You cannot predict the rhythm and themes of all the interviews because the companies and positions are different. However, in a nutshell, there are around five basic questions that you’ll hear from every HR. With a little preparation and inner confidence in your skills, you can land any selection process and get your dream job in no time. In this post, we’ll talk about top 5 job interview questions, read more here, and give small pieces of advice as to what you should answer.
Question #1: Tell me about yourself?
This is a typical icebreaker for every interview. The purpose of this question is to make you relax a little and to establish a meaningful communication. Still, you should understand that in this answer, the recruiter wants to know more about you in the context of the job position. Naturally, it is also crucial for the interviewer to see whether your personality fits the existing team. However, the first and foremost thing that the recruiter wants to know about you is whether you’ll be able to perform all the job-related functions that this position requires.
In response to this question, you can mention your hobbies and preferences, but try to focus on the professional side. Describe your prior experience or any other thing that would say something about you as a potential employee.
Question #2: Why are you interested in this position?
By asking this, the interviewer wants to hear about your motivation. You might be passionate about the industry and the company, or you can be in a desperate need of money. It is up to you what response to give because some recruiters value honesty above all other things. Sometimes, a straightforward answer like “I don’t really care, I need money” may work, but to be on the safe side, we wouldn’t recommend that.
Remember that the recruiter asks that to determine whether you were preparing for this conversation, and whether you know anything about their business. Your answer helps the interviewer understand how serious you are about this job.
Question #3: What are your biggest strengths?
This question looks like a brilliant opportunity to shine, but there are a few pitfalls to avoid. The candidate has to be careful while responding because the description of personal strengths helps the hiring managers learn many things. Namely, it is possible to see whether you are a team player or a responsible individual worker. It is also easy to make judgments about your personality; if you boast too much, you may seem arrogant.
Thus, to avoid falling into this trap, do a little research about this position so that you would know what qualities you need to present first. Also, try to back up your statements with reasonable examples. Say something like “My colleagues used to say that I am a very good negotiator. I think that they were right in a way as I have helped my company to get a big discount from the major supplier”.
Question #4: What are your greatest weaknesses?
Here, it is essential to keep the balance. Naturally, you shouldn’t say that you’re flawless, but you shouldn’t be too honest either. The best strategy for this answer is to describe your true weakness, though, chose to talk about something that is not related to the responsibilities on this position. Your ultimate goal is to show the potential employer that you are self-aware and willing to improve your character. A healthy dose of humor could also help.
Question #5: What salary do you expect to have?
This is a tricky question, and if you answer in a wrong way, you may get knocked out of the competition. Every company has a certain budget and a pre-planned amount of money they are willing to spend on the salaries for their workers. If you ask too much, they won’t be able to afford you. However, you shouldn’t ask too little either because they’ll be happy to give you a much lower offer than you’re worth.
As you can see, the job interview is not that scary, especially if you come prepared.
