While it’s safe to say that job interviews can in general be somewhat unpredictable, there are certain elements that you can indeed plan for way, way ahead of time. According to the experts at www.anglo.com, no matter what type of job it is you’re applying for you can pretty much guarantee that a certain set of questions will be asked during the interview. The reason being that outside the specifics of the job, there are certain character traits and qualities that are universally desirable in the eyes of employers and thus guaranteed to improve your chances of success if you’re able to display them.
Now, it’s of course crucial to remember that memorising scripted answers by heart will curry you no favour at all…come over as yet another generic robotic candidate and you’ve no chance. Instead, be sure to do your homework, know what it is you’re applying for and be on your toes to answer anything they might throw your way – the following being prime examples to expect:
1 – Why Did You Apply for This Particular Role?
This is the question that basically should be answered in a manner that links everything about you with every key element of the job description…something you should know inside and out. It’s a case of showing them not that the job would be perfect for you, but that you would be perfect for the job. And yes, there is a difference! Explain what it is you have to offer that made this particular post something of a no-brainer, while also getting across how the brand or business could benefit from your knowledge and experience.
2 – What Are Your Primary Strengths and Weaknesses?
Strengths are easy – pretty much anything that’s positive and relevant about yourself will do nicely. However, folk tend to slip up more often than not on weaknesses as while it’s important to show your human side, you also don’t want to put them off. Avoid the cliché textbook answers of ‘I work too hard’ or ‘I tend to be perfectionist’, instead favouring something more honest. If you need to up your game in assertiveness stakes or sometimes dive in at the deep end a little too early, these make much better examples to voice.
3 – Tell Me What You’d Expect a Day in the Role to Look Like?
Here’s where your knowledge of the job description comes into play once again as they’ll be interested to see if you really know what you’re in for, or just basically have a sketchy and inaccurate idea. By looking into what the company does and learning the job description of the role you’re going for, you should be able to work out exactly what’s required of you day in and day out.
4 – Where Would You Like to be in Five Years?
Here’s where you need to show a good balance of commitment and ambition, as while you’ll of course be hoping for a much better job and a ton more money further down the line, these aren’t what you’d call effective selling points. Instead, it’s a good idea to talk about significantly developing your skills and knowledge in order to be able to tackle new challenges, work at a higher level, improve your output and generally climb the career ladder. Under no circumstances is it a good idea to give the impression you’re only looking for a job like this until you find something better…even if it happens to be the truth.
5 – Why Should We Pick You Over Your Rival Applicants?
Last but not least, this can in a way be something of a trick question and while it does give you a great chance to plead your case, the interviewers will be interested in how you do so. For example, it’s generally not good practice to say you’re better than your rivals or they’re unsuitable for the job as you cannot possibly know this unless you know them all inside out – it’s a blind judgement that doesn’t paint a positive picture of you. Instead therefore, it’s better to focus on how you fit the job description as well as you believe any human being ever could, while also possessing the personal traits and experience that make you a candidate more than worthy of consideration.
No matter what kind of job it is you’re going for or at what level, you’ll find hundreds of real-life sample interview questions related to the post online. Do your homework, carry out a few mock interviews for practice and chances are you’ll find things so much easier come interview day.
