Practice Questions for Job Interview

 

Practice Questions for Job Interview

(I’ve got this questions from my module which I enrolled online)

If you want to master your job interview skills you can enroll a course in Udemy thru online.

 

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

The key to answering this question well is to fit three pieces of information into one sentence without starting to ramble. Your answer should first tell the interviewer who you are then tell the interviewer what your biggest strength is and then finally tell the interviewer how that strength could benefit his or her company.

“I'm a published author with the ability to synthesize large amounts of information and render it is an understandable format to a broad audience. And I'd like to talk about how that could increase readership at Acme publications.”

 

Tell me about a time when you solved a problem at a job.

 You can identify this as a behavioral question because of the open ended phrasing and so you want to answer using the four point format

“At my last job I managed a team of five people who published our Company catalog. We were having trouble getting the distribution numbers of the catalog as high as some of our competitors. So I researched new ways to promote the catalog and educated my team about additional cross promotions which we quickly implemented. After six weeks our catalog request had increased by 25 percent and our sales numbers the next quarter increased by 15 percent.”

 

What is your greatest strength?

The key to answering this question well is to make sure that you talk about a strength that's relevant to the position for which you're applying. Being the world champion of thumb wrestling probably won't get you the job. Choose a specific strength that is relevant to the position and then tell the interviewer how that strength will benefit him or her.

“I work very well under pressure which I know would be really essential at this job. Since Acme publishing works under so many tight deadlines I've never missed a deadline at work.”

 

What is your biggest weakness?

The key to answering this question well is to either mention a skill that is not critical to the job for which you're applying or turn a negative into a positive. By mentioning improvements let's look an example of each.

“I guess it wouldn't really matter for this job but I'm not very good at doing telephone sales or well. I used to get very intimidated when dealing with VIP clients but then I went to a confidence building seminar and now those situations don't bother me.”

 

How do you handle stress?

The key to answering this question well is to first deny that you ever had any stress and then name a good strategy for coping with stress.

“I don't really tend to get stressed out on the job but I do make sure to go for a run several times a week after work just to clear my head.”

 

How do you define success?

The key to answering this question well is to break your answer down into two parts. First talk about work success then talk about something you do outside of work such as sports volunteering or some other positive topic.

 

“I always feel successful when I can complete a project before my deadline. Outside of work I feel most successful when I'm volunteering at the youth basketball center. So I would say that I define success as contributing to things that benefit others as well as myself.”

 

Why did you leave your last job?

This can be a very tricky question to answer especially if you were fired from your last job. The key to answering this question well is to keep everything you say about your former job positive. If you left voluntarily. It's good to talk about things like wanting to utilize new skills that couldn't be used at your old job or wanting to grow your career in a way that wouldn't have been possible at the old job if you were fired. Keep your answers brief and segue into something positive. Never bad mouth your old boss no matter what. So if you left your last job voluntarily a good answer might sound like well.

“I enjoyed my last job very much but I was looking for bigger challenges and I wanted to grow my career. When I saw the opening for this position I knew that I wanted to pursue this job. If you were fired. A good answer might sound like well my skill set wasn't really a match for my previous employer but it seems like a perfect match for this position.”

 

Why do you want this job?

The key to answering this question well is to talk about you not the company. When answering most questions it's a good idea to constantly talk about the company and what they will get if they hire you when answering this question. However talk about a specific benefit to you not them. So a good answer to this question might sound like.

“I really like this company and I think that this job seems tailored to my skill set and to my goals. I think I'd be great at this job and I think I would enjoy it.”

                    

Why should we hire you?

This question may seem very similar to the previous question about why you want the job but it's not the key to answering this question well is to talk exclusively about how hiring you would benefit the company. Be specific about how your skills match the job for which you're applying and always keep your answer positive. So a good answer to this question might sound like…

“My extensive experience working with the same software that your company uses means that I could very quickly join your team without a lot of training. I also have a background in data retrieval systems which means that I will bring some very innovative ideas and additional expertise to the table.”

 

What are your future goals?

This question can be asked in a number of different ways such as, where do you see yourself in five years or where do you see yourself going in this company. The key to answering this question well is to make sure that your answer involves the company. Don't mention anything school or family related when you're asked this question. So a good answer to this question might sound like this

“Once I'm experienced and qualified enough I'd like to pursue a management position with Acme publishing. What other career opportunities would be available at Acme for someone with my skill set.”

 

 

What did you like or dislike about your last job?

This is another one of those questions that can be phrased in a number of ways. You might be asked what you liked about your last job what you didn't like about your last job or both. The key to answering this question well is to keep your answer positive when talking about what you liked. Name something relevant to the job for which you are applying. Instead of speaking negatively about the last job talk about needs that weren't being fulfilled.

 

“I really like working in publishing and I really like doing research. So those were two things about my last job that I really enjoyed. As for what I didn't like I suppose I wanted to grow my career in a way that wouldn't be possible at my last job.”

 

What are your salary requirements?

The key to answering this question well is preparation. It's important to consider the question in advance and know exactly what you'll say before formulating your answer. Research what the mean salary for the position is both within the company and within your industry. However it's a much better idea to answer the question without ever saying a number. If you can if you get into a back and forth where you absolutely must give a figure. Use a range and make sure that you know your bottom line in advance.

“Acme publishing has such a great reputation as an employer. I'm sure you'll pay a fair wage. My requirements would be negotiable depending on the benefits and requirements of the position.”

 

What motivates you?

The key to answering this question well is to talk about work related things. It may sound a little bit corny but this is the place in the interview where you wanna talk about things like getting pleasure from a job well done or being a leader or being part of the team.

 

“I'm really motivated by a strong desire to learn more so that I can improve my skill set and grow my career. I also get a lot of motivation when I work as part of a team. I find that teammates inspire me to think more creatively.”

 

 

 

 

Tell me about any issues you had with your previous boss.

This is another behavioral question. The key to answering this question well is to give a behavioral answer and downplay any issues you ever had with your boss. It's also a good idea to take a brief moment to pause as if for reflection before answering this question.

“You know I never really had any issues with my boss. I worked as part of a team. Our job was to increase circulation. I researched new ways of doing that and I helped to implement new procedures and our circulation went up. My boss and I got along fine.”

 

Do you have any questions for me?

This is usually the last thing the interviewer will ask before wrapping up the interview. The key to answering this question well is to prepare your answer in advance. Don't ever say nope no questions. Your interviewer will expect you to have at least one question but never ask about money or benefits. Ask about specifics of the position or ask if there were any questions that you didn't answer completely but always have questions prepared. So a good answer to this question might sound like.

 

“Yes I have a couple of quick questions. If I got the position. When would the job begin and what would I initially be working on. Again the interviewer might not answer these questions but asking questions about the position demonstrates that you are still highly enthusiastic about the job even at the end of the interview.”