10 Questions You Should Be Prepared For During Your Next Job Interview

If you have an upcoming job interview, one of the first things you need to do to properly prepare for it is by having answers to draw upon for common interview questions.

There’s no sure way to know in advance what questions you will be asked and that’s because job interviews each have different styles. Some job interviews will have a more sterile style and defer to basic questions while others may prefer to challenge you and ask questions that require a more thought out response. There’s also the chance you may be paired with an interview that seeks to throw you off your balance by asking questions that seem to have nothing to do with job.

The key to answering these questions is not always having a canned response though. Often times what works better is by having points you want to share hardened in your head and allowing yourself an opportunity to let them out naturally. Nobody is enthralled with robotic responses so focus more on being strategic with what points you want to the interviewer to hear.

Below are 10 questions you might get asked and should be prepared to answer. The questions are broken down by category, so keep that in mind when going over your answers.

Basic Questions

These are the most boring of all questions to answer, but they are the most common. That means that at the very minimum, your answers to these should be straightforward and not require a long time to muster a response to.

1. Tell me about yourself?

How to answer: Briefly go over your background in a way to highlights your career trajectory thus far and do so in a way that is easy for others to understand. Reveal your career goals.

2. What is it about this position interests you?

How to answer: Be sure to specifically give a reason that makes a hiring manager interested in you. As an example, “I have 5 years experience in working in marketing, and I’ve developed a good sense of what makes a campaign successful. I would like to apply that toward this position”

3. What did you do in your last position?

How to answer: Answer with clear job duties and highlight your accomplishments doing them.

4. Why would you be a good fit for this position?

How to answer: Explain your strengths and how they can be applied for the job.

5. What are your greatest strengths?

How to answer: Have at least three answers for this.

Elaborate Questions

These are questions that an semi-prepared individual may stumble over since they require an answer that is more specific than others. For these questions, being precise and clear are more important than speaking for a long time without giving a real answer.

6. What are your weaknesses?

How to answer: Have an example ready of something you struggle with, but reveal how you are working to correct it.

7. What do you like about our company?

How to answer: Make sure to review the company website before hand and understand their products and services.

8. What are your goals you want to achieve in this position?

How to answer: Make sure your goals are realistic and can be achievable in the position. If you aren’t realistic, that can throw interviewers off. Having a better sense of what is achievable makes you seem like a more responsible candidate.

“Out of Box” Questions

These questions may seem bizarre but they are designed to throw you off your feet and gauge how well you can answer in a professional manner. They may offer clues to your personality so don’t laugh these questions off as being silly.

9. If you can have dinner with one person in history who would it be?

How to answer: Hide your politics and be sure to stay away from controversial figures unless of course they are related to the company or industry of the job.

10. What is something that angers you?

How to answer: Don’t answer with something that is off-putting. A question like this gives a good glimpse into a person’s personality.

If you would to learn more about preparing for your next job interview or our revolutionary video screening services, please visit our blog daily and don’t hesitate to contact us today.