│ Common Interview Questions

• Can you tell me about yourself?
• How did you hear about the position?
• What do you know about the company?
• Why do you want this job?
• Why should we hire you?
• What are your greatest professional strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What is your greatest professional achievement?
• Give a few examples of your leadership qualities?
• Give an example of your disagreement with a decision and how did you handle it?
• How would your colleagues describe you?
• Why was there a gap in your employment?
• How do your deal with pressure or stressful situation?
• Can you explain why you changed your career path?
• How would your first 30, 60 and 90 days look like in this role?
• What would u like to do outside your work?
• If you were an animal which one would you want to be?
• What is your salary expectation?
• Do you have any question for us?

│ How to Win Interviews

• Go through your own CV to ensure that all of your previous experience is fresh in your mind specifically including dates, etc

• Come with loads of energy and enthusiasm. Research suggests that interviewers make up their minds within the first 5 minutes of an interview and then look for reasons throughout the interview to confirm their decision. So, look for ways to secure the job in the first 5 minutes by being friendly, enthusiastic and by showing good energy

• Body language is key. Interviewers respond best to candidates that come across confident and sure of themselves. Maintain good eye contact, give a firm handshake, have good posture, speak clearly and have a friendly smile

• When it comes to dress code, rather over-dress than underdress. Keep it professional and subdued rather than flashy and flirty: this is probably not the time to show off your quirky fashion sense

• Clarify your “selling points” and make sure you emphasise this through your interview. Have 3 – 5 selling points and prepare an example to motivate each point. For example: “I have excellent communication skills. For example, I persuaded an entire group of people…”

• Prepare some intelligent questions. It’s best to come to the interview prepared with questions that display your knowledge about the company and the position

• Practice makes perfect! Practice your answers, not parrot style or else you’ll sound rehearsed. However, the more you practice answering certain common questions that you know you can expect from an interview, the more natural you’ll sound

• Keep it all positive. Nobody likes a complainer, so make sure you don’t dwell on previous or current negative situations but rather stand out by being positive

• “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a sound?” More important, if you give your selling points but the interviewer doesn’t “get it”, did your point come across? No! So, don’t bury your selling points in long-winded stories. Instead, tell the interviewer what your selling point is first, then give the example

• Have fun! You are interviewing the company as much as they’re interviewing you, so prepare well, rehearse your answers and if you have done all of your preparations, you will be able to put your best foot forward in your interview

│ Questions to ask at the end of an interview

One of the key things when preparing for interviews is to make sure that you prepare some questions of your own. An interview is supposed to be a two-way conversation – where the company gets to assess if you are right for the role but also where you get to asses if the role and company are right for you.

Here are some great questions to ask at the end of an interview:

• Can you tell me more about detailed responsibilities of the role?

This will give you a better understanding of what the job entails and what you will be expected to do on a daily basis.

• What are the opportunities for professional growth and development within the company?

This will help you understand if there are opportunities for you to grow and advance within the company and help you align the role to your personal growth objectives.

• Can you tell me about the company culture and work environment?

It’s all good and well if the position is interesting – there also needs to be a culture fit! This question will give you an idea of what it’s like to work at the company and if the culture aligns with your values and work style.

• Can you tell me about the management outlook and expectations with the team?

In majority cases a candidate leaves his / her manager and not the company. This question will give you an idea of the management style of the person you will be reporting into and will help you make the decision if this is the right job or not.

• Is there any specific training or onboarding process for new hires?

This will help you understand the company’s approach to onboarding and training new employees and will also help clear up your expectations if you do secure the position.

• Are there any opportunities for remote or flexible work arrangements?

This has become one of the key question for many of our candidates and knowing this upfront will enable you to judge what the policies are and if they align with what you are looking for.

• What is the expected timeline for the hiring decision and next steps in the process?

Not knowing timelines is one of the most frustrating parts of an interview process. This question will help you understand when you can expect to hear back and what the next steps are in the hiring process.

Asking these questions at the end of an interview not only demonstrates your genuine interest in the position and the company but also helps you gather the information you need to make an informed decision about whether or not to accept the job.

***** GOOD LUCK *****