You work hard to create a resume, send a cover letter, and land that final job interview. But what happens when it’s finally time to be scrutinized in person? Anyone can feel unnerved when it’s time to be interviewed. To help boost your confidence, Bossjob listed the most common job interview questions and asked hiring managers how to best respond to them so you know exactly how to ace your job interview.
10 Possible Questions In Job Interviews & How To Respond Well
In a competitive job market, know how to stand out by giving stellar answers to these common job interview questions to leave a positive and lasting impression on your recruiter!
- Tell me about yourself.
Everyone likes a good story. When responding to this question, give a good start, a captivating middle, and end with something that would make the recruiter root for you.
You can begin with your education or first job, then mention your struggles, and lead up to how you are where you are today, particularly, in a situation where you’re applying for that position in the company.
- Why do you want to apply for this position?
Recruiters ask this question because they want to know how invested you are in the role and/or company. Look at the company website and reputable job portals like Bossjob to get information about the company and the experiences of its employees. Highlight the company’s products, services, or culture, and talk about why those attract you. You should also mention why you think you’re a good fit for the role; and more than the tasks and requirements, mention details from what employees say about the company that attracted you to apply for this role.
- Why are you leaving your current job?
Whatever your reasons for wanting to switch jobs, do not badmouth your boss or current employer as these are red flags to your recruiter. Instead, highlight differences rather than blaming your company or boss.
You can talk about how you’ve seen better compensation and growth opportunities on job portals such as Bossjob so you’re looking to find something better. You can also mention external reasons, such as the company restructuring or going under.
These answers show that your decision to change jobs is coming from a pretty objective position, and are considered acceptable by most recruiters.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Rather than listing all of your strengths and weaknesses, highlight no more than three, and then elaborate on each extensively. When talking about your strength, try to link it to the position you’re applying for to show that you’re a right fit for the role. While it’s good to be confident, be careful not to boast as this will reflect badly on you.
Meanwhile, when discussing your weaknesses, choose those that are not detrimental to the role you’re applying for. Some typical weaknesses that are safe to mention include trouble saying ‘no’, difficulty asking for help, having trouble delegating, and lacking confidence.
But don’t just end with mentioning your weaknesses. Always include the efforts you’re taking to get better at them. This shows initiative and a positive attitude, which will put you in a better light.
- What is your greatest accomplishment?
Try to choose a workplace accomplishment as much as possible, especially those that lead to awards, achievements, or tangible impact. And if you’re a fresh graduate, something from your internship experience, part time work, or volunteer work can suffice.
Then, when you tell the story, make sure you highlight the process as much as the result. The recruiter wants to know your values and goals; at the same time, they want to learn about how you work under pressure and solve problems. So, you can highlight processes you implemented, changes you undertook, or efforts you did, and the positive results these created.
- What is your expected salary?
Before showing up to the interview, do a quick market search on reliable job portals like Bossjob to learn about the salary ranges in your field and location. Also, consider what you want personally. A 15% to 30% increase from your previous salary is considered an acceptable increase.
But if you know your worth, don’t be afraid to demand more. Just be prepared to justify the rate you’re asking. You can mention the amount of work, your expertise or experience, and if the recruiter has mentioned it, their budget.
- Why should we hire you?
A good answer here is to talk about your experience, skills, and your attitude toward the job. Highlight those that fit into the job description and requirements of the role you’re applying for. And then highlight your interest about the role or the company, talking about why you want the role.
- Are you also interviewing with other companies?
There’s no reason to lie here – tell them the truth and try to use this to your advantage. You can hint at how far along you are with other interviews to help speed up the hiring process. But, also be careful not to overshare, as this may sound like you’re not interested in the job you’re applying for.
And if you do mention you’re applying elsewhere too, don’t forget to express your interest in the role you’re applying for enthusiastically.
- Can you tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it?
Choose a situation where you can detail the process clearly. A rule of thumb is to answer this question in three parts: the problem, the solution, and the result.
First, be thorough in explaining the problem. Next, be clear in explaining the solution – talk about how you came up with it, how you implemented it, and how it worked. And lastly, highlight how your efforts bore fruit and its greater impact to the organization or your employer.
- Do you have any questions?
This is a very common question that many applicants get wrong. When asked about this, one should not respond with “none” ever! Even when you know everything you want to know about the job, ask questions to express interest!
So, what questions should you ask? Go for questions that show you are evaluating the company as much as they are evaluating you. Typical questions are about company culture, possible reservations they have about you, next steps in the application process, and the biggest challenge in the role you’re applying for.
How to ace your job interview is difficult enough without a long wait time. Ready to answer your employer’s interview questions? Chat with “boss” today with Bossjob and get yourself a step closer to landing your dream job.
Interested to learn more? Visit Bossjob today!
