Asking your potential employees a few basic questions is a standard part of the interview process. Not only do they give you valuable insight into their talents and potential, but they also help you to feel how the person will fit in with the rest of your team.
And while these interviews can often be straightforward and easy, surprises are inevitable, which is why it’s always best to be well prepared. Here are six common interview questions to help you remember what to think about, how to prepare for, and what to say during your next interview.
1. Tell us about yourself?
This is the dreaded “tell us about yourself” question. It’s one of the first questions asked in every interview, and it can be difficult to answer. When asked, give a very brief overview of what you’ve done so far in your life, don’t go into too much detail or get caught up talking about high school or college. Recruiters don’t need to know the details of your high school soccer championship or that time you drove from point A to Point B when you were 18. The key to this question is brevity.
2. Why do you want this job?
This is a tough one. It’s not uncommon to be asked this question during an interview, or it may be the first question you’ll be asked. It’s another one of those questions that can leave you confused because you don’t know how to answer it. Try and focus your answer in the context of the job for which you’re applying, but remind yourself that this job is just one component of your overall career growth and experience.
3. Why should we hire you?
This is another tough moment for many candidates, but it’s important because it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what they did in their previous position or even why they applied for this role. This is a fundamental question to answer in the context of the job for which you’re applying, but also make sure that it’s applicable to their overall desires and career plans in general.
4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
While this answer might seem daunting or impossible, resist trying to predict the future and just keep it accurate. For example, you could say that you’d like to see yourself as a team leader or a manager or that you’d like to move up in the company. However, be sure not to promise anything that’s too far out of reach.
If the interviewer is satisfied with your answer, he or she will likely ask another question such as “What steps do you plan on taking to reach this goal?” This is where it’s essential to be specific and discuss how your skills will develop in order to get there.
5. What are your weaknesses?
This question may be asked towards the end of an interview so that it’s more of a curveball, but it’s still important to be prepared with this answer. As a candidate, you want to focus on showing that your weakness is what makes you a strong candidate. For instance, if you’re very organized and have trouble with strict timelines, show this during your interview. Also, be sure to focus on how this weakness makes you a superior candidate and not just alluding to it during speech or in your writing samples.
6. How do you handle conflict?
This is another “tell us about yourself” type of question. However, it’s also a trickier one because you’re going to need to provide a specific example of when you had to deal with conflict in your previous position. It could be that there was a personality conflict with a coworker, or maybe you had an issue to resolve with a customer. Be sure to keep the focus on your initiative and how it was smoothly resolved in the end.
Conclusion
These are just some of the most common questions you may be asked during an interview. If you can handle these types of questions, then it’ll be easy for you to handle more difficult questions when they come up during the course of your interviews. Remember, this is an opportunity to show that you are a strong candidate and will be an asset to the company.
