Many questions the applicant has during the interview. Some of them are complex and test your competence, while others seem obvious. The latter are often very tricky.
If you think that with that part of the job interview, during which obvious and simple questions come up, you will somehow manage, because the most important thing will be difficult and meaningful, you may be mistaken.
People who interview candidates for work know very well what questions should be asked unexpectedly in order to find out everything they need to correctly evaluate a person. Therefore, every question is important, even one that seems banal to you. Your answers can completely convince a potential employer or discourage him.
"Can you talk about yourself?"
“The correct answer to this question from the employer shows how confident a person is and whether he can convincingly describe himself using the information he needs to convey,” writes Tina Nikolai, trainer and founder of Ink Writers' Ink.
The specialist warns that you should not take this issue as an opportunity to talk about your personal life. You should focus on your value as a potential candidate for the company. It is worth remembering that people like to hear what they want to hear.
"Which word best describes you?"
This small question gives a potential employer the opportunity to find out about you, how you act in stressful situations, whether you are confident and creative. The answer to this question also shows what kind of personality you are.
“This is a very difficult question, because the difference can be a thin line that will be funny, interesting and original, or it will sound corny,” said Lynn Taylor, an expert on labor and the author of the book “Tame the office tyrant: how to control the boss’s behavior and thrive on work "
It is also easy to overdo it with false modesty or say something completely incomprehensible in the context of the interview. Lynn Taylor advises you to write a word that best reflects your strength and then explain its choice.
“How would you compare this position to the others you are applying for?”
This question, obviously, should make you admit if you are applying for another job. For your interlocutor, it is important how you talk about other companies and how advanced you are in the search.
If you say that this is the only job you are applying for, the potential employer may not believe it, since only a few candidates send a request to only one company. Honesty in this matter will be the best option. At the same time, you should pay attention to how you talk about other potential jobs. They cannot be talked about with disrespect, insult, or excessive enthusiasm.
“Can you name your three greatest weaknesses and your three greatest strengths?”
The art of answering this question correctly is that you remain sincere and at the same time meet the expectations of the potential employer. Thus, you must present your true advantages so that they fit into this particular place, as well as your weaknesses, so that they do not overlap your employment opportunities.
“Why are you working here?”
Obviously, you want to work in this company for various reasons. It is important to establish these reasons in accordance with the hierarchy. For a potential employer, this is information about what really matters to you, ”Lynn Taylor explains.
“Why do you want to leave your current job?”
Your potential future boss is exploring here the reasons that could lead you to failure in your previous job. He also wants to know if you have a tendency to negatively represent your current company. This never works for the benefit of the candidate.
“What are you most proud of in your career?”
On the one hand, the answer to this question shows what your achievements are and whether you can judge them correctly. On the other hand, he talks about what is really important to you and what you are striving for.
“It is important that you can emotionally talk about what you have already done. Nobody wants to hire someone who doesn't like what he does, ”says Lynn Taylor.
“With which manager and with which employees did you achieve the greatest and smallest successes and why?”
The key to a good answer to this question is to control your emotions. The bottom line is to find out if you have a tendency to conflict and how explosive you are in a situation where there is disagreement.
On the other hand, the employer wants to know which conditions work best for you. It can also be a tricky question, because you have to predict which answer fits the terms of the company and not cheat at the same time.
“Have you considered creating your own company?”
Of course, this question relates to whether you plan to leave this company and start working independently. Excessive enthusiasm for such plans will not be welcomed by most companies.
On the other hand, the insincere answer, they say, you never thought about it, would also not be a good solution. You can always say that you considered such an opportunity or even tested your strength. But then they realized that this is not for you.
“If you could work in any company, which one would you choose?”
This is another issue where the balance between excessive fawning and honesty is important. You can always say that your life’s dream is to work for Google, but for your boss this is not a good reason to hire you. On the other hand, convincing a potential employer that you dreamed of working with him is an exaggeration.
Experts advise you to say that you looked at many companies. The one you are applying for seems the most suitable for you, so you turned to her.
"Why were you fired?"
The fact that this question does not limit your chances. The future boss wants to know how you are dealing with such an event as a job loss, and try to find out what could be its true reason.
“He is trying to feel anger inside you or to see if your self-confidence has suffered,” says Tina Nikolay.
It’s important to control your emotions and prevent negative comments about your previous employer.
“What would you do if you won a million tomorrow?”
The question, which you can find in any glossy magazine, may also arise during the interview. For what? Your boss most likely wants to know if you want to work anyway if you have enough money. Is work your passion, are you interested in it, despite wealth.
It is also important for a potential employer to know how you feel about money and whether you are responsible for it.
“How did you find the time for this conversation? Does your boss know where you are now?
This is a trap question. A potential employer can get here information about what is your priority and whether you take your responsibilities seriously.
If you are interviewing during office hours, you should have a proper explanation of why you are not in the office right now. How you solved this problem may affect future work.
Do not say that you are on sick leave. Better convince the future boss that you did it responsibly.For example, you told your current employer that you had some important problems and asked for a day off to solve them.