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We do not always pay due attention to a meeting with a potential employer: we do not prepare questions in advance, we do not think about potential answers. And then we are surprised when we are denied a “dream job”. We tell you how to answer the questions of the employer in such a way as to increase your chances of success.
A job interview can be very daunting, especially if you’re going through it for the first time. The fact that our future career may depend on the upcoming conversation scares many. But most often the conversation follows a fairly standard and predictable scenario.
Here are five questions you are most likely to be asked in an interview. Career consultant John Leese explains how to answer them.
1. Tell us about yourself
List previous jobs and describe your skills and abilities that are relevant to the position you are applying for. Keep it short and try to keep within 2-3 minutes – if the interviewer wants to know about something in more detail, he will tell you about it himself.
2.What do you know about our company?
It is expected that you are quite knowledgeable about the company in which you came to apply for a job. Therefore, the question must be prepared in advance.
Study all available information about the organization – what services it provides, what awards it has received … If there is an opportunity to get insider information, be sure to use it – so you will collect facts that are difficult to find out from ordinary sources. And summarize what you have learned.
3. How would you describe yourself?
The interviewer will not like an inconsistent list of adjectives and phrases like “I don’t know for sure.” Look through the recommendations and characteristics that you were given, and take from there successful phrases and expressions that describe your approach to work, attitude and personal qualities.
Think about what personal qualities you have that can help or hinder you from working effectively in the position you are applying for. This will help you understand yourself better and find reasons why you are the perfect candidate.
4. Why should we take you and not other candidates with similar education and experience?
Share your strengths with specific examples and evidence, and show how they will help you perform in this position.
But this may not be enough – your competitors also have their own strengths, which they will talk about. Therefore, it is worth mentioning those skills and abilities that will distinguish you from other applicants for the position. Maybe you wrote movie reviews for a high school magazine and that experience helped you get into mass communication.
5.Do you have any questions for us?
Prepare at least three questions in advance, in case any of them get answered during the conversation, which you can ask at the end of the conversation. Questions may be about the company itself, such as “Is there an expansion planned?” or personnel policy – “What is the first thing the company expects from employees?”. The key is to keep them clear and concise.
By asking them, you show the interviewer that you are willing to take the initiative to get useful information for the job. Otherwise, by refusing to ask questions, you will give the impression of a person who wants to end the interview as soon as possible.