Interview questions can be tricky. But don’t worry – we’re here to help you answer interview questions with ease. While there will be thousands of interview questions that could potentially be asked, we want to give you a shortlist of good answers for common interview questions to help you ace your interview and land your desired role!
Tell Me About Yourself
One of the most dreaded interview questions, and one of the hardest to answer. This question is a perfect way to showcase your personality, as well as demonstrating why you’d be a good fit for the role.
Try and find a happy medium with personal information when answering this question. Don’t give too little or too much away about yourself. Relevant topics to include in this question are your education history, recent employment, your hobbies and achievements. Use this as an opportunity to sell yourself and include previous accomplishments and goals to show your ambition and what motivates you.
What Do You Know About Our Company?
Show that you’ve researched the company by asking questions about its mission, products or services, and recent news or events. If you don’t prepare by reading through the company’s website and beyond, this could potentially catch you out and it doesn’t look great on your behalf. To avoid awkward and embarrassing situations like this, it’s best to research to avoid any similar scenarios, and it also shows how keen you are for the job.
Why Should We Hire You?
“Why should we hire you?” reveals a lot about yourself. It’s a test of their self-confidence and your ability to present themselves as a strong candidate. You want to make it clear that you’re the best person for the job, without being too arrogant or cocky.
Take time to think about what makes you different from the other candidates. What experience or achievements are you proud of? A great way to answer this question is with examples about a past success or failure that demonstrates your skills, abilities and experiences.
What Is Your Biggest Weakness?
The best way to answer this question is by being as honest as possible, whilst keeping it professional. You want to show the interviewer that you are self-aware, but also that you can accept constructive criticism and learn from your mistakes. Keep in mind that if this question is asked, it’s because the employer wants to know how you handle adversity.
This question is designed to find out how you manage yourself. If you answer that you’re a perfectionist or that you work too hard, the interviewer will not view these as real weaknesses. Instead, he or she wants to know how you handle situations in which you might underperform. The best way to handle this question is to discuss a real weakness that won’t make the interviewer think less of you.
For example, if you’re an outgoing person who loves meeting new people and getting lots of attention, but sometimes gets too caught up in the moment and takes things too far, then it would be a good idea to say something like this: “I am very social and like working with people, but sometimes I can get too involved in my work and forget about important things like personal relationships. From this, I now set appropriate boundaries to address the situation.
What Is Your Biggest Strength?
There is a fine line between being confident and arrogant, so be aware of this when preparing your answer. The best way to answer this question is to give an example of a time when you demonstrated a particular strength in a professional setting.
For example, if you’re asked about your ability to work on a team, tell the interviewer about the time you collaborated with other members of your team to complete a project successfully. If the hiring manager asks about your ability to manage multiple responsibilities at once, describe and use examples of how you juggled different tasks and managed them effectively.
Asking for examples from past jobs shows that you are prepared for the interview and have done some research on the company or position. The interviewer will appreciate it if you can provide specific examples rather than generic answers like “I’m very good at multitasking.”
Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
The dreaded “Where do you see yourself in five years?” interview question is one of the most common questions asked by hiring managers. This question reveals your ambitions, goals and whether or not you’re planning on staying with the company for a long period of time.
Be specific. Don’t just say something generic like, “I want to be rich.” Instead, give an example of how you plan on aiming towards this goal. For example, if your goal is to be promoted, explain how that would happen and when it would happen (e.g., within three years). That way, hiring managers know exactly what they’re getting with you as an employee and can better evaluate whether or not they want to invest in your development over time.
Think about why this job fits into your career goals even though it might not seem like a natural fit at first glance — this shows that you’ve given thought not just to what kind of work you want but also how each job can help build toward your long-term goals.
Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Employer?
When asked this question focus on your future and share your ambitions to grow with the interviewer, especially if your previous departure wasn’t under the best circumstances. When sharing your professional goals, ensure you are being realistic and relevant to where you’re currently at in your career.
If you left your previous employer on bad terms, now is not the time to bad mouth them. Not only does this look unprofessional, but it also makes the hiring manager you could do the same to them in the future! Also, many industries have close connections with each other, so it’s best to not shoot yourself in the foot with this question.
What Are Your Salary Expectations?
When asked about salary expectations during an interview, it’s best not to discuss numbers until the employer offers an actual salary or range. It’s also important not to compare yourself with other applicants or make assumptions about what they’re making; instead, focus on how much value you’ll bring to their company and how you can bring to the company.
If they don’t ask about salary expectations right away, bring up the subject after several interviews and reference your qualifications as well as industry standards for salaries for people.
Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
Take the opportunity to show your interest in the company and its future and how the role you’ve applied for could make a contribution towards this. During the initial first interview stage, it’s best to leave questions about salary and benefits out unless they bring it up.
Although the questions may be relevant and you need to know the answer to these, you don’t want to come across as someone who is only interested in these factors rather than the role itself.
Interviews can be extremely daunting, but with the right preparation, you can easily subdue your nerves and ace the interview. Devonshire can help you every step of the way through your interview process when landing your role through us. Get in touch today to see if we can help you get your dream role!
