Chances are that if you're reading this then you are looking for some job interview tips. A job interview can be stressful, and the best way to gain confidence over a job interview with a potential new employer is to become familiar with some of the job interview questions that most employers ask. In this article I will give you 3 sample job interview questions and answers that will make you look like the right candidate for the position.
Sample Job Interview Question #1
"What is your greatest strength, and what is your greatest weakness?"
This interview question can be broken up into 2 separate questions or it can be presented as 1 question as phrased above. Either way, I will address answers to both aspects of this question in this paragraph. When it comes to answering the first part of this job interview question, regarding your greatest strength, make sure that you choose a strength that relates to the position you are applying. We all have a number of strengths and the greatest of those is really a matter of personal opinion. It makes no sense to say that your greatest strength is "compassion" if you're applying for a cut-throat job on Wall Street. This is the type of strength that is more applicable to a position in the nursing field, or something of that nature.
When a potential employer inquires about your greatest weakness, what they are looking for is whether or not you can judge your own performance critically, and what you have done to overcome this weakness. Here is an example job interview answer geared towards a management position -
"In the past, I have noticed that I have the tendency to be a perfectionist and this has caused me to take on too many projects that I could have delegated to other employees. Upon realizing this, I began prioritizing my workload at the beginning of the day, and delegating some of the smaller projects to the employees that I supervised. The key to my success with this was making sure that I followed up with my employees throughout the day to ensure project completion and quality."
Sample Job Interview Question #2
"Can you tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge at work, and what you did to overcome that challenge?"
This is a loaded question because the interviewer isn't just looking to see how you overcome challenges, and solve problems, but they also want to see what it is that you consider a challenge. When it comes to answering job interview questions such as this, always focus on the work, and not the drama. What I mean by this is, the interviewer probably isn't interested in the social dynamic of your last job. That's not the type of challenge they're talking about. They don't want to know about how you gave Jane a ride home and had a heart-to-heart with her after she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. The purpose of this job interview question is to find out how you handle work projects, and how you can turn a problem or "challenge" into a success. When it comes to addressing this type of question it is usually best to use a positive word such as "challenge" or "opportunity" instead of a more negative word like "problem". This will show the interviewer that your initial perception of a "challenge" is positive, and that success will be achieved. All this being said, the main key to this answer is "success". Always end your answer with success over the challenge. Here is an example of a job interview answer that is, once again, geared more towards a management position -
"The last company that I worked for decided to roll out a new computer software program to increase efficiency, and productivity. This didn't go over to well with the employees that I was placed in charge to supervise as many of them had worked for years with the old software, and were much more comfortable with the old software. My first step in this situation was to make some extra time to learn the new software inside and out. Once I was confident in my knowledge of the new software I trained my assistant manager on all aspects of the new software and tasked them with setting up a training program for the other employees. I then called a meeting with my team and explained how the new software would greatly increase profits which, in the end, would benefit all of us. The new software program was rolled out successfully, and overall productivity increased by 17%."
FOR AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF SAMPLE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CLICK HERE
Sample Job Interview Question #3
"Describe a time that you were faced with a stressful situation at work, and what you did to cope with that stress."
What the job interviewer is looking for here is to determine how you deal with pressure. Stress is common in the workplace, and the person giving you the job interview wants to know how you react in stressful situations. What you are looking to communicate with this answer is that you can remain calm under pressure, and that you can avoid stressful situations with proper planning and time management. Typically, stressful situations arise from circumstances that may be out of your control. However, you are able to control your response to that situation. Here is an example job interview answer that show the interviewer that you know how to remain calm under pressure -
"When I was working in retail, it wasn't uncommon for a customer to become irate when they learned about our product return policy. There were quite a few times when a customer would yell at me, and even berate me. I knew that it was important for me to stay calm, because the customer wasn't necessarily upset with me personally, but rather they were aggravated that our return policy wasn't to their liking. I found that the situation was much easier to handle when I remained professional and didn't allow my emotions to get involved. I was usually able to offer an alternative solution to the customer's problem that was satisfactory."
These are just a few sample job interview questions and answers. For the most success with your next job interview make sure that you take these examples and make them your own. Interviewers aren't very impressed when they hear the same scripted answers over and over. Also be sure to use examples from past work experiences. This paints a picture in the mind of the person asking the interview questions of how you really are in a work situation. For a more exhaustive list of potential job interview questions and answers check out this job interview guide.
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