By Justin Thompson and Miriam Salpeter
After receiving a call from an employer inviting you in for an interview, it is common to feel simultaneously ecstatic, relieved and nervous. One of the best ways to calm those nerves is to be prepared for the interview. To do so, try and anticipate what questions the employer might ask.
Here are four of the most common interview questions and tips on how you should — and should not — answer them.
1. “Tell me a little about yourself.”
When answering this question, don’t go off on a tangent. Prepare your two to three-minute career summary and rehearse it out loud. “Make sure that whatever you share is relevant and makes sense given the job you’re interviewing for,” says career counsellor and author Roy Cohen. “Too much information will be lost in translation and your interviewer will tune you out.”
2. “Why do you want to leave your current job?”
This question can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, if you say you’re looking for a new opportunity, the interviewer may take that to mean you were bored at your current job and wanted out. Instead, be more specific: There were changes in management; the company’s direction didn’t align with your personal goals; or recent changes made you concerned about the stability of the company and your role. “It’s better to have more reasons for making a move than just one. It suggests that the decision is multilayered and, hopefully, some of what you say will resonate with the interviewer,” Cohen says.
3. “What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?”
Stop saying, “I’m a perfectionist.” It’s trite and overdone. Name a strength that makes you stand out for the position to which you are applying. When naming a weakness, pick something that’s realistic, and acknowledge that you’re constantly working on improving in that area. Ensure that your weakness isn’t directly associated with one of the prospective job responsibilities, but do be honest.
4. “What are your salary expectations?”
If possible, avoid addressing compensation until toward the end of the hiring process. When it comes time to discuss, provide a range with which you’re comfortable. Decide what the lowest acceptable salary is that will allow you to enjoy the lifestyle you’re most comfortable with. From there, incrementally increase that salary by 5, 10 or 15 per cent.
But what happens if you are extremely qualified, have terrific application materials, a targeted CV and you’re interviewing for jobs, but are always coming up with a silver medal?
Well, it’s possible that you’re bumping up against an elusive category: likability.
Also known in the industry as “cultural fit,” likability is a reason many candidates don’t make the final cut — the interviewers either didn’t like them or didn’t believe they would mesh well with current employees.
Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interactions, job performance and career prospects, while hard skills are about a person’s skill set and ability to perform a certain task or activity. The good news is you can demonstrate soft skills during an interview using the following tips Eddie Earnest, an author and entrepreneur, suggests to highlight five critical attributes.
1. Work ethic: Weave your thoughts about how important the company’s mission and vision are to you and explain why you’re willing to go the extra mile to help the organisation succeed. Past performance is a predictor of future results, so give examples from the past about how you went above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
2. Positive attitude: Give examples of how you improved employee morale in a past position, or how your positive attitude helped motivate your colleagues or those you managed. Earnest suggests: “If you tend to be more low-key, smile when you shake the interviewer’s hand and make an extra effort to add some intonation and expression to your responses.”
3. Communication skills: Prepare and practice responses to showcase your best skills. “Be concrete with these examples, and bring proof to the interview. Provide examples of materials you created or written campaigns you developed in past positions,” Earnest says.
4. Time management: This is a crucial skill many employers seek in their hires. Be prepared to explain how you prioritise the most important items first, delegate the items that others can do and figure out a way to get things done in the confines of your resources.
5. Self-confidence. Earnest reminds job seekers, “You can demonstrate self-confidence at the interview by the way you present yourself, including how you dress for the interview, the way you approach to shake hands and how you speak about your experiences.” If you’re not particularly confident, practice making direct eye contact, rehearse speaking in a more confident-sounding voice and to sit up during the interview. — Agencies
