How to Answer Common Interview Questions
Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, but with the right preparation, you can do brilliantly in them.
As part of your festive break why not practice your answers to common interview questions?
What are your strengths in considering this role? To answer this question, you need to first understand the role and the required skills. Once you understand the role, you can then match your skills and experience to the role. For example, if the role requires someone who is good at problem-solving, you can talk about a time when you successfully solved a problem at work.
Why should we hire you? This is a great opportunity to sell yourself. Highlight your skills, experience, and accomplishments that are relevant to the role. You should also talk about why you are interested in the role and the company.
Describe a challenge or conflict at work and how you dealt with it. When answering this question, be honest and choose a real-life example. Explain the situation, your actions, and the outcome.
The STAR method is a great way to structure your answer:
- Situation: Describe the situation.
- Task: Explain the task you had to complete.
- Action: Describe the actions you took.
- Result: Explain the results of your actions.
How do you handle pressurised situations? This is another question where you can use the STAR method to structure your answer. Be sure to give a real-life example of a time when you handled a pressurised situation successfully.
What are your weaknesses? This is a difficult question to answer, but being honest and choosing a real weakness is important. Once you have chosen your weakness, you should explain how you are working to improve it.
What are your career aims for the next 5 or 10 years? When answering this question, be realistic and align your goals with the role and company you are interviewing for. For example, if you are interviewing for a marketing role, you could say that you want to be a marketing manager in the next 5 years.
What is your greatest workplace achievement? Choose an achievement that is relevant to the role you are interviewing for. Once you have chosen your achievement, use the STAR method to structure your answer.
Do you have any questions about the role or our company? Asking questions shows that you are interested in the role and the company. Prepare some questions beforehand, but don't be afraid to ask any other questions that come up during the interview.
We hope these tips help you prepare for your next job interview. Good luck!