Of course, it is impossible to anticipate every question that you are likely to be asked at a job interview, but interviewers do tend to have their favorites and you will be doing yourself a favor if you are prepared for them. Here are some of the top ones that you are likely to find yourself up against.
1. Tell me something about yourself
This very open-ended question can really show an interviewer how clued-up you are about job interviews. Launch in to some long-winded account of your family history, the names of your children, what breed of dog you have and how you like to spend your leisure time and he will know for certain that you have not done your homework. Quite simply, the only thing the interviewer is interested in when he asks this question is why you believe yourself to be the best fit for his company. Prepare an intelligent answer that will knock the interviewer’s socks off.
2. Why do you think you would be right for this job?
Although it might sound that way, this question is not an invitation to tell the interviewer about how well you would carry out the tasks associated with the position, but is essentially one about compatibility. Employers want to take on people who will fit in, who have the same values and goals as those upheld by their business. Being able to answer this question relies entirely on your research. You need to check out the company’s mission, vision and value statements and, if possible, try to talk to current employees to find out what makes the company tick.
3. What do you think it would take to be successful in this job?
When an interviewer asks this question, make no mistake, he is not concerned with your success, but his own. What he is actually asking is what benefits you would bring to his organization if you were awarded the vacant position and how you would apply your skills and abilities to add value to his company. This is, in fact, a good opportunity to tell the interviewer some of the ‘stories’ which relate to your accomplishments, being careful to elaborate on how you could use the same tactics to achieve great results for him.
4. How would you assess your ability to work as a member of a team?
Even if you work alone and relatively unsupervised, there will of course be times when you will need to interact with your bosses and colleagues from your own and other departments. Not only this, but the actual work that you do will contribute in some way to a team effort. However strong your own skills and abilities, therefore, you still need to be able to demonstrate your ability to work well in a team environment. Every company, department and team has aims and objectives to work towards, and if you cannot show yourself to be a team player, then your chances of getting the job are remote. Employers are suspicious of those who cannot get on with their colleagues and often view them as potential troublemakers who could create bad atmospheres, disrupt work and cause levels of motivation and output to drop. As well as selling your own skills, abilities and personal qualities, therefore, you also need to demonstrate how these translate into an understanding of other people.
5. What are your weaknesses?
Employers love this question, and once again it provides them with the opportunity to sort the wheat from the chaff. Tell them that you have no weaknesses, however, and you will end up on the wrong side of the threshing machine. Rather than giving an answer which is any way derogatory about yourself, think beforehand about how you can turn one of your weaknesses into a professional strength. Suggesting that you sometimes push yourself too hard in order to get the job done, or saying that you like to do a job properly, which can sometimes make you a bit of a perfectionist, should make the right impression.
courtsy : articlebase.com
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