{"id":11866,"date":"2022-03-01T12:11:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T12:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.s1jobs.com\/blog\/?p=11866"},"modified":"2024-09-24T11:39:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T10:39:06","slug":"common-questions-asked-interview-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.s1jobs.com\/blog\/common-questions-asked-interview-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"Common questions asked in an interview and how to answer them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fortunately, you can prepare for interviews. There are plenty of common interview questions which employers rely on to find out what they want about you. We\u2019ll take a look at these common interview questions you might be asked, and how best to answer them, as well as provide some top tips for answering questions you might not have prepared for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Top 10 common questions asked in an interview<\/h3>\n

While there\u2019s no guarantee of what you will (and won\u2019t) be asked in an interview, focusing on common interview questions can help you prepare answers which reflect the best of you. We\u2019ve identified the top 10 common questions asked in interviews:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Tell us about yourself<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Where do you see yourself in 5\/10 years?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    What are your strengths and weaknesses?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n

    Tell us about a time you\u2019ve been challenged<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n

    Why do you want to work here?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n

    What do you enjoy most about your current\/last job?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n

    What is the professional achievement you\u2019re most proud of?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  8. \n

    What kind of working environment do you work best in?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  9. \n

    Why should we hire you?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  10. \n

    Do you have any questions for us?<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Interviewers need to find out numerous things about candidates in a relatively short amount of time. You\u2019ll be asked about previous experiences, future plans, and, of course, yourself \u2013 your skills and abilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It\u2019s impossible to predict how an interview will go. People attend interviews at all stages of their careers \u2013 from their very first job to going for a huge promotion. All you can do is your best. None of our examples are perfect, but we hope to give you a flavour of what an appropriate interview answer might look like.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Tell us about yourself<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Open-ended questions can be some of the toughest to answer. Where do you start? How do you know what the employer is looking for? If you\u2019re asked this at the start of your interview, you just need to give some background information about yourself and what\u2019s brought you to this point in your career.<\/span><\/p>\n

    You won\u2019t want to speak for too long as a lot of the details may be relevant for future questions but do provide a summary with specific details. This will all depend on what stage of your career you\u2019re at and the type of job you\u2019re applying for. For example, a recent graduate looking for their first role may want to discuss their university course a little, but as you progress through your career, a course you studied 10 years ago will become far less relevant than your work experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Example answer<\/span><\/strong>:<\/span><\/h6>\n

    I\u2019ve been working in hospitality for nearly seven years now. I started straight from school washing dishes in the kitchen and quickly learnt I wanted to be front of house, engaging with customers and providing a great dining experience. For the last two years, I\u2019ve been the manager at an award-winning restaurant and hotel. It\u2019s been my first experience within a hotel and I have loved the experience of providing excellent customer experience from morning until evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    2. Where do you see yourself in 5\/10 years?<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

    This is a classic question. When answering, the key thing to remember is the context in which you\u2019re being asked \u2013 a job interview. The interviewer doesn\u2019t need to know all of your plans and dreams for life. They want to know where you see your career going and how that might benefit them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    There will be a fine line between showing you\u2019re naturally ambitious and it sounding like you\u2019re going to outgrow the role you\u2019re applying to and move on quickly. Companies won\u2019t expect you to respond saying you hope to be in that exact position with the business in five or 10 years’ time, but you do want your response to demonstrate that you picture yourself developing in the role you\u2019re applying for.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Where possible, refer back to the job description and any requirements. You can use these as starting points to begin to suggest how you might make the role your own. For example, if it is a management position and one of the responsibilities is to grow the team, you might respond with how you see yourself testing out new recruitment techniques, such as graduate training schemes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Example answer<\/span><\/strong>:<\/span><\/h6>\n

    Having benefited from mentoring throughout my career, in the next five years I would like to spend more of my time focusing on supporting junior members of staff and whoever would like to benefit from mentoring. I would like to establish myself as a go-to member of the team for coaching, specifically advice for growing your career in the digital industry. I would also like to push myself to do more talks and conferences.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Self-awareness is a key skill recruiters and interviewers are looking for. Any question about your strengths and weaknesses is your chance to not only showcase what you\u2019re good at but also acknowledge things you\u2019d like to work on.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Whatever you do, don\u2019t fall into the trap of saying your only weakness is being a perfectionist or you work too hard \u2013 we\u2019re all human and it\u2019s acceptable to recognise you have weaknesses in an interview. It\u2019s also good practice to mention how you\u2019re working towards overcoming this weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That said, you shouldn\u2019t be openly admitting that you\u2019re bad at things outlined as requirements of the job. For example, if they\u2019ve asked for strong Microsoft Suite skills, don\u2019t say you feel like you need further training. If the requirements of the job are weaknesses of yours, you may want to reconsider which roles you do and don\u2019t apply for.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In terms of strengths, you need to pick a couple of your most relevant skills. Try to keep them related to the role, and only add a personal one if it feels right at the time. Relevant strengths will vary depending on the position \u2013 for example, persuasion will be important for communication or sales roles, whereas curiosity may be key for creative jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Example answer:<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

    My biggest strength has to be my curiosity. I\u2019m always looking for inspiration around me and often find ideas that come to me at the strangest times. I\u2019ve learnt to keep a record of these on my phone so none go to waste.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    As a recent graduate, I\u2019d say my biggest weakness is the lack of real-life work experience. While we did a lot of project work in teams at university, I\u2019m excited to learn from those with industry experience. New people do bring fresh ideas, but I feel like I can gain a lot from the experience of an award-winning team.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    More on Strengths and Weaknesses Interview questions.<\/a><\/p>\n

    4. Tell us about a time you\u2019ve been challenged<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    The opening of this question is a tell-tale sign that it\u2019s assessing your competency. \u2018Tell us about a time\u2019 and similar openings such as \u2018Describe a time\u2019 or \u2018Have you ever\u2019 are used by interviewers to gather examples of how you\u2019ve responded to particular situations in the past. In your response, you need to identify which skill they\u2019re looking for and provide a relevant example that demonstrates your ability. Your past experience is a good indication of your ability to do the job you\u2019re applying for.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The STAR method<\/a> is often used to form responses to competency-based questions. It stands for:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Situation<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Task<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Action<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Result<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      By providing detail around each of these points, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll build out a story that showcases your experience well.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Example answer:<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

      While working as a project manager, I was tasked with shortening the amount of time it took for us to deliver completed work to clients. Numerous different departments were involved in each project, so it was a real challenge to juggle delivery time without applying additional pressure on the team.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

      I set up an initial call to discover what the current blockers were and discovered that we were regularly waiting some time for compliance sign-off from the client. Our team was then often expected to make up this time and fit in additional work at short notice. I implemented timelines that had to be signed off by the client before any work could be completed, which outlined both our responsibilities for delivery but also theirs. It gave us an additional week if they didn\u2019t meet their feedback deadlines. Although initially challenging, clients responded really well and started to prioritise getting back to us sooner, as they knew it meant their project would be on track.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

      5. Why do you want to work here?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

      Interviewers know that happy or satisfied employees are more productive. It\u2019s in their best interest to work out which candidates are really passionate about the position. Although you can showcase this throughout the interview with your attitude and energy, interviewers will often ask you specifically why you have chosen to apply.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In your response, try to cover two things:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u25cf Your motivation for applying for this position<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u25cf Your reasons for wanting to work for the company<\/span><\/p>\n

      You can explain if you\u2019ve heard about the company before \u2013 whether that\u2019s for its workplace culture or work on specific clients or campaigns. But you should avoid saying things about the pay \u2013 while compensation is important, it\u2019s not the most endearing trait of a candidate if they seem more interested in the wage compared to the role.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Example answer<\/span><\/strong>:<\/span><\/h6>\n

      I\u2019ve been keeping my eye on your company for a while now, especially after you won an X award for your X project. The creative team is constantly innovating and pushing what\u2019s possible with video advertising. I feel like this position would be a great fit for me, allowing me to hone my skills on a number of different clients as opposed to working in-house.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

      6. What do you enjoy most about your current\/last job?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

      People leave jobs for all kinds of reasons. One thing your potential new employer doesn\u2019t need to know is if you\u2019re feeling quite bitter about where you\u2019re working right now. This is not your chance to air out any grievances you have with a current or previous employer. It\u2019ll only leave the lasting impression that you\u2019re a disgruntled employee.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Even if you are unhappy with your current position, try to reflect on the opportunities it\u2019s provided you \u2013 for example, any notable clients or projects, or the team spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

      You may be asked why you\u2019re leaving or have left, so be prepared with an appropriate response. Common reasons you can mention in a job interview include:<\/span><\/p>\n