There are a range of questions that our candidates come up against in an interview. Here are some of those questions and suggestions on how to best answer them.
Tell me about yourself.
- This is likely to be the first question that you get asked and is a good chance for you to sell yourself from the start
- Outline your skills and personal attributes/qualities that are relevant for the job
- The interviewer wants to know how you are going to behave in the role so it is best to draw on employment and life experiences to illustrate your answer
What do your colleagues think of you?
- The interviewer will often want to ask you for a third person perspective. This is a way of assessing your self-awareness
- Another common question could be to ask what your colleagues would consider your strengths and weaknesses to be
- Make sure to offer insight as to how you plan on turning your weaknesses into strengths
Why do you want this job?
- The reason for this question is to check that you have done your company and market research and thought about exactly why you would fit in to the role and organisation
- Use this to explain your personal goals, and how the role would contribute towards those
What drives you to achieve your objectives?
- You should demonstrate your level of commitment and motivation for the role, as well as what factors you are motivated by
- Perhaps refer to a previous goal you achieved, and how you worked towards doing so
What are your weaknesses?
- A good way to answer this question is to highlight areas where you may need further development or training – e.g. “I don’t currently have a NEBOSH qualification; however, I have been responsible for Health and Safety in all of my roles to date. I am looking in to obtaining the NEBOSH certification in the near future.”
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
- The interviewer is looking for ambition that is realistic. It is ok to say that you want the interviewer’s job if this is a realistic aim, but make sure that you gauge the situation appropriately
What challenges do you believe this organisation faces?
- When answering this question you can put your research to good use and demonstrate your commercial awareness
- Make sure to be critical, but not disparaging. This could negatively impact your chances at succeeding in the interview
Some questions that the interviewers may want you to ask them:
- What is the next stage of the process and will I receive feedback on this interview?
- What are my promotion prospects?
- How is my career path determined?
- Will I be given a mentor to oversee my development?
- Why should I join your organisation over another?
- What have previous people who have held this role gone on to do?
- How do you measure success?
- What will be the main challenges that I will face in the next 6 months?