are a good investment. The best answer based on this mode of thought then is to 1) research the company, 2) imagine your future, with the company or without, 3) relate your answer to the job, 4) be ambitious, yet realistic with just a hint of humility (remember, even if you plan on having their job or their boss’ job, it might not sound too good to say so), 5) tell them what you want out of the job, and 6) end your answer with a relevant question such as “What are some short– and long-term goals for the company” or “What are your long-term goals for someone in this role?” to really drive home that you are genuinely interested in the position. TheMuse takes a slightly different approach to the question, although much of the preparation and method in which you answer will be the same. They suggest you be honest and specific about your future goals but make sure the goals you place upon yourself are realistic for your career, that they show ambition and that you have thought about this before you stepped foot in the interview, and that the position aligns with your goals and growth. It’s okay if you aren’t quite sure about the future, but show that even if you are unsure you can see how this experience will play an important role in making that decision.
Why should we hire you? Answer: Though it may seem like it, this isn’t an intimidation tactic. If you’ve ever wanted to have a chance to explain why you’re the best candidate, what you bring that no one else will, this is that chance, even if you tried earlier and didn't do as well as you thought you should - in fact, especially then. Again, there are multiple ways to approach this. According to Indeed, make sure you address the skills and experience you offer, why you’re a good culture fit and what you believe you’d bring to the role that’s uniquely yours. On the other hand, Grammarly reminds us that "odds are that your competitors have a lot of the same qualities, which doesn't exactly make you stand out. Instead of repeating a laundry list of skills and attributes, try restating what you understand about the company's needs and the position, and then explaining why you're a good fit." They then go on to give an example from Forbes: ”From what I understand about the job, it’s a position that requires a lot of fast activity during the day, and that’s the kind of job I thrive in. I love to stay busy and wear a lot of hats. Is my assessment of the environment on target?" One thing that Indeed mentions that you might want to take into consideration is that employers sometimes use this question to eliminate / discriminate against candidates (sometimes unconsciously) when candidates don't fit their job culture. One way to overcome this is to rephrase it as a "culture add" instead of "culture fit," "or your ability to bring fresh and additive ideas and feedback to the team. Culture adds make the company stronger by diversifying the experiences and perspectives of its workforce."
There are so many more questions to consider when preparing for an interview. Far too many to list and explain here. But we hope that you got a taste of what to expect and prepare for. For additional ideas, below are the links to various sites exploring interview questions and how to answer them. We will be posting additional interview tips all month long to go with our virtual Friday Mock Interview series all this month, so attend a Zoom meeting over lunch to practice your answers and then head over here to find more suggestions to get your interview off to a stellar start! Below are your links to the sites mentioned earlier:
Oh, and don't forget. Next month we also have job fair kits and budget basics, so stay tuned for a full basic financial overhaul.
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