It seems that whenever you’re preparing for a transition, promotion or raise review, the interview questions that you most likely will be asked seem to fly right out of your head. You might feel the nerves set in and struggle to wrap your head around basic interview questions that you also know all the answers to. The first thing you probably did was search online for interview questions so that you can reflect and prep. Great idea. And here are a few more:
Consider the Types of Interview Questions. Did you know there are certain “types” of interview questions? Recruiters will pull from a large list of questions, including foundational, functional, behavioral, opinion, character, situational, demonstrable, leadership, skills test, credential and experience verification, trending and organization-specific, to name a few. In career coaching, we work on them all. You need to be prepared to answer all types of interview questions, because you don’t know the formula that the interviewer may choose.
Polish Your Skills with Interview Coaching. Everyone wants you to succeed, but will they give you fair, unbiased, honest and experienced feedback when you practice? As your career success coach, I will. This is part of our coaching process, to help you be prepared for any questions that may come your way. My clients will tell you that you’ll get solid experience responding to all formats of questions throughout our career coaching engagement, including a mock interview. If you want to perform at your best, polish your skills with interview coaching.
Reflect on the Interview Questions Most Employers Will Ask. Since you’re looking for interview questions, below are 25 that most employers will ask. Take time to review your responses thoughtfully and ensure your responses hit the Three C’s: Concise, Controlled and Contributive.
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why are you applying for this position? Why do you want to work here? Why now?
- How long have you been engaged in this job search?
- What do you think you could bring to this position?
- What types of volunteer activities are you involved in and what boards do you sit on?
- How do you work best, with others or alone? Why?
- Are you willing to take risks when necessary?
- What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
- What are some things you find difficult to do?
- What are your long-range and short-range objectives?
- When and why did you establish these goals and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
- What do you expect to be earning in five years?
- Do you have any international experience? Do you speak any foreign languages? How could this help us?
- How good are your technical skills? How did you learn them?
- Describe a time on any job when you’ve confronted problems/stresses that tested your coping skills?
- How do you work under pressure? How are your problem solving skills?
- What makes you excel as a leader?
- How could your leadership acumen benefit our organization moving forward? What’s our ROI?
- How have you improved yourself recently?
- Describe a time when you used facts/figures to persuade others.
- What skills do you rely on in your everyday work and what kind of training could you benefit from?
- Have you ever lost track of time at work? What were you doing?
- Why did you choose this occupation or industry?
- If you could begin your career all over again, what would you do differently?
- What makes you better than your competition?
How To Be Career Happy? Be Prepared For Any Interview
I hope this article provided you with a few applicable ideas for success. I would be honored if you shared this on social media. And speaking of sharing, please share your own ideas and experiences below. Together, we can build a happier career community.
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