1. Where do you see yourself in five years?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s difficult to think about where you want to be in five years when you\u2019re currently trying to figure out where you want to be right now, but it\u2019s important for interviewers to understand where you want to take your career. Explain what your plans to contribute to the company would be if you were to land the role.<\/p>\n
Focusing on your efforts to improve yourself over the next five years is a good way to show employers that you\u2019re ready to grow with them. Are you willing to put in the time and effort to further your education? How would you implement a plan to be successful?<\/p>\n
\n2. If you were the CEO, how would you start your day?<\/strong><\/p>\nOdd, yes, but this is not a trick question. Whether you\u2019re applying to an entry-level role or an executive position, this question is more about the interviewer gaging your thought process. It\u2019s not about a right or wrong. \u201cIt\u2019s about thinking a response out loud, coming to a conclusion and showing how you think critically and solve problems,\u201d said HR expert Susan Underwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good response would be something like: \u2018Well, for every CEO, it will be different, but depending on what\u2019s most important to business, the bottom line or what\u2019s going on that day, that\u2019s likely what the CEO should be checking first, so it will likely vary by day. For me, I would check what is of highest priority first at that given time and respond accordingly.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n3. What are your weaknesses?<\/strong><\/p>\nAs much as we want to seem perfect when we walk into that conference room, employers know that it\u2019s just not possible. It\u2019s difficult to be put in such a vulnerable position with this question when the process of interviewing already has your nerves in knots. Here\u2019s the most important key to answering this question: always be honest.<\/p>\n
Honestly recognising a fault and showing what steps you\u2019ve taken to improve upon this weakness demonstrates that you have the ability to look at yourself in a critical manner, fix your mistakes and move forward. Employers will see beyond the weakness you\u2019ve mentioned and see the important steps you\u2019re taking to better yourself.<\/p>\n
\n4. How would you handle a crisis at work?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s easy to get bogged down by this question, wondering what the scenario is and whether you would be required to put on your Olivia Pope white hat to save the day. But this question is often presented by interviewers who want to get a sense of your personality and how you resolve challenges, especially if the company or field you\u2019re seeking to work in is high-pressure.<\/p>\n
The key, according to Underwood, is to \u201cknow how to juggle multiple tasks and find what needs the most attention first and address it.\u201d Walk through a few problem-solving steps that you have taken in your current role and expound upon those. Remember, \u201cthe worst thing you can do is give a one-word response or say \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n5. What are your strengths?<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is a common question that can be asked in many different ways. Being prepared with a list of strengths that you want to discuss can have you prepared to answer many forms of \u201cWhat are your strengths?\u201d<\/p>\n
Making this list is most productive when you\u2019re aware of what strengths will best fit with this position. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re a speed demon when it comes to texting, but if you\u2019re applying for a heavy machinery position, then it isn\u2019t worth bringing your texting game into the interview.<\/p>\n
Once you have an idea of what skills will be beneficial to this position, find strong action verbs to best describe yourself. Give specific examples to show how these strengths have contributed to the growth and well-being of previous companies or how you would implement them in this position.<\/p>\n
\n6. Why do you want to leave your current company?<\/strong><\/p>\nProceed with caution! Don\u2019t blurt out the first negative comment about your current manager who you think has it out for you. It\u2019s always a good rule to stay positive in an interview, even if you want to tell your current boss to take this job and shove it.<\/p>\n
What are some reasons for leaving your current job that show you\u2019re motivated, goal oriented and interested in bettering yourself?<\/p>\n
\n7. Would your work holidays and weekends?<\/strong><\/p>\nAgain, tread lightly with this one. Often times, we are so eager to get a job that we\u2019ll commit to anything, but be sure you can deliver on your promises. Conversely, this question should not deter you from the role. Just because a recruiter or hiring manager asks you whether you would work holidays and weekends, does not mean you\u2019ll spend every Saturday night in your cubicle.<\/p>\n
Use this question as an opportunity to show that you\u2019re a team player, willing to fill in when needed, but also dig into what would require employees to work on holidays and weekends.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be afraid to be honest if you prefer to not work on certain days for religious reasons, or if you would work holidays but from home. This is the perfect time to dig into the role\u2019s requirements and manager\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n
\n8. If you were a fruit, what kind would you be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\nInstead of trying to impress with this kind of unexpected question by saying \u201cRambutan or Dragonfruit,\u201d just keep it simple. Choose something that you can provide an explanation for without dying of laughter.<\/p>\n
Something like: \u201cA pineapple because I am unique, always stand out and I\u2019m sweet on the inside.\u201d If you\u2019re stumped as to why the hiring manager even posed the question, Underwood offers insight.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Glassdoor] hears from a variety of employers that challenging interview questions can help them learn more about a job candidate, and in some cases, help them sort through a great candidate versus a good candidate.<\/p>\n
“For instance, if you have three final candidates for a job and all of them are great on paper, how they answer and respond to a tough or challenging question can give the interviewer some added perspective into how they solve unexpected problems, which arise in almost any job at any employer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n9. Why do you want this job?<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is a question where you can show off just how much prep work you put into this interview. Researching a company, job description and employer will help you be able to authentically answer this question. Wanting to join a company because of attributes that weren\u2019t specifically stated by the employer will show motivation.<\/p>\n
Just because you\u2019ve done your research doesn\u2019t mean you need to be overly crafty with this response. Just be honest. Does this feel like the right step in advancing your career? Do the company\u2019s goals and values match yours? Is there a specific connection you have to the position or company?<\/p>\n
Think of positive reasons that will demonstrate why you feel this is a right fit for you and, in turn, why they should feel you\u2019re right for the job.<\/p>\n
\nRead: 5 phrases to use in your cover letter to help you land that interview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recruitment specialist Glassdoor has come up with nine common interview questions, and how to best answer them:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":229057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121],"tags":[7186,26],"class_list":["post-259725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-glassdoor","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259725"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259943,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259725\/revisions\/259943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}