Depending on how you answer the questions in a job interview they will give you the charge or not. That is why it is important that you prepare yourself and know the most common questions, the most difficult ones, and how to answer them.
Before learning the questions, it is important that you remember that the interviewer is not there just to listen to your answers; he is also reading your body language.
Therefore, the first thing is that you identify that there are several kinds of body language and that you need to avoid these mistakes that are the most common.
With this clear, let’s see how to answer the questions in a job interview.
How to answer questions in a job interview.
- If you need to think for a moment, don’t be afraid to.
- Don’t take too long pauses.
- Answer politely if you don’t know the answer.
- It shows that you have the ability to think, even if you don’t know the answer (we’ll see an example later).
- Never say “I don’t know”.
- Maintain your position even if the questions are very obvious or strange.
- Show enthusiasm.
- Do not speak ill of other candidates to show that you are the best.
- Always be honest.
- Answer for sure.
- Don’t talk much more than necessary.
- Avoid exaggerating the answers.
- Do not justify yourself unless they ask you for an explanation.
- Don’t rush to the next question either.
- In case of performing any test, listen very well to the instructions.
Regardless of the profile the interviewer is looking for, or the questions they ask you; the above advice applies to almost all cases. Additionally, you should not forget the importance of a good CV.
With that in mind, the next thing is that you know the most common questions and “prepare” your answers.
Questions in a job interview.
Questions in a job interview: The most common.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Which are your strenghts?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Why do you want this job?
- Where do you want to be professionally in 5 years?
- What is your ideal company?
- What attracts you to this company?
- Why should we hire you?
- What did you like the least about your previous job?
- Where have you felt most comfortable with your work?
- What can you do for us that other candidates won’t?
- What were your responsibilities in the previous job?
- Why are you changing your current job?
- What do you know about this industry?
- What do you know about our company?
- Would you be willing to relocate?
- Do you have any question for me?
Very common questions in a job interview about your behavior.
- What was the last project you led and what was the result?
- Give me an example of a time when you felt you did your duty beyond your responsibilities.
- Describe a time when your work was criticized.
- Have you ever been on a team where someone didn’t do their job? How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time when you had to tell someone a difficult comment. How did you handle it?
- What has been your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
- How do you work with people who annoy you?
- If I am your superior and I ask you to do something that you do not agree with, what would you do?
- What was the most difficult period of your life and how did you deal with it?
- Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
- Tell me about how you dealt with conflicts in your previous job?
- If you are at a business lunch and the dish you order is brought to you wrong, what do you do?
- If you find out that your company is doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
- What task has been very difficult for you and how did you solve the problem?
- What has been the most difficult decision you have made in the last 2 years?
- How would you handle a situation where you have to finish a lot of tasks in a day, but it’s totally impossible?
Very common questions in a job interview about salary.
- How much is the salary you are looking for?
- How much have your salaries been?
- What are you looking for in terms of professional development?
Very common questions in a job interview about your professional development.
- What do you want to improve about yourself in the coming year?
- What kind of goals do you have in mind if you got this job?
- If I were to ask your old boss what things you should improve on. What do you think he would say?
- How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
Questions in a job interview about what you will do if you are hired.
- How long will it take you to make a meaningful contribution?
- What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
- If you were selected for this position, what would be your strategy for the next 90 days?
- How do you describe your work style?
More questions in a job interview.
- What is your ideal work environment?
- What are you looking for in terms of culture, corporate or entrepreneurial?
- Give me examples of ideas that you have implemented.
- What techniques and tools do you use to stay organized?
- Tell me about your most important achievement.
- What was your boss like and why?
- What do you think of your old boss?
- Were there any people in your career that really made a difference?
- Which personality type do you work best with and why?
- What makes you most proud?
- What are your long-term dreams?
- What is your personal mission?
- Mention 3 positive things that your former boss would say about you.
- Say one negative thing that your previous boss would say about you.
- Name 3 personality traits that your friends would use to describe you.
- Name 3 positive personality traits that you do not have.
- If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
- Make a list of 5 words that describe your character.
- What is your biggest fear?
- What is your biggest regret and why?
- What was the most important thing you learned in school?
- Why did you choose your career?
- What do you miss the most about your previous job?
- What has been your biggest achievement outside of work?
- What are the qualities of a good leader?
- What are the qualities of a bad leader?
- How do you feel when you get “no” for an answer?
- How would you feel if you worked for a person who knows less than you?
- What score would you give me as an interviewer?
- Tell me something about yourself that you wouldn’t want me to know.
- Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
- What was the last book you read?
- What was the best movie you saw last year?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- Who are your heroes?
- What do you like to do to have fun?
- What do you do in your free time?
- What is the best memory of your childhood?
It is clear that in a single interview you will not be asked all these questions. However, we prefer to put this long list of questions in a job interview so that you can prepare yourself in the best way.
Also, they are likely to ask you questions to learn about your reasoning abilities. Like the following:
Questions in a job interview: The most difficult.
- How many times a day do the hands of a clock overlap?
- How would you weigh an airplane without a scale? (answer at the end)
- Name 10 things you would use a pencil for, other than writing.
- Sell me this brush.
- Close your eyes and tell me, step by step, how to tie my shoes.
As you can see, these questions are not so easy to answer. The important thing here is that even if you don’t know the answer, you project yourself as a person who knows how to think.
For example with the question How would you weigh an airplane without a weight?, Angela Copeland, creator of Copeland Coaching, gives us a very useful suggestion. And it is that we must take into account that the interviewers are not looking for the answer; they just want to know how you handle yourself under pressure.
How to answer it.
A response in which you show yourself controlled and with the ability to think, may be the following:
“It’s hard to know the weight of an airplane because there probably aren’t any weights that big. Nevertheless, you could assume that the average weight of a passenger can be 80 kg. That could be multiplied by the number of passengers, each with an estimated luggage of 20 kg; which is the weight that airlines allow. We should also take into account the weight of the fuel. Finally I would look up online how much is the weight of an average plane and add it to the values above.”
In the example above, you never gave an exact answer; but you came across as a calm person and demonstrated your ability to quickly find and analyze variables. That, ultimately, is what interests the interviewer.
It is also important to highlight the use of the “however” connector. By using it after saying that you find it difficult to solve the problem; You show the interviewer that you are ready to take on the challenge.
If you want to know other words that will help you project yourself much better, click here.
Conclusion.
It is in your power to prepare yourself in the best way. They usually won’t ask you much different questions than the ones you saw above. So finding the answers, before going to the interview; you will be with one foot in the new job.
In ModoEmprendedor we promote entrepreneurship. However, we understand that one way to start an undertaking is by building capital thanks to a conventional job.
In the same way, if you are not looking for a job to undertake later, we wish you much success; and we hope that work is yours 🙂
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
