What do you know about this company?
This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their company. Give them a run down of their products/services, sales figures, news, company figures, customers, etc.
What interests you about our product (or service)?
Again, your research into the company should aid you in answering this question.
What can we (the new company) offer that your previous company cannot offer?
Tread carefully here! Again do not mention money. Stress opportunities for personal growth, new challenges, etc.
You have not done this sort of job before. How will you cope/succeed?
Say that you are the sort of person who aims to succeed at everything you do and that you are very determined and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Why should we employ / hire you?
The answer to this question will be based on your previous experience and achievements which relate to the company. At the end you could add that you think there is a good fit between you and the job, and do ask the interviewer for their opinion.
How long do you think it would be before you were making a significant contribution to the team/company?
If you think that you could contribute from day one then say so. Then turn the question round on them and say how soon would they expect it.
How ambitious are you? Would you compete for my job?
Depending on the position you are applying for you may want to sound fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the interviewer's position.
What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
Likes: stress things such as a new challenge or the opportunity to bring fresh experience to the company. Dislikes: Imply there is nothing to dislike about the job, which is why you are so interested.
Why did you choose a career in …?
Be positive about your reasons. If you have changed careers make a logical argument as to why you did so.
Why are you changing careers?
This question will only be asked if you are making a radical change in your career. Always stress the positive aspects of the change rather than the negative aspects of your previous career - you do not want to come across as someone who is moving just because you hate your old career. Say why you think you will be good in the new career - this should come from your experience and achievements, stress the transferable skills you have, such as leadership ability, etc.
How long have you been looking for a new job?
If you have been unemployed for a long time this may be a rather tricky question to answer. But be honest. If you have been away on holiday or done some voluntary work you could mention this.
Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company?
Remember where you are! If the company interviewing you is a small to medium sized company say that you enjoy a close atmosphere with a good team spirit. At a large company say that you enjoy the stability of working for a large and established company.
What are you looking for in a new job?
Make sure your answer fits in with the company who is interviewing you. A suitable reply would be that you are looking for a new job where you can apply your existing skills and learn new ones.
What would your ideal job be?
Again, remember where you are! Describe the job in terms of the criteria they have used to describe their job. An ideal job might include things like challenging work, a fair rate of pay for the job, nice colleagues, good career prospects, good team atmosphere, opportunity to learn new skills, apply old skills, etc.
Are you considering any other positions at the moment?
If you are say so, but do not give too many details away - it will weaken your negotiating position later. If you do not have any other job offers at the moment just say that you have a few irons in the fire.
What did you think of your manager/supervisor?
Say that he/she was the sort of person you could learn from and you communicated well, which meant that the task in hand was completed on time.
What did you do on a day to day basis?
Stress the positive things you did including your achievements. Even if some or much of it was paperwork, you can still show your interest in the way it was tackled.
How would you describe yourself? / How would others describe you?
Pick your best attributes and achievements from your career.
Do you consider yourself successful?
You should say you do. Pick some work related achievements that are in line with the position that you are discussing.
What was your greatest success? How did you achieve it?
You should pick an achievement which is related to their needs.
What has been your biggest failure?
Try to pick a failure which you were later able to correct or something that is not really important.
How could you improve yourself?
Do not mention anything negative about yourself - the interviewer is looking for a chink in your armour.
Are you a leader?
State how you have successfully acted as a leader, giving examples of your successes.
How do you handle criticism?
Your answer should be along the following lines: "I always think that it is important to get feedback on how I am performing so that I can improve any areas which my manager/supervisor highlights. Do you have regular staff appraisals and a staff development plan?"
What sort of manager are you? / What makes a good manager?
You should say that it is someone who listens to other people and can delegate whilst maintaining overall control of the task at hand, bringing in the project on time and to budget. Good planning skills are essential.
Do you work well with others? Or are you a loner?
Some jobs mean that you have to work very closely with other people whilst other jobs mean that you are largely working on your own, so you need to say that you are happy in both situations.
Do you need other people around to stimulate you or are you self-motivated?
You need to say that you are self-motivated.
Are you accepted into a team quickly?
Hopefully you can answer a resounding "Yes" to this question.
Can you act on your own initiative?
You should say that you can. You could ask how much responsibility you would have.
What motivates you?
Our suggestions are career growth, opportunity to learn new skills, good co-workers, etc.
Do you know how to motivate other people?
Hopefully you can say "Yes", and say that you have to find out what motivates a person and give them recognition for a job well done. You should always give them encouragement and help them when required.
Are you competitive?
Your answer depends on the sort of job you are doing. If you will be working as part of a team you will need to show that you can work in the best interests of the team and not just for your own benefit.
Are you aggressive?
If you mean by this someone who gets things done, then the answer is "Yes". You need to defuse the implications of this question.
What do you dislike doing?
Say that you are prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done well and on time and try to do disagreeable things first to get them out of the way rather than putting them off.
Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities?
Show how you have progressed throughout your life and how you have accepted and taken on responsibility for the actions of yourself and others. If you have not really had many work-related responsibilities you can mention other responsibilities you have had outside work.
Can you work under pressure?
You need to say that you can. You could ask how much pressure the job involves.
How many hours are you prepared to work?
You would be prepared to work the necessary hours to get the job done on time.
Do you mind working for someone older than yourself? Younger than you? Of the opposite sex?
Here you can say that you are prepared to work with anyone.
What are your career goals?
Link in your goals with the company who is interviewing you.
How did you get on with your previous manager/supervisor, co-workers and subordinates?
Hopefully you can say that you got on well with everyone.
What interests do you have outside work?
Your hobbies and interests can tell an employer a lot about you, including whether you are sociable or solitary, and whether you can take on 'leadership' roles. So you should think about which interests will paint the right picture of you given the position you are discussing.
Are you too young for this job?
"No, I do not think so!" is the answer you should give and then state the reason why you are not too young. If you have a lot of experience gained in a short time, say so.
You may be over qualified for this position?
Tell them that you feel that your extra experience would enable you to make a bigger contribution sooner than someone with less experience.
Are you prepared to relocate?
If you are, say so. If you do not want to move then you do not have to accept the job - try and come across as someone who is positive.
Are you willing to travel?
Again if you are, say so. You want to sound positive, so find out how much travelling is involved before you turn down the job.
What level of salary are you looking for now?
Be very careful when you answer this question - you do not want to appear to be greedy. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is. Once they have answered you could say "I think my experience would place me at the top end of your range, don't you?" If they ask you this question fairly early on in the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities."
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