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Candidates often fumble when asked questions about their work history; they might reveal too much or give an answer that doesn't align with the company culture.
Recruiters look for candidates who demonstrate leadership in real-life scenarios. Use this question to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities, self-awareness and appreciation that mistakes are an integral part of learning and growth.
1. What is your greatest strength?
As a starting point, avoid listing strengths that don't pertain to the job you're interviewing for; this can come across as boastful and insincere.
Focus instead on the qualities that past employers and colleagues have praised you for, with specific examples showing how these strengths have positively impacted both your work and theirs.
Interviewers look for candidates to show self-awareness when answering this question. If public speaking is your greatest weakness, explain how your creativity makes up for it - that way you'll demonstrate you are an intelligent and well-rounded candidate.
2. Why do you want to work here?
Interviewers use this question as an opportunity to assess whether or not you would fit in well with their company culture and work environment. An ideal answer would demonstrate your team spirit while showing an interest in working at this particular company in the long-term.
Prepare yourself for this question by developing an in-depth knowledge of the company's mission, values, history and goals as well as what excites and motivates you about their job. When answering this question make sure your answers are short and succinct.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
Hiring managers pose this question to evaluate your self-awareness and willingness to address your weaknesses. They're not looking for you to lie about a weakness; rather they want you to identify an actual one and show them how you plan to overcome it.
When selecting your weakness, stay away from cliche answers like perfectionism or lack of teamwork skills - they're unrealistic and won't help your cause. Instead, pick something genuine to yourself like attending Toastmasters meetings or enrolling in public speaking courses to address it.
4. What do you like least about your job?
One of the toughest interview questions to answer is "what did you dislike least about your job." When responding, it is essential not to sound negative or complain about past employers or colleagues; rather, focus on specific tasks or circumstances which were difficult in an appropriate professional manner.
Frame negative experiences as positives to demonstrate your resilience and professionalism to potential employers, while giving interviewers an idea of how you would approach challenges in this new position. In turn, this helps them determine whether you are suitable for their company.
5. What are you looking for in a new position?
Early on during an interview, it is useful to ask this question to gain an idea of your long-term career goals. While any criticisms regarding current jobs should be avoided, make sure your interviewers know if you want to advance within a company or an industry.
Avoid negative comments about past managers or co-workers and instead emphasize your desire for growth opportunities. Your ideal response should demonstrate that you are motivated, committed individual who is ready to make sacrifices to advance his or her professional life.
6. What is your greatest achievement?
Ideal scenarios involve professional achievements - although academic or personal successes such as winning your county's best cherry pie contest may also count. Be sure that your answer reflects the skills and qualities the company prioritizes in candidates.
To give an unforgettable response, use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Result) technique. This will enable you to structure and provide clarity to your story arc - be it training for and finishing a marathon, setting up an effective student society or giving an engaging presentation.
7. What do you like to do outside of work?
Though this question might seem intimidating at first, it actually provides an ideal opportunity to demonstrate your passion for the position. Be careful not to appear boastful, and instead highlight an accomplishment from your professional history which illustrates a trait or skill which would be essential in this role.
Avoid discussing illegal activities or anything controversial during an interview; rather, talk about hobbies and personal interests that showcase your well-roundedness to demonstrate you are an individual committed to self-improvement.
8. What is your greatest weakness?
Interviewers do not want to hear specific weaknesses that are relevant to the job; rather they want to observe your self-awareness and how well you respond to feedback. Being brief in your answer while humanizing yourself and explaining how you plan to overcome the challenge will earn high marks from interviewers.
As recruiters highly value humility and determination in candidates, it's crucial that when answering this question you provide details on the steps you are taking to improve. Some examples could include attending Toastmasters or reading up on best practices from HubSpot blog.
9. What is your greatest strength?
This open-ended question may appear daunting at first, but it offers you an invaluable chance to showcase your best qualities. By providing specific situations or stories that demonstrate them, interviewers will be amazed at your confidence and ability to communicate clearly.
Answering this question may be easier said than done; however, selecting strengths relevant to both your position and company could make an impressionable impression - for instance claiming you are an adept leader may make you seem arrogant or inappropriate for their role.
10. What is your greatest weakness?
As part of any job interview, it's crucial that you are forthcoming when discussing both your strengths and weaknesses. A good response demonstrates self-awareness as well as dedication to improvement - for instance if procrastination is your weakness, explain how setting deadlines and tracking progress is helping overcome it.
Avoid selecting weaknesses that are essential to the role. For instance, if your job requires strong communication skills but you struggle with verbal expression it would be inappropriate to select this as your weakness.