How to answer interview questions

10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Interviews can be high stress, anxiety-driving situations, especially if it’s your first interview. A little practice and preparation always pays off. While we can’t know exactly what an employer will ask, here are 10 common interview questions along with advice on how to answer them. The questions include:

• Could you tell me something about yourself and describe your background in brief?: Interviewers like to hear stories about candidates. Make sure your story has a great beginning, a riveting middle, and an end that makes the interviewer root for you to win the job.
• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?: Share an instance when you remained calm despite the turmoil. If it’s a skill you’re developing, acknowledge it and include the steps you’re taking to respond better to pressure in the future.
• What are your salary expectations?: Before you walk in for your first interview, you should already know what the salary is for the position you’re applying to. Check out websites such as Glassdoor, Fishbowl, or Vault.com for salary information. You could also ask people in the field by reaching out to your community on LinkedIn.

Resignation numbers have remained abnormally high in the U.S. between July 2021 and October 2021, with millions of Americans quitting their jobs — which also means there are millions of new openings up for grabs. If you’re entering the market for the first time, or just looking to make a change, use this guide to prepare for your next interview.

Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief?

Interviewers like to hear stories about candidates. Make sure your story has a great beginning, a riveting middle, and an end that makes the interviewer root for you to win the job.

Talk about a relevant incident that made you keen on the profession you are pursuing and follow up by discussing your education. In the story, weave together how your academic training and your passion for the subject or industry the company specializes in, combined with your work experience, make you a great fit for the job. If you’ve managed a complex project or worked on an exciting, offbeat design, mention it.

Example: “I come from a small town, where opportunities were limited. Since good schools were a rarity, I started using online learning to stay up to date with the best. That’s where I learned to code and then I went on to get my certification as a computer programmer. After I got my first job as a front-end coder, I continued to invest time in mastering both front- and back-end languages, tools, and frameworks.”

Top 10 Interview Questions and Best Answers

Review these most frequently asked interview questions and sample answers, and then prepare your responses based on your experience, skills, and interests. Remember that it’s less about providing the “right” answers and more about demonstrating that you’re the best candidate for the job.

1. Tell Me About Yourself.

This is one of the first questions you are likely to be asked. Be prepared to talk about yourself, and why you’re an ideal candidate for the position. The interviewer wants to know why you’re an excellent fit for the job.

Try to answer questions about yourself without giving too much, or too little, personal information. You can start by sharing some of your personal interests and experiences that don’t relate directly to work, such as a favorite hobby or a brief account of where you grew up, your education, and what motivates you.

2. Why Are You the Best Person for the Job?

Are you the best candidate for the job? The hiring manager wants to know whether you have all the required qualifications. Be prepared to explain why you’re the applicant who should be hired.

Make your response a confident, concise, focused sales pitch that explains what you have to offer and why you should get the job. This is a good time to review the qualifications and the requirements in the job listing, so you can craft a response that aligns with what the interviewer is looking for.

3. Why Do You Want This Job?

Why are you a good fit for the position? What would you accomplish if you were hired? This interview question gives you an opportunity to show the interviewer what you know about the job and the company, so take time beforehand to thoroughly research the company, its products, services, culture, and mission.

4. How Has Your Experience Prepared You for This Role?

Hiring managers use this question to learn how your previous work experience and educational background fit the job. To prepare to respond, make a list of the most relevant qualifications you have and match them to the requirements listed in the job description.

It’s important to explain how your experience will help the employer if you were to be hired. You can use the STAR interview method to prepare examples to share with the interviewer. You don’t need to memorize your answers, but do be ready to share what you’ve accomplished in your previous roles.

5. Why Are You Leaving (or Have Left) Your Job?

Be prepared with a response to this question. You’ll need to give an answer that’s honest and reflects your specific circumstances but keeps it positive. Even if you quit under challenging circumstances, now isn’t the best time to share what could be construed as too much information with the interviewer.

The interviewer wants to know why you left your job and why you want to work for their company. When asked about why you are moving on from your current position, stick with the facts, be direct, and focus your answer on the future, especially if your departure wasn’t under the best circumstances.

6. What Is Your Greatest Strength?

This is one of the questions that employers almost always ask to determine how well you are qualified for the position. When you are asked about your greatest strengths, it’s important to discuss the attributes that qualify you for that specific job, and that will set you apart from other candidates.

When you’re answering this question, remember to “show” rather than “tell.” For example, rather than stating that you are an excellent problem solver, instead tell a story that demonstrates this, ideally drawing on an anecdote from your professional experience.

7. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?

Another typical question that interviewers will ask is about your weaknesses. Do your best to frame your answers around positive aspects of your skills and abilities as an employee, turning seeming “weaknesses” into strengths.

This question is an opportunity to show the hiring manager that you’re well qualified for the job. In addition to learning whether you’ve got the right credentials, the hiring manager wants to know whether you can take on challenges and learn new tasks.

8. How Do You Handle Stress and Pressure?

Avoid claiming that you never, or rarely, experience stress. Rather, formulate your answer in a way that acknowledges workplace stress and explains how you’ve overcome it, or even used it to your advantage.

9. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

What are you looking for in terms of salary? Questions about money are always tricky to answer. You don’t want to sell yourself short or price yourself out of a job offer. In some locations, employers are legally prohibited from asking you about salary history—but they can ask how much you expect to get paid.

Do your research before the meeting so that you’ll be prepared to name a salary (or salary range) if you’re asked. There are several free online salary calculators that can provide you with a reasonable range based on your job title, employer, experience, skills, and location.

Behavioral Interview Questions

How to Answer 5 Common Interview Questions

The more time you spend preparing for a job interview, the better your chances will be of acing it. You’ll feel more comfortable speaking with the hiring manager if you’re familiar with the company’s products and services.

Research the company. Before your interview, take the time to learn as much as possible about the job and your prospective employer. There are many different resources you can use to find information and news about the organization, its mission, and its plans.

Make a match. Take the time before the interview to make matches between your qualifications and the requirements as stated in the job announcement. This way, you will have examples at hand to demonstrate your suitability for the job.

Practice your responses. Write out your answer in advance for each question and then read it aloud to ensure it sounds natural. Try to keep it short and sweet. You don’t want to come across as the type of person who endlessly drones on about themselves.

Be prepared to show and tell. It can be helpful to remember the tip “show, don’t tell.” For example, rather than stating that you are an excellent problem solver, instead give an example that demonstrates this, ideally drawing on an anecdote from your professional experience.

Do you want to tell us anything else about you?

However, if there is a topic you wish they had asked about but didn’t, or something unique that sets you apart from other candidates that you didn’t explain yet, then feel free to share it. They’re giving you the opportunity because they genuinely want to know.

If you don’t ask good questions in each interview, you might be costing yourself job offers. Asking questions shows interest in the position and shows employers that you’re looking for the right fit, not just any job. This will make them trust you more and want you more.

“Yes, I have a couple of questions actually. The first thing I wanted to ask: Is this a newly-created position, or did somebody hold this role in the past? And if so, what did that person go on to do after this position?”

Source:

https://hbr.org/2021/11/10-common-job-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-interview-questions-and-best-answers-2061225
https://careersidekick.com/what-to-say-in-a-job-interview-questions-and-answers/
How to answer interview questions

How To Answer Ten Common Interview Questions — With Confidence

Almost every job-seeker has found themselves stumbling over one of the standard job interview questions at some point. That’s okay! We stumble over common interview questions because we haven’t had the chance to think through our answers in advance.

What’s the most healthy, appropriate and effective mindset for any job interview? It’s this: the mindset that you’re happy to be in the interview conversation but you aren’t desperate to get the job.

You have no one to please or impress at a job interview. They are checking you out, and you are checking them out too! If they don’t like your brand of jazz, they can hire someone else. You don’t have to contort yourself into pretzel shapes to try to make them like you.

As you read through these questions and sample answers, picture yourself sitting in the interview room feeling strong and contented with yourself. Keep in mind that the right manager for you will see your talents and intelligence right away.

To answer this question, talk about the job — not about yourself. This is an opportunity to make it clear that you’ve read the job ad, thought about it and understand (or at least have an idea) what the job is about.

You: It sounds like this position has a lot to do with keeping projects on track, and that’s something I love to do. I want to run bigger projects that involve more than one vendor, and my impression is that this role will let me do that. Am I on track with that idea?

You: I think it’s my ability to see beyond the immediate facts of a situation to the larger picture — here’s an example. We had a crisis at my job last year. A competitor threatened to sue us over a trademark issue. We knew their complaint had no merit and that if we got sued we would win, but some of our company’s leaders wanted to back off on our marketing activities for that product in case things didn’t go our way.

I broke down the marketing plan to show which marketing activities were already committed and which could be put on hold — and then it was obvious that there was no benefit to slowing down, much less stopping, our marketing efforts for that product whether we ended up getting sued or not.

We didn’t get sued and that product is still going strong, but my analysis helped guide us through a sticky situation. The company’s executives really appreciated the insights we got from taking apart the marketing plan piece by piece. That was a huge learning experience for me!

You: I used to stress and obsess about things I didn’t think I could do as well as I should have been able to. Eventually it hit me that I’ll never be good at everything in life — who is? The key for me is to focus on getting better at things I do well. There are so many things I have no business doing, like building Excel spreadsheets and writing code. I need to focus on what I’m good at and love to do, especially writing website copy and creating powerful messaging for customers.

You: Great question! Let’s see if I understand what you’re looking for. My impression is that you need someone to support the sales team with customer callbacks and prospecting so they can focus on closing big deals. I see the job as preserving the sales team’s time and energy by taking care of their day-to-day customer support and making sure they don’t waste a minute talking to unqualified prospects. Is that pretty close to what you’re looking for?

You: Five years from now I expect to continue exploring the world of investor relations and strategic communication. Given how much I’ve learned about those topics in the three years I’ve spent in the field and the incredible pace of change in the business world, there’s no telling what a role like mine will look like five years from now. I’m excited to see what these next five years bring!

You: My last boss would say that I supported her both by helping to carry out her agenda and also by playing the devil’s advocate role to anticipate issues she might not have thought of otherwise. She would say that I gave my best to the job and wasn’t afraid to get tough issues out on the table. That’s one reason my boss and I worked together so well.

You: My greatest professional accomplishment has to be managing my job while making room for my personal life, my health and my outside commitments. I’m thrilled that I am able to serve as VP of Programs for the International Society of Frogs and Toads in addition to holding down a busy job. The two roles reinforce one another. I think professional associations are incredibly important for anyone operating in the global business community. What do you think?

You: I’m interested in learning more about your structure and culture and especially, your long-term mission and strategy. I love to take on new challenges and would never say no to the chance to dig into a meaty assignment, but I care less about titles and promotions than I do about working on issues that will have a big impact on the organization’s future. How do you see the company evolving over the next year or two?

Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief?

Interviewers like to hear stories about candidates. Make sure your story has a great beginning, a riveting middle, and an end that makes the interviewer root for you to win the job.

Talk about a relevant incident that made you keen on the profession you are pursuing and follow up by discussing your education. In the story, weave together how your academic training and your passion for the subject or industry the company specializes in, combined with your work experience, make you a great fit for the job. If you’ve managed a complex project or worked on an exciting, offbeat design, mention it.

Example: “I come from a small town, where opportunities were limited. Since good schools were a rarity, I started using online learning to stay up to date with the best. That’s where I learned to code and then I went on to get my certification as a computer programmer. After I got my first job as a front-end coder, I continued to invest time in mastering both front- and back-end languages, tools, and frameworks.”

How did you hear about this position?

Employers want to know whether you are actively seeking out their company, heard of the role from a recruiter, or were recommended to the position by a current employee. In short, they want to know how you got to them.

If someone recommended you for the position, be sure to say their name. Don’t assume that the interviewer already knows about the referral. You’ll probably want to also follow up with how you know the person who referred you. For example, if you and Steve (who recommended you) worked together previously, or if you met him over coffee at a networking event, mention it to give yourself a little more credibility. If Steve works at the company and suggested that you apply for the job, explain why he thought you’d be the perfect fit.

If you sought out the role yourself, be clear about what caught your eye — extra bonus points if you can align your values with the company and their mission. You want to convince the hiring manager that you chose their company, over all other companies, for a few specific reasons.

Lastly, if you were recruited, explain why you took the bait. Did this role sound like a good fit? Does it align with the direction you want to take your career? Even if you weren’t familiar with the organization prior to being recruited, be enthusiastic about what you’ve learned and honest about why you’re interested in moving forward with the process.

Example: “I learned about the position through LinkedIn as I’ve been following your company’s page for a while now. I’m really passionate about the work you’re doing in X, Y, and Z areas, so I was excited to apply. The required skills match well with the skills I have, and it seems like a great opportunity for me to contribute to your mission, as well as a great next move for my career.”

FREE : Job Interview Questions And Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!

Download our “Job Interview Questions and Answers PDF Cheat Sheet” that gives you word-for-word sample answers to the interview questions IN THIS ARTICLE including:

Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site, with his work being featured in top publications such as INC, ZDnet, MSN and more.

Resource:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/12/09/how-to-answer-ten-common-interview-questions-with-confidence/
https://hbr.org/2021/11/10-common-job-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them
https://theinterviewguys.com/top-10-job-interview-questions/